A box with Multiair Engine in it
No bad thing, this crossover is stylish but not responsive enough.
Jeep’s heritage in North America is indelibly linked to its big old brother Jeep CJ which is known as Wrangler nowadays. CJ is an abbreviation of the civilian jeep. Because the first manufactured Jeeps were used for the military, CJ was a milestone for the public success of the company. It was the world’s first mass-produced four-wheel-drive car as well. Hence, it is not hard to understand why Jeep Wrangler is seen patriarch of the Jeep brand.
Nowadays five different models are in the sale range including Cherokee. Jeep aims much larger market than ever. One of the attractive models in the sale range is Jeep Cherokee. Our test car today is a fifth-generation Cherokee with a Texas number plate. Its name, Cherokee comes from Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands in the old days of North America. We made more than 1000 miles with our test car and it was pretty much fun. Let’s start a more detailed review and see how we did.
Design and Comfort
The Exterior looks bigger than the old Dodge Nitro-based fourth-generation Cherokee. The reason for it was to make room for the upcoming Jeep Renegade, therefore, the fifth-generation Cherokee grew to midsize and converted to the crossover.
Especially for the exterior design, it could be nicely concluded that Cherokee is a proper premium crossover. Xenon headlights in front look so astonishing that you could want Cherokee instead of the bigger and more luxurious big brother, Grand Cherokee. It is a pretty new approach in the North American market in which almost every car is forced to use old-school halogen headlights to reduce cost.
Our limited version test car is the top-spec in Cherokee’s sales range. As a result, the user has lots of gadgets, for instance, on the exterior bigger aluminium rims which provide a more stunning look and inside heated leather seats. The interior design gives clues that this car was produced FCA (Fiat- Chrysler) factory in Ohio, so it is like the Jeep Renegade. It feels good but somewhat harsh. I mean console of the car is properly built, however, when you touch, push or press, or in any kind of interaction between you and the car feels somehow awkward and cheap. So, it can be concluded that the interior looks good but does not feels good.
Engine and Ride Quality
In terms of ride quality Cherokee feels so harsh and not like a cruise ship that you would want on your long holiday. Although you always feel that premium feeling, Cherokee use it for others, not for the driver. Acceleration is not at the level you would expect from the decent 2.4-litre engine. Most of the time especially when overtaking other cars and on the high hill roads, it feels rather sluggish and not responsive enough. It is the same for steering wheel response. The steering feels tight but not as responsive as the driver would expect. When I was driving from Springfield, MO to Oklahoma City, OH through I44, Cherokee does not feel like it was designed for long cruises due to its uncomfortable ride quality. The firm suspension could be good for handling performance but not to go across America like in the 18 wheels game. I would recommend a softer Nissan X-trail for it. Yes, with X-trail you could travel from Seattle to Miami in such an easy, but it will be painful with Cherokee.
On my way to Oklahoma City, I overnighted inside the Cherokee one of the biggest gas and sleeping stations in Oklahoma City. During that time, I discovered the disadvantages of the Cherokee even further. Firstly, seats could be painful, unlike its component X-trail or Qashqai. Secondly, the interior does not feel as special as you would expect in a 30-thousand-dollar car.
Verdict
Three is a pretty obvious improvement in the last generation Cherokee over its successor fourth-generation Dodge Nitro-based one. Brand – new chassis and body look wonderful from every angle, especially in the top-spec limited version. However, rivals of the Cherokee are more competitive than ever. Considering how much the North American market needs car-like Cherokee, it is easy to say that Cherokee will sell. However, real drivers still need to wait some time to buy Cherokee. Every generation of it amazes both customers and car reviewers. So, who knows that sixth-generation Cherokee will not be on-road cruises as well as off-road monsters.
