The Jeep Cherokee has been an SUV stalwart since before we knew what those three letters really meant. Back then, it was just the default SUV.
Fast-forward all those decades and all those new competitors, and the Cherokee is still with us. Sure, it’s grown and changed with the times, but the lineage is still there. And for 2019, the Cherokee has a new party trick under its hood: an all-new, 2.0-liter turbo engine. Having only two liters to work with doesn’t mean wimpy performance, though, as it produces 270 horsepower along with 295 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s sure to be the life of the party.
Fancy yourself as more a wallflower? Jeep will happily sell you a more traditional powerplant, the 3.2-liter V6. It offers just 271 horsepower and 239 lb.-ft. of torque, though. Gone are the days of bigger engine offerings having the most power. And if you aren’t a fan of parties at all, Jeep still offers the venerable 2.4-liter. Regardless of your thoughts on parties, all engines come with Jeep’s nine-speed transmission.
As far as fuel economy is concerned, the 2.0-liter turbo returns the best numbers. The 2.0 liter’s advantage is especially noticeable against the V6, which requires mid-grade. The 2.0 liter happily sips regular.
And just like its predecessors, the new Cherokee comes in two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive flavors, with the Trailhawk being this generation’s Trail Rated offering. Time has moved on, but a Jeep is still a Jeep.
We tested the rather upmarket Overland 4x4 version fitted with the 2.0 turbo engine. Where the Cherokee line starts at just north of $25,000, ours stickered at $40,715.
