The New Cherokee

[shelbyluvv]

I went to a local fair here in South GA last night and the guys from Jeep had a few of the new Cherokees here. It is a really good looking rig! The TrailHawk version is pretty sweet!

 

I got to talking with one of the guys from Michigan, He is an MJ guy. I plugged the club and Pete's MJs for sale there in SE Michigan. He said he would check out the club and whatnot.

 

I also tried to get him to pull the Thunder Cheif out of hibernation for us!

[dasbulliwagen]

Drove one the other day during the dealer PDI process. It is smaller than i thought it would be, and shorter too. The interior was great and power from the 3.2 V6 nice as well especially for its size. This is not the cheap feeling vehicle like the compass or patriot. Especially with the three we got being in the high 20's low 30's for pricing.

[carnuck]

I have 2 things against the current bunch of Jeeps. A: They are butt ugly. B: They are outrageously expensive. The reason the early Cherokees and Wranglers sold so good was that they were affordable without a million bells and whistles to go wrong. What happened to this vision? Soccer moms don't have a ton of money to spend with the economy going the way it is and neither do I. I bought my wife a Kia Soul that gets 35 mpg average. It doesn't have 4x4, but it almost feels like it is.

[Oyaji]

"They are butt ugly."

 

:rotf:

 

 

"The reason the early Cherokees and Wranglers sold so good was that they were affordable without a million bells and whistles to go wrong. What happened to this vision?"

 

Aiiiiiiiiiyah. In short, what happened was that back in the 1980s/90s manufacturers learned that they could add cabin space, bells and whistles, and leather upholstery to a $15,000 pickup truck, then call it an SUV and charge 40 grand for it. Profitability is everything to a corporation.

[ComancheKid45]

Defiantly not a fan of them resurrecting the "Cherokee" nameplate on a vehicle like that... :(

[Blue88Comanche]

back when i first looked at the Cherokee trail hawk, why was the I-4 the default engine over the V-6?  one would think the stronger engine would be preferred for "off road"...  or does the smaller engine package have a better overall gearing package?

[jimoshel]

 

"They are butt ugly."

 

:rotf:

Depends on the butt.

[Oyaji]

What has been seen cannot be unseen. Dammit, Jim!

 

 

Yeah, that's true alright about butts - but in the context of "butt ugly", I think it's plain which butt to use as a reference! (Egads, I'm not even sure what the hell I was looking at in that first pic - shame on you for posting it!  :rotf:  Only the second pic you posted redeems you from being ridden outta here on a rail!   :rotfl2:  )

[HOrnbrod]

Thanks for ruining my lunch Jim...........

[GrizzzzBear]

The Designers have been getting Stoned on their Designer Drugs Again!!!!

I see an "Alien Inspired" Influence.

Maybe a Cross of Audi, Infinity, Nissan, and Space Invaders. All are UGLIER THAN ANYTHING I CAN THINK OF!!!!

[ride172]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/11/01/quick-spin-2014-jeep-cherokee/

 

Here is a review of the Cherokee... I posted it because of the last line of the article.

[knever3]

I think they look much better in person, like the Hundai Genesis coupe.  The trailhawk is sweet, authough it's pricy but that's what people want, nice interiors and all the options.  When's the last time you actually custom ordered any vehicle?  It just doesn't happen anymore.  No stripper truck with the big V8 and heavy duty suspension, roll up windows and manual steering etc.

 

The Cherokee compared to any other vehicle in the segment is a real knockout.  Remember a Cherokee was a SUV that drove good on road and was great off road, just like this one is going to be.  The customer was the one that pushed manufactures into offering all these options and packages.  If you want the 4 cylinder multiair engine 2wd that's great for the southern parts without snow who goes offroad? 

[Incommando]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/11/01/quick-spin-2014-jeep-cherokee/

 

Here is a review of the Cherokee... I posted it because of the last line of the article.

This is probably a real possibility due to the lessened EPA requirements for a light truck. Ram just announced a more-than-likely return to a Rampage which follows the Honda Ridgeline and original Rampage/El Camino model: A minivan ( Honda) or car-cased ( Rampage/ El Camino) platform with a one-piece body that integrates a bed. That might also help off-set some of the more mpg-thirsty Jeep offerings in CAFE compliance. 

[xjrev10]

These Cherokees have been selling like crazy. Dealers don't have them for very long. (Hours)

[Automan2164]

In my opinion, they are growing one me. Yes, I will most likely never get over the front end. The interior, sides, rear, all look great. I love that it is on a modified euro chassis, the ride and road feel should be spot on. I love the engine options. I like that Chrysler is putting money and design into Jeep. The bottom line is just like others have said. They need to build what will sell. A boxy, truck-riding SUV or yore will not do it anymore. Smooth lines, crossovers, and car-like rides are what is doing it. Fiat having a hand in it is only a good thing. Sergio Marchionne turned that company around, and I hope that he does the same with our Chrysler/Jeep lines. I remember watching a 60 minute special about his background and what he is doing in Chrysler. Incredible man. Hard worker, not above everyone else, and down to earth. Just the kind of person we needed at the helm.

