Across just about every car company, the compact crossover SUV is invariably the best seller, and the entire Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler group under the Stellantis conglomerate has been missing out on this action for years now. It’s a little strange, as it was Jeep themselves that helped cement the unibody-ute in the hearts and minds of the western world with the seminal Cherokee, and now, it’s back to take on the world. This is the all-new 2026 Jeep Cherokee.
Design
“Everyone working in design grew up with a Cherokee." - Vince Galante, Vice President & Head of Jeep Global Design
The Jeep design team had free reign on what the Cherokee was going to be, as it rides on a brand new architecture (codenamed STLA for Stella Large) that was shaped in part by what they felt the Cherokee needed to be; their sketches dictated the platform, and as a consequence, the finished product is very close to their original design sketches.
“I’d ask my 4-year-old daughter to draw a Jeep, and it always looked like this.”
The Cherokee is larger in every dimension than its predecessor, but more than that, it’s instantly recognizable as a Jeep. They specifically did not want to do a straight-up retro throwback, but they did want to create a modern homage to the original XJ Cherokee, incorporating as many design elements as possible while respecting modern needs for safety structures and aerodynamics.
“We weren’t looking for an angry face, we wanted more… confidence.”
I’d say they got it right. It’s cohesive, handsome, and doesn’t pander with on-the-nose nostalgia ploys, but respects what worked before.
Cabin accommodation
"It's been a long time since we put pen to paper on Cherokee... it was nice to start with a clean sheet." - Ryan Nagode, Vice President, Head of Interior Design
It helps that the original Cherokee’s boxy design was inherently quite practