mmarshall

A Review of the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee

http://www.jeep.com/en/2014/cherokee...eep-cherry-red

IN A NUTSHELL: An iconic SUV nameplate from the 80s and 90s returns...in a much newer and more refined format.

CLOSEST AMERICAN-MARKET COMPETITORS: Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox, Dodge Journey, Toyota RAV-4, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mazda CX-5, GMC Terrain, VW Tiguan, Buick Encore, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson.

(It should be noted, though, that new Cherokees come in both Trail and non-Trail-Rated versions, whereas most of the competitors listed above are designed for daily driving, mild off-road use, and not intended for hard-core off-road use like Trail-rated Jeeps).
























OVERVIEW:

The origin of the actual word "Jeep" still remains somewhat unclear, but most auto historians today believe that the term comes from an abbreviation of the term "General Purpose" (GP)...which was used to describe the famous all-purpose vehicle first designed for the U.S. Military in 1941, and built in large volumes during World War II by the Ford, Bantam, and ****** companies. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who commanded the Allied armies in the European Theater (later, of course, to become President) said that the original Jeep was one of the ten most valuable machines that the Allies had during the war. Many of you older readers here who served in the military, back in the days before the Hummer H1 took over as the general all-purpose vehicle, can, I'm sure, remember many rides in a Jeep. It was as much a part of military life as boot camp, inspections, Reville, and Taps.

Well, the old military Jeep went on to become the CJ-series and Wrangler, and, of course, still survives today in much-reworked and more civilized versions. But, of course, that's not the subject of this review, so I won't spend much more time on that. What IS the subject, of course, is Jeep's also-ubiquitous Cherokee, which first debuted in 1984 with its boxy but space-efficient design, going on to become another Jeep classic. Earlier Jeep passenger-carrying, enclosed body-on-frame SUVs like the Wagoneer, earlier Cherokees (and a Jeep pickup truck) had already been in production for some years. But the 1984 Cherokee was arguably the first off-road unibody mid-size SUV specifically designed to carry passengers from the start, and not derived from earlier body-on-frame designs. It was built (and sold) in huge numbers, and, just from the sheer demand for it, continued in production well after the company had originally planned. Its shoe-box-square design, while not sleek or sporty to look at, made for good interior space efficiency.....something that many aero-styled, more modern vehicles seem to have forgotten. In the intervening years since then, SUVs began to be used more and more on regular roads for everyday driving, with less and less of their time spent in the traditional cowboy/ranching/rock-climbing and other off-road activities. So, of course, the later-generation of this type of vehicle (Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Ford Escape, etc....) became more and more car-like, and less and less off-road oriented. Added to that, of course, was Jeep's own big-brother Grand Cherokee, introduced in the early 1990s, which offered much of what the smaller Cherokee had, but in a somewhat larger, more luxurious, and more refined package. The Grand Cherokee took over much of the regular Cherokee's market in the 1990s, playing second-fiddle in the rapidly-growing SUV market only to the top-selling Ford Explorer, but demand for the aging Cherokee still remained strong. And, off-road use of SUVs continued to decline......today, outside of a few off-road kings like the Jeep Wrangler and Ford SVT Raptor, only about 4 or 5% of owners actually take their vehicle off-road (and some insurance policies won't cover off-road damage). So, between the rise of more car-like SUVs, the EPA push to get better economy from them, and the growing desire of SUV buyers for more luxury and convenience inside, demand for the old Cherokee finally declined to the point where Jeep decided to drop it.

In its place came the mid-sized Jeep Liberty....a vehicle that, while admittedly capable off-road, I was never very impressed with from the start. The one I test-drove, on pavement, was noisy, had a stiff uncomfortable ride, rather ponderous handling/steering, was tipsy in corners due to its high stance off the ground, and was cheaply done inside with second-class trim. In addition, it suffered some safety-recalls. And, like some other Jeeps, it also had questionable reliability. The managers at Jeep (perhaps influenced by pressure from Fiat, Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler's new owner?), decided to can it and bring back the old Cherokee nameplate in an all-new vehicle....a wise move, IMO.

So, today, for 2014, we have a resurrected, all-new Cherokee, with a name from the past but otherwise all-new, though some of the basic interior layout was obviously taken from the new Grand Cherokee which debuted a couple of years ago. It has a distinctive but controversial new front end and headlights (more on that later).

