Car Review: 2014 Jeep Cherokee

 

The name Cherokee is as famous in the Jeep world as the Wrangler, Scrambler, and old CJ's. When Chrysler decided to end production of the Cherokee in 2001, Jeep enthusiasts were not too happy. At least they still had the Wrangler. Now, the Cherokee name is back. But is this new Jeep worthy of the Cherokee name?

 

By the looks of it, you're not too sure. It doesn't look like a typical Jeep. It looks like something that might start complaining if it gets all muddy. Don't let the looks fool you though, because this new Cherokee is made to go off-road.

 

Engine options are either Fiat's 2.4L I4 or Chrysler's Pentastar 3.2L V6. The V6 is definitely the engine you want due to the 271 horsepower it produces. That's just enough power for blowing by other cars and enough to tow anything weighing around 2000 lb. The two things that make this better than the old Cherokee are the brakes, which are better than the four drums, and the much better handling, thanks to the independent suspension system.

 

 

 

But enough of the on road performance. The real question is how does the new Jeep perform off-road? Well the answer is exactly like the old Cherokee. You do get a new Selec-Terrain system that allows you to choose the type of terrain you're driving. This includes snow, sand or mud, and rocks. The best thing to do is just leave it in auto mode and let the car do everything itself.

 

I didn't just take this new Cherokee onto some grassy fields. I took it onto the worst roads I could find. Some old back roads that haven't been paved in years with big potholes and dirt and rocks everywhere. Other cars would get destroyed on these roads, but the Cherokee just kept on going and was looking for something else to conquer. 

 

 

 

For serious off-roading, there is also the Trail Hawk Cherokee. This is for traveling on intense trails with large boulders and steep hills. It also has a better towing capacity, allowing you to tow anything up to 4500 lb. There will be some off-road and Jeep enthusiasts that will say that this is not a true Cherokee. But if you take it off-road and just drive it the way Jeeps should be driven, then you'll see that despite the looks, this is definitely worthy of the name Cherokee.

 

Special thanks to Lahti's Jeep of Leominster, MA for test vehicle.