Jeep gets an update
DETROIT (AP) — Fiat Chrysler’s Jeep brand is giving the Cherokee compact SUV a major face-lift so it can better compete in one of the hottest parts of the U.S. automotive market.
The 2019 Cherokee, unveiled at the Detroit auto show, gets styling tweaks, a new engine, suspension improvements and engineering changes that save 200 pounds and improve gas mileage over the current model.
At an impromptu news conference after the SUV was revealed, CEO Sergio Marchionne hinted at three future new products and said he’ll be pushing for higher Jeep sales growth in Europe.
The updated Cherokee gets a new two-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 270 horsepower and technology that shuts it down at stoplights to save fuel. It’s similar to the engine in Alfa Romeo sports cars. A 3.2-litre V6 and 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine carry over from the current model. A polymer tailgate is among the changes that help save 200 pounds.
Jeep also redesigned the rear cargo area, adding four cubic feet of storage space by making it wider so golf clubs can fit in straight rather than at an angle.
All this is to better compete with new updated competitors, such as the Honda CR-V and Chevrolet Equinox.
When the latest-generation Cherokee came out in 2013, its curvy front grille departed from the normal flat Jeep front-end with round headlamps. That angered some Jeep purists who love the old look.
Jeep took a step toward the old frontend, giving the 2019 model a larger grille, combining LED headlamps and daytime running lights and adding a new hood and fender design.
“We polarized the market. We split it in half. People either loved it or they hated it. I think when you look at the rest of the range, that’s much more in line with what Jeep is offering,” Marchionne said.
Marchionne called the Jeep brand’s growth in Europe “shameful:”
— The company’s Alfa Romeo performance brand will add a three-row large SUV by 2022. It will be larger than the Stelvio, Alfa’s first SUV.
— Fiat Chrysler also has developed an SUV based on the Pacifica minivan underpinnings but hasn’t decided whether to produce it.
— A new Jeep Wrangler pickup truck will debut early in 2019.