For 2014, four different lines of the all-new Cherokee are offered.....Sport, Latitude, Trailhawk, and Limited. FWD and/or 4WD are offered, depending on the trim-line. Base prices run from $22,995 on the FWD Sport to $29,995 for the AWD Limited. All models come with a Fiat-sourced 2.4L Multiair Tigershark in-line four-cylinder engine of 184 HP and 171 ft-lbs. of torque, while all but base Sport models have the option of a Chrysler-sourced 3.2L Pentastar V6 of 271 HP and 239 ft-lbs. of torque.*

* I had to rely on non-Jeep sources for the HP/torque figures, as I couldn't find them on Jeep's complex web-site for the new Cherokee.

A nine.....yes, that's right.....NINE speed automatic transmission, comes standard on all versions.....there is no manual transmission. (With that many gears, they might as well have used a CVT). All 4WD versions except the Trailhawk use Jeep's Active-Drive I system; Trailhawk models use the Active-Drive II system for heavier-duty use. The rest of the drivetrain details are too complex to go into here.......see Jeep's web site for details. Trailhawk models (as the name implies) are certified for traditional hard-core Jeep off-roading, and come with a extra-high suspension, underbody skid-plates, off-road aluminum wheels, tow hooks, locking differentials, and more....the others are designed for regular everyday driving with some occasional mild off-road use. An off-road suspension is optional on all 4X4 models....though they are not necessarily officially Trail-Rated.

For the review, I sat inside several different versions to check out the interior(s), and actually test-drove a white 4X4 Latitude model with black (actually black/gray) cloth interior. It listed for a little over 30K. I was unable to find a model with the standard four, as most of the ones local dealers keep in stock have the optional V6. In general, like other recent Chrysler products, its interior and driving characteristics, with just a few exceptions, were far better than its predecessors.....but, of course, I'll get to that below.



MODEL REVIEWED: 2014 Jeep Cherokee Latitude 4X4

BASE PRICE: $26,495


OPTIONS:

3.2L V6 Engine: $1495

UConnect Package: $695

9-Speaker/Woofer: $395


DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $995 (maybe a little more than average for this size vehicle)

LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $30,075


DRIVETRAIN: AWD/4WD, Transverse-mounted 3.2L V6, 271 HP @ 6500 RPM, Torque 239 Ft-lbs. @ 4400 RPM, 9-speed Sport-Shift automatic transmission, Jeep Active-Drive I system.

EPA MILEAGE RATING: 19 City, 27 Highway, 22 Combined


EXTERIOR COLOR: Bright White

INTERIOR: Morocco Black Cloth





PLUSSES:


Far more refined than the last Cherokee.

Ample power from the V6.

Decent (though somewhat firm) ride comfort.

Decent (though not particularly sporty) handling/steering response.

Solid, well-assembled feel on the road.

Reasonably quiet wind/road noise control...but with some noise from the tires.

Firm, responsive brake pedal.

Hood struts instead of a manual prop-rod.

Battery uncovered and easy to get to.

Traditional 7-slot grille (for the Jeep enthusiasts)

Decent (IMO) paint-color choice, though a little dull for my tastes.

All seven paint colors (seemingly) offered on all models...no restrictions.

Nice black body cladding all around the vehicle helps prevent paint damage.

Good headroom in front.

Good headroom in back without sunroof.

Good legroom, front and rear, for moderately tall persons.

Generally solid-feeling exterior sheet metal.

Reasonably solid-closing doors.

Generally nice interior materials.....with one of two exceptions.

Nicely-done carpet on the cargo area floor.

Generally roomy cargo area.

Wide Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep network for convenient service/repairs.

Good 5/100 powertrain warranty....3/36 on the rest of the vehicle.




MINUSES:

Jumpy throttle with V6 in first gear....probably from the transmission gearing.

Nine transmission speeds unneeded, IMO,....and complicates things at low
speeds.

Manual-shift function opposite from most new vehicles.

Brake pedal location not particularly good for large shoes.

3.2L V6 a tight fit underhood.

Controversial front-end headlight styling.

Full-length sunroof housing significantly affects rear headroom.

Wide, thick C and D-pillars impede some rear vision.

Center-dash video screen very complex, and with no *****/manual controls.

Awkward-operating stereo volume control on the BACK of the right steering-wheel spoke.