 

I look at it like this... The more money they make selling their Patriots, Wranglers, Compasses, Grand Cherokees, and Cherokees means they will have more money to play with and explore with other things. I mean, just look what happened a few years ago with the FC concept, the Gladiator redux, and the whole lot of concepts they released. More play money means more cool stuff...

Rob

[Keyav8r]

Can't argue with that, Rob! The history of the auto industry is to innovate when cars are selling well and to cut research and product development when sales slump.

I agree with you re Marchionne also. He seems to have a special talent in making companies improve how and what they do.

If they were to release the Gladiator I would have to seriously reconsider my vow to never buy another new truck.

[Keyav8r]

Jim - I don't want to know where you found that first image. However, I found that if I scrolled the screen just right I could block the first and better appreciate the artistry of the second image.

[87mjdriver]

I'll wait 5 years when I can buy a used one for 5 k since they don't hold there value anymore.

[jimoshel]

Jim - I don't want to know where you found that first image. However, I found that if I scrolled the screen just right I could block the first and better appreciate the artistry of the second image.

It's the same lady. The second pic is what she looked like before I broke her heart and she took to food for consolation.

[Oyaji]

:rotf:

[westypoo]

The new Cherokee is just plain ugly. I'll never get over the ugly lines that the front end has. I thought it would stop at the Nissan juke (joke) , but it seems as though jeep is liking the idea of putting the headlights in the bumper, and the day time running lights/ turn signals on the top. Kinda like an old Beetle in a way. I simply don't like it. Another thing is having an IFS front suspension. I had one on my ranger and it was horrible off-road. I know their getting better at making them now, but still, it's sad to see that it seems the only jeep in the line up that comes stock with sas front is the wrangler. I watched the Fox news video, the jeep guy says it can do just as much as a older Cherokee can, I seriously would love to see a real world comparison. I wanna see a 2001 Cherokee against a 2014 Cherokee and they both go up Engineer's pass in Ouray, CO.

All in all, this to me is just another mall rat suv.

[shelbyluvv]

Take the top of the line 2001 XJ, lets say a Limited with the Up Country package and put it up against the Cherokee TrailHawk and I think the new Cherokee will walk circles around the XJ. The TrailHawk was sick! Locking rear diff and all. The guy I talked to runs a JK that is setup to run in the rocks and he loved the TrailHawk. He took one to MOAB and JV and said he was really impressed with the out of the box performance. Now price for price you can build one hell of a XJ for the $30K sticker price of the TrailHawak.

[HOrnbrod]

I had to get a recall done yesterday at the dealer, so while I was waiting I asked to road test a new Cherokee. It did handle and ride nicely, probably due to the IFS/IRS which I consider a plus in a vehicle like this. It had the 3.2 Pentastar and felt quick, but not overpowering. I don't know about it's offroad capabilities and don't really care. It's a great little SUV well suited for mall crawling and soccer moms. I suspect there are many other vehicles of it's type just as capable I could get a bit cheaper though. But the front end styling turned me off; it's hideous. While trying to make it look Jeep-ish by retaining the too-small slotted grille, then adding slitted eye headlights and a shark-looking mouth below, they succeeded in creating what looks like some prehistoric deep water bottom feeder. Kind of like a whale shark with big eyes. From the side and rear it looks common, like every other small mall Japanese or Korean SUV. Even the wife thought it was ugly, and we never agree..............

[Incommando]

Take the top of the line 2001 XJ, lets say a Limited with the Up Country package and put it up against the Cherokee TrailHawk and I think the new Cherokee will walk circles around the XJ. The TrailHawk was sick! Locking rear diff and all. The guy I talked to runs a JK that is setup to run in the rocks and he loved the TrailHawk. He took one to MOAB and JV and said he was really impressed with the out of the box performance. Now price for price you can build one hell of a XJ for the $30K sticker price of the TrailHawak.

Now slip a locker in the 8.25 and maybe the D30 front, which is probably impossible in the Dart Wagon's FWD transaxle ( which is under the front of the AWD models,too.) Electronic nannies like traction control and the like can work wonders for people who can't drive any other way... until they break. Ask L.R. people how much fun it is when all of their electronics fail or gets confused by the terrain. Mention the "three amigos" or "holy trinity." To trade a transfer case with low range for a computer program that mimics low range makes me seriously doubt the credentials of that JK driver and his jeep. Is your source perhaps a company-related shill?

[Comanche County]

Not sure if I'm a fan, but I might be....The new Cherokee has a crawl ratio lower than a rubi.  Its engine is far beyond anything else offered except for the Wrangler Pentastar.  Great power if you want it, great mileage if you just want the base vehicle.

 

It will blow the doors off everything in its price class for a 4x4 SUV....Honda, Toyota, Suburu, even Land Rover can't match it (not counting the supercharged Rover, but that's out of the price range).  I think they may have hit the mark by jumping ahead a generation compared to the import challengers.  Ford never had anything to compare even in the days of the early Explorer, definitely not now.....the Escape????  Give me a break....

 

I mean really, no import SUV never really stood a chance even compared to the Liby or the old XJ, now they are utterly left in the dust.  Yeah its ugly, but sometimes even the ugly girl gets a date to the prom and has just as much fun afterwards that night.  Not saying I like it yet, but this new Cherokee is light years beyond the competition.