3 days ago
First Look At 2026 Jeep Cherokee, Coming Late 2025 With New Hybrid
2026 Jeep Cherokee
A reasonable case could be made that the second-generation Jeep Cherokee that debuted in 1984 and is popularly known by its XJ product code kicked off the SUV boom that continues more than four decades later. The XJ Cherokee was one of the first uni-body SUVs with real off-road capability even 25 years after it ended production, they can still be found in off-road parks and place like Moab and the Rubicon Trail. After several years of declining sales, the most recent generation of the Cherokee ended production in 2023. But a midsize SUV is coming back to the Jeep lineup later this year and it's keeping the controversial nameplate.
Over the past year and a half, newly minted Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has repeatedly referred to this vehicle simply as the new midsize Jeep, avoiding the Cherokee name. The Cherokee nation has been asking Stellantis to change the name for a number of years, but it seems the combination of the name recognition and a changing political landscape may have prompted Jeep to continue with what it had rather than trying to establish a new brand.
The new Cherokee has a more upright and boxy design than the previous KL generation. It looks more like a scaled down version of the Grand Cherokee and features a design language for the front end that has become familiar since the launch of the Wagoneer.
It is expected to be produced on the same STLA Large platform used for the new Wagoneer S and upcoming Recon, but unlike those two, there is unlikely to be a battery electric version for now. The STLA Large platform is capable of supporting either longitudinal or transverse engine configurations but it's unclear which arrangement the new Cherokee will use. Unlike the lower headlights with a separate horizontal daytime running lamp that debuted on the KL generation, the Cherokee has more rectangular headlamps surrounded by the running lamps flanking the upright grille in a look similar to the Recon.
The Cherokee will be initially offered with a gas engine or a newly developed hybrid powertrain. The most likely gas engine is a variant of Stellantis' 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder which typically produces about 275-hp. The hybrid is an in-house developed system not based on the plug-in hybrids used in the Chrysler Pacifica or the 4XE Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. This would be the first non-plug hybrid from what used to be the Chrysler Group since the brief 2008 availability of a system developed with GM on the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen.
The next-generation Jeep® Cherokee is coming late 2025.
It's possible that the Cherokee could have an entry level version using the 3.6-liter PentaStar V6 although Stellantis may opt to go with just a single gas engine for now in order to keep manufacturing complexity down and also optimize for quality.
The Cherokee should be available with plenty of technology including driver assist features like adaptive cruise control which is rapidly becoming standard on all but the most entry level models. Both images released today by Stellantis show a front radar sensor. Whatever other capabilities it has, the Cherokee will almost certain launch with a Trailhawk model that gives it some fairly serious off-road capability.
There's no information yet on pricing or other details for the Cherokee but it will launch late this year.