Unattractive (IMO) silver-paint on interior trim....but the trim itself was solid.

Leather front seat bottom-cushions a little uncomfortable for wide rumps.

Real spare tire only on Trailhawk models...and, even then, an option.

No body-side moldings for parking lot protection.

Glove box lock could be more solid.

(Sometimes) uncomfortable exit from front seat due to the car's frame.



EXTERIOR:

Except for the front end (I'll get to that in a second) the new Cherokee, perhaps not surprisingly, looks more or less like a slightly downsized version of the new Grand Cherokee. It has more or less the same body-shape, the same general roofline, and the same general look to the rear end. Not, IMO, that that's bad or ugly in any way.....I think, overall, both the Cherokee and its big brother are generally quite handsome. Up front, as usual (and traditional for a Jeep product), lies the ubiquitous seven-slotted grille so prized by enthusiasts, though, in the new Cherokee's case, the slots are somewhat shorter and fatter then usual. But the twin, ultra-thin, super-slant headlights up front, IMO, spoil part of the look....while styling is subjective, I agree with the auto press and other reviewers that they are controversial. To me, they have an alien look like something out of a science-fiction movie. The rest of the exterior, though, IMO, is quite well-done...I was very pleased with it, except for the lack of body-side moldings to protect the paint from parking lot dings. The body sheet metal doesn't feel second-rate. The doors close with a reasonably solid thud. The seven paint colors offered aren't quite what I would have picked (a little dull for my tastes) but are still decent (and Jeep doesn't restrict certain colors to certain trim-levels like some manufacturers do). The paint jobs were generally well-done, with only very minor orange peel at most. A nice strip of black lower-body molding runs around the whole circumference of the vehicle (even front/rear bumpers and wheelwells) to ward off paint damage from road debris. And, of course, being a Jeep, approach/departure/breakover angles over off-road obstacles are fairly high (Trailhawk and off-road suspension models get an extra inch of clearance). Trailhawk models, not surprisingly get special off-road tires. Very well-done on the exterior, Jeep....but please dump those headlights next year.


UNDERHOOD:

Open the reasonably solid hood, and a pair of nice gas struts holds it up for you....too many vehicles today, even not-so-cheap ones, use manual prop-rods. A nice insulation pad lines the underside. I didn't get a chance to look at the standard 2.4L four-cylinder, as dealerships in my area have very few of them in stock (maybe I'll see one at the D.C. Auto Show next month)...but the 3.2L transversely-mounted V6 was definitely a tight fit. The ubiquitous plastic engine cover, even larger than usual, covered almost the whole top of the engine, so virtually nothing was accessible on the top without taking it off, and there was very little room down the sides of the block to reach things, either. The Service Technicians are going to earn their pay with this one....some of the repairs/and service could be difficult. However, on the brighter side, the battery is relatively easy to get to (on the right front, with at least the terminals uncovered) and the dipsticks/fluid reservoirs/filler caps, as usual, are generally easy to reach.


INTERIOR:

The new Cherokee's interior, in a number of ways (again, not surprisingly) , looked somewhat like a smaller version of the one on the new Grand Cherokee, though less well-trimmed (the Grand Cherokee really shines in that department). I generally found it good-looking and well done, with good hardware/materials, though the monotone black, even with the medium/dark gray seat-cushion inserts on both the cloth and leather interiors, were a little dull for my tastes. Both the seat cloth and leather upholstery felt nice and of decent quality. The two primary gauges were very clear and easy to read. The sun visors had a nice-feeling fabric covering on them. Most of the upper door panels, door arm rests, and upper dash are covered in a fairly soft, nice material. The interior hardware was mostly solid and of decent quality, and the very thick-rimmed, leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel looked and felt very nice, despite its many buttons/switches. The thick C and D roof pillars (probably required to meet the newer Federal roof-strength/rollover standards), like on other newer vehicles, tend to block some rear vision to the side. The stereo sound quality (if you could actually adjust it, which I'll get to in a second) was quite good, though not what I'd call a killer unit. My test model (as did most of the other Cherokees there at that dealership) had the $395 nine-speaker/woofer option. With the front seat adjusted where I wanted it, legroom was good in back....surprisingly so for this size SUV. I could sit in back with my knees not touching the seat back in front of me at all.

