The Cherokee is all-new, but retains that distinctive Jeep front end.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Jeep has not sold a compact SUV in North America for more than two years, not since ending production of the 2023 Cherokee. It’s been a huge absence on dealer lots.
“I think that during COVID and chip shortages and when cars just weren’t as available, you tend to lose your way sometimes with that,” said Bob Broderdorf in an interview early last year with The Globe and Mail, shortly before his promotion to global chief executive officer of Jeep. “Some manufacturers reacted faster to the blocking and tackling than others. Am I doing okay, without saying I wasn’t a fan of the things before me?” referring to the decisions that were made, the vehicles and the way they were sold.
Now, parent company Stellantis has a new CEO and is shifting its direction on many of its previous business decisions, criticized at the time as disastrous by its North American dealers. And one of the benefits is the all-new 2026 Jeep Cherokee, ready to take on the heavy competition of such popular vehicles as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.
Like the made-in-Canada RAV4, the new made-in-Mexico Cherokee is only available with a hybrid engine: a 1.6-litre turbocharged inline-four that’s assembled in Michigan. (To further complicate potential tariffs, it’s a truly North American vehicle, with Canadian engineering from Stellantis’s Automotive Research and Development Centre in Windsor.) Despite the engine’s small size, it can produce up to 210 horsepower and 230 lb-ft of torque. Because of its small size, however, it claims an average combined fuel consumption of 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres.
The top-of-the-line Overland trim includes 20-inch wheels and leatherette seats.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
This isn't a boxy Jeep. The windshield is much more slanted and the Cherokee has a drag co-efficient of 0.335.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The Cherokee feels neither underpowered nor overpowered and it’s rated to tow up to 1,587 kilograms (3,500 pounds). However, the engine lags if you’re cruising and you then stomp on the accelerator – I counted at least a second before it reacted to surge forward. This is probably because of its continuously variable transmission (CVT), which is much less engaging than a conventional transmission with gears. The CVT does help reduce gas consumption, though my own observed consumption over several hundred kilometres of varied California roads was not good, at 8.2 litres per 100 kilometres. Others saw figures much closer to Jeep’s claim. I must just have a heavy foot.
There are four electronic drive modes and the SUV will lock itself into all-wheel drive for the Sand and Mud, and Snow, settings. In Automatic, it will slip back and forth as needed between all the power to the front axle and a 50-50 split between front and back, as it will in Sport.
This is not a sporty SUV, though it will hustle around the curves without too much rocking and rolling. The two electric motors, one for each axle, are housed together in the transmission and both are connected mechanically, with a driveshaft beneath the body.
My greatest criticism for the drive itself is something I’ve echoed recently with a number of cars, including the Mini Cooper and the Porsche Macan GTS Electric – there is no practical engine braking for approaching curves, just the brakes themselves. You can’t gear down for a corner.
The Cherokee does let you switch to “Low Gear,” which is quite loud and provides increased energy regeneration for the hybrid battery, but you must press a small, flat button on the front fascia beneath the display screen to do so, and this is not something simple to do while driving with your eyes on the road.
Of course, most drivers these days probably never think to engine-brake their vehicles – they just brake and accelerate as they get from A to B, and this will be no issue.
There’s 952 litres behind the second row of seats and 1,934 litres when those seats are folded flat.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
This really is an all-new version of the Cherokee, which was first introduced in 1974. The SUV is larger all round, now with 30-per-cent more cargo space than the previous generation. There’s an impressive 952 litres of room behind the second row of seats and 1,934 litres when those seats are folded flat. It’s fairly aerodynamic, despite the blunt nose and boxy rear end: Jeep says a drag co-efficient of 0.335.
There are four trim levels and Jeep has worked to keep them simple – the old Grand Cherokee had 165 possible combinations of features, and that was before deciding on the colour. All Jeep’s models are now much more straightforward to configure. There are, however, at least 140 driver’s assistance features provided – buyers told the company they wanted more technology in their SUVs.
The most basic Cherokee costs $42,290 before taxes. It’s well equipped with 18-inch wheels, LED headlamps with automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control and plenty of other convenience features. The Laredo costs $5,000 extra and the Limited is $5,000 above that. The top-of-the-line Overland rings in at $56,290 before taxes and includes 20-inch wheels and leatherette seats, among other features.
The rear seats on the new Cherokee.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Tech specs
2026 Jeep Cherokee
- Base price / as tested: $39,995 / $53,995 plus $2,295 for freight and pre-delivery inspection, plus taxes
- Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged inline-four with hybrid electric motor
- Horsepower / torque (lb-ft): 210 / 230
- Transmission / drive: Continuously variable transmission / All-wheel drive
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): 6.1 city, 6.7 highway, 6.3 combined
- Alternatives: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Honda CR-V Hybrid, Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, Kia Sportage Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Subaru Forester Hybrid
The more squared-off rear allows for more cargo space.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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