2019 Jeep Cherokee: First Drive Review

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Jeep did a one-and-a-half gainer under the hood, increasing the Cherokee's powertrain choices. To pump up the engine lineup, Jeep didn't grab any old powerplant off the FCA shelf. Nope. It created an all-new turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. Jeep's engine gurus gave it the guts to deliver 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of acceleration-making torque, as well as start-stop to increase fuel economy. And, when properly equipped, Cherokees with the 2.0-liter can tow up to 4,000 pounds, yet scamper to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in seven seconds by Jeep's count!

Making encore performances are the 180-hp 2.4-liter Tigershark 4-cylinder and the 271-hp 3.2-liter V6 engines. All three engines use the same 9-speed automatic transmission to turn the wheels.

Because of powertrain tweaks here and there, as well as the 2019 model being 150 pounds trimmer, the government has yet to release miles per gallon estimates for any of the engines. Jeep expects the 2.4-liter to provide 30 mpg on the highway, while the 3.2-liter should deliver a class V6 best of 29 mpg hwy.

We did some rock crawling in California that would have positively embarrassed many of the Cherokee's competitors. Traversing the off-road course at the media event required childlike trust in the spotters as we walked our Cherokee over hills of jagged rocks, often seeing nothing more than the top inch or two of the spotter's index fingers pointing left or right as we stared at the sky through the windshield.

For this sort of X Games adventure, Jeep offers its Active Drive Lock 4x4 system with its locking rear differential. It includes a Power Transfer Unit (PTU) with torque management and low range. 4-Low locks the front and rear driveshafts.

Two more 4-wheel-drive packages round out the off-roading systems. Active Drive I is a transparent automatic all-wheel-drive system that switches in and out of 4WD as needed without driver input. Active Drive II has all the features of Active Drive Lock, but without the rear differential locker. It also offers a neutral mode for towing the Cherokee behind an RV.

All three 4WD systems include Jeep's Selec-Terrain traction control with settings for Auto, Snow, Sport, Sand/Mud and Rock. It also has Selec-Speed Control, which is something like cruise control for going up and down hills.

Geek Patrol

What would a new, redesigned or refreshed vehicle be without ginning up more gizmos for connectivity and safety? When the 2019 Cherokee goes on sale this spring, it will feature the latest fourth-generation Uconnect infotainment system. Available with either a 7- or 8.4-in touchscreen, it will include a 12-volt power outlet, auxiliary audio input jack and USB port, in addition to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Features come and go as you work your way through the trim levels, but available goodies include satellite radio, hands-free calling and texting, a navigation system and connected services for remotely locking/unlocking and remotely starting the vehicle with a smartphone app, emergency-first responders contact and other features.

Every Cherokee comes with a rearview camera. Available driver-assist/safety technologies include adaptive cruise control, ParkSense, parallel/perpendicular park assist, lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning with braking, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

Casting Call

Base pricing, including the destination fee, begins at $25,190 for the front-wheel-drive Latitude and peaks out at $37,470 for the Overland. In between are the Latitude Plus ($25,190), the Limited ($31,570) and the off-road-dedicated Trailhawk, only offered with 4WD ($34,515). Roughly 60 percent of Cherokee sales will be 4WD. Adding 4WD to all grades except Trailhawk will increase the bottom line by $1,500.

The Big Finish

There's no question that the 2019 Jeep Cherokee is still king of the off-road hill among its peers. Whether its freshening earns it a bigger slice of the segment sales pie remains to be seen, but it is an improved vehicle through the effort. It certainly offers more engine and 4WD choices than its competition. In every other respect, it can go toe to toe with the segment leaders.

To gain access to this information, Autotrader attended an event sponsored by the vehicle's manufacturer.