IMO, there were several other things inside the designers didn't get right. Chief among these was the way-overdone video-screen in the center of the dash, which looked and felt like a Chinese picture-puzzle. There were no ***** at all for any of its controls/functions (all icons), except for one or two switches on the steering wheel, and the one for radio-volume was especially awkward. It was on the BACK of the right-hand steering wheel-spoke, and trying to sense and rock it by fingertip feel alone was difficult. The painted silver trim-strips and inside door handles looked cheap (fortunately, they didn't FEEL cheap). Also annoying inside was the fact that, while headroom was fine both front and rear for six-footers in non-sunroof models, those with the full-length sunroof suffered a significant loss of headroom in the rear....seemingly more than usual. The glove box door itself, though small, felt solid, but the lock itself felt a little light and flimsy when it closed. The headliner looked nice, with a grainy texture, but was hard and unpleasant to the touch. The seat cushions, though not park-bench hard, were firmer in feel than I'd like. On the leather front seats, the bottom-cushion width and side bolsters were just slightly too narrow for my size rump. And, the way the front seats and front-door openings are designed, when you try and slide out of the front seat on exit, your rump can (sometimes) uncomfortably glide across the hard sheet-metal hump in the vehicle's unibody frame right below the seat....less so when exiting from the rear.

So....generally a good job inside, designers, but a few things need more attention. (and I missed the Grand Cherokee's superb wood-tone trim and bright-metal work inside....hint, hint)



CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:

Open up the solid-feeling rear cargo-hatch (power-operated on some models), and you are greeted with a rather nicely-done cargo area. The somewhat high and traditional roofline in back helps load and carry taller items, and, of course, the split-rear seats fold down to add to the available cargo space. The walls are black plastic that is not very nice-feeling, but the floor is covered in a nice, almost luxury-grade black carpeting. A black cargo-cover/pull-shade is provided to hide things from prying eyes (the spring-assembly can be unsnapped and removed if needed for more space). There was a big longitudinal oval shaped silver-colored handle/rail on the left side of the cargo area, in a big depression scooped out of the left wall...I couldn't quite figure out what it was for. Under the floor, of course, is the usual temporary spare......only the off-road Trailhawk models get a real spare tire, and even THEN, only as an option (the Trailhawk in this dealer's showroom DID have that option) . Come on, Jeep...you did a pretty nice job with this vehicle, so why skimp and bean-count on an important (for a Jeep) item like that?



ON THE ROAD:

Start up the 3.2L V6 (on the Latitude model) with a dash-mounted ignition switch and a plastic thick-tab "key" that you insert into the rectangular hole and twist. The engine comes to life fairly quietly and smoothly, but you can tell you're not in a Lexus. On the road, though not a dragster, it has ample power, even with AWD/4WD. Noise levels from the engine and exhaust are fairly low, and the powerplant is generally refined. Though I couldn't actually test it off-road, it should handle those conditions pretty well.

I suspect I'm going to have some people disagree with me on this (some people feel the more gears, the better), but, IMO, nine forward gears, especially on this vehicle, are simply overkill. First of all, a low-range transfer case is provided on off-road models, which generally eliminates the need for a super-low gear. Second, the nine gears mean a both lot of short gears in town and a lot of taller ones for the highway. That's fine for the highway....but, in town, the very short first gear means a jumpy throttle and a lot of torque-multiplication with the V6 from rest. It takes a while to get used to the accelerator's tendency to jerk from rest and to almost immediately run of RPMs as the very short first gear upshifts into an also very short second gear, making it feel like a rough-shifting transmission when it really isn't. In addition, if you want to sport- or manual-shift for yourself, the (+/-) bump-shift for the lever is like on Mazda and BMW products is the opposite of most newer vehicles.....so be careful sure you are actually choosing the gear you want, and not abusing or damaging the drivetrain by a shift in the wrong direction. One thing I DO like about the transmission is the fore/aft motion of the shift-lever...I intensely dislike the awkward zig-zags found on some vehicles. The AWD/4WD system, though not quite as sophisticated as on the Grand Cherokee, has some programs for various road surfaces...they vary torque and gear/final-drive characteristics as needed.

The chassis is quite well done......as on the new Grand Cherokee, light-years ahead of its predecessor. Steering response is fairly quick for a small-to-mid-size SUV, body roll is present but not marked. Ride comfort, though firmer (as with most vehicles today) and not as soft as I'd like, is by no means uncomfortable on bumps or rutted pavement...and actually fairly smooth on good pavement. Road noise level is reasonable, considering the fairly aggressive tire treads that have to be used on this type of vehicle (even more aggressive, of course, on the Trailhawk models). Wind noise is generally well-damped. The brake pedal is not particularly well-located for big circus-clown shoes like mine.....I had to lift it off the gas carefully to keep from snagging on the pedal's edge. But the pedal itself was quite firm, with very little free-play/mushiness.....felt almost like a classic German sport sedan. And the whole vehicle, when driving it, on the road, generally felt solid and substantial.....no cheap/loose feelings in the structure, and a quality assembly at the factory.



THE VERDICT:

Yeah, I griped some about the ET-Alien headlights, transmission gears, and a few things inside, but, overall, I was quite pleased with this new Cherokee. It shows that Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne (owner of Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep ) was serious when he called his executives into his office and said that the quality and design of many of Chrysler's previous products were unacceptable (which, IMO, they WERE), and that the public deserved better. It also showed that Chrysler is serious about carrying out Marchionne's orders (the possible loss of one's job can be a powerful stimulant). I won't get too deeply into automotive politics here, but the money (along with Fiat's money), that the American government put into its share of the buyout (as it also did with rival GM) also helped save the company and make these new and better products possible. We've seen the same quality/design improvements over at GM, too. Even Ford, without an official government buyout or foreign take-over, is also doing some better products now (just drive a new Ford Fusion for proof). American-nameplate companies, after several decades of indifference, are finally selling some respectable vehicles again.

As I mentioned above, the new Cherokee has a solid quality-feel to it on the road, like it was screwed together well at the factory.....head and shoulders above previous Jeeps. IMO, it compares very favorably, in that area, to some of the best competitors in this class that I have seem from Europe, Japan, and Korea. Though not as well-trimmed inside or quite as smooth/refined in the ride/powertrain, it even compares well with its own big brother Grand Cherokee. If a few of the interior and transmission quirks were worked out (and the headlights redesigned)....Yep. for the money, this would be a vehicle I'd myself consider taking home if I had to buy one.

And, as always......Happy car-shopping.

MM

TangoRed

Great review! I enjoyed it, thanks for the write up. A couple of points:

1) You are the first person I've seen criticize the UConnect system. I've heard nothing but good things about in reviews and I personally found it very easy to use.
2) The back of steering wheel controls are actually quite intuitive once you realize what the buttons do- that of course is something the owner of the car would learn with some time. If you hold the steering wheel the "right" way, it allows you keep your hands completely on the wheel while manipulating the audio controls.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Nice review as usual,Mike.
I have to say I thought the exterior design was ugly but after seeing a few higher end models on the road,I'm starting to like the design.

mmarshall

Glad you enjoyed it.

No problem. You bring up a valid point, and I'll explain it.

My main beefs with the video screen were its sheer complexity, haphazard scattering of climate/stereo/destination icons all over the place without much, if any, seeming organization to them, and the fact that, unlike some other vehicles, there seemed to be no back-up manual controls. And, though, as you say, there were in fact buttons on the wheel spokes, those buttons were awkward-operating to use even keeping your hands on the wheel in the proper 10/2 or 9/3 positions. I tried them out both static (while the vehicle was resting) and in motion on the road. The volume switch/button on the back of the right wheel-spoke, for example, was especially awkward to get used to....several times, I found myself increasing the too-loud stereo rather than decreasing it. Its back/forth motion to increase/decrease volume didn't seem to work well in a linear motion.

mmarshall

Thanks.


It is indeed mostly a handsome design....just like its big brother Grand Cherokee. But the one real eyesore, IMO (and the one its bigger brother Grand Cherokee apparently avoided), are those spooky alien headlights. No matter what one thinks of them, they have turned out to be controversial among the vehicle's reviewers. I don't know what the Cherokee's designers were thinking when they grafted those in.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Nice review.

I posted the intial "Official Cherokee Thread" a few months ago, and from the responses I was essentially the only one (maybe a handful) that actually didn't mind the exterior design. Still looks like a Jeep and one won't mistake it for anything else.

That said, I think this is a great replacement for the Liberty. It's 31mpg HW even beats the smaller Compass. It would be nice to see Jeep condense the line-up even more by merging the Compass and Patriot into one entry level Jeep, then having the Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Wrangler and Future Grand Wagoneer as their core line.

Back to the Cherokee, I sat in one a few weeks ago while picking up a Ram truck for my GM. I have to agree the interior is worlds better than any previous Jeeps. Marchionne was correct in saying that previous Chrysler interiors were unacceptable. Nice to see a V6 option and permanent 4WD which is rare in this class. So while it may not be as capable as the previous SUV the Cherokee shares its namesake with, it's still very good.

bagwell

nice review Mike!

- I owned a 4WD Liberty for about a year and for the money (I got mine REALLY cheap) I thought it was actually pretty good....but not at MSRP prices tho.

08-12 Liberty...had two different four-wheel-drive systems available, including the part-time Command-Trac and the full-time Selec-Trac.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I forgot to put "option" when I was writing that. Yes Jeep is very diverse with the several 4WD systems they offer which the competiton only dreams of

mmarshall

Thanks.

Minus the headlights, I agree it is a nice exterior design, too.

Did you ever sit in or drive a Liberty? A good replacement, IMO, would not have taken very much.


Thats with the 2.4L four, but most buyers would probably want the V6 (local dealers currently don't even keep the four in stock). The V6 is a relative bargain, too, at only $1495 extra, and is available on most of the trim levels. And, of course, while more MPG never hurts, most buyers don't get a vehicle in this class (off-road-capable SUVs) for gas mileage, either. The nine-speed automatic, of course, helps highway mileage, but, as I noted in the review, also loads the lower end up with too many short gears.

By Jeep standards, IMO, the Compass can be dropped altogether. It's nothing but a compact FWD compact car (the former Dodge Caliber) with a semi-Jeep body on it. It was Jeep's attempt to expand thei marketing into the Suburban-mall-shoping crowd and offer an on-road only vehicle with compact-car gas mileage, but, IMO, was a fail.


Agreed on the others...but I don't know how well a Grand Wagoneer would actually do on the market. The big Jeep Commander was recently dropped because of poor sales.

As nice (and better) as the new Cherokee's interior is compared to the old one, it still pales in comparison to its bigger Brother Grand Cherokee. The name "Grand" is not in that vehicle for nothing.

Off-road, the new Trailhawk version should do pretty well. I don't see why it wouldn't climb over rocks and across stream-beds as easily as the previous Cherokee. It comes with a lot of off-road hardware as standard equipment, and what isn't standard (like a full-size spare tire, which one usually needs off-road) is an option.

And all of the versions (judging by both my review in the Latitude model and other reviewers who have experience in other versions) are words ahead of the old Cherokee in driving manners on pavement, drivetrain spohistication, and in the quality of the interior...and I suspect that they will also spend significantly less time in the repair shop.

yardie876

Great review. I actually just saw the car in a parking lot. The front has grown on me tremendously but the back is another story. :rollseyes: I really don't like the slab of metal between the tail lights and the reflectors. Reminds me of the tribecas of old.

mmarshall

Thanks.

I hope my comments on the Liberty didn't offend you (and, yes, I've driven worse vehicles)......but I honestly was not terribly impressed with it. On pavement, I found the Liberty only slightly more comfortable, better-driving and more refined than the Wrangler, which, of course, is the inexpensive King of off-roaders, but quite crude on pavement.

mmarshall

Thanks.

Even the headlights?

The Tribeca, though (considering the few of them actually sold), price and market-wise, competes more with the Grand Cherokee than the smaller Cherokee. Being a Subaru, it may (?) be somewhat more reliable than the Grand Cherokee, but the GC is definitely more capable off-road, and its impressive interior, IMO, clobbers that of the Tribeca.

yardie876

I'll admit, I had immediate indigestion the first time I saw it lol. But after spending some time with it at an auto show I slowly warmed up to it. It's certainly no looker, but I wouldn't cross it off my list if I was in the market solely because of its nose like I would have before.

TangoRed

Yes- the Liberty, the Suzuki Grand Vitara, and Xterra all occupied a small niche that just wasn't appreciated by the masses. It's not hard to see why, but still.

I'm in the same camp. I like it a lot in Trailhawk trim.

lamar411

Thanks for the review. the front is definitely growing on me. Saw my first one on the road last week and it for sure looks better in real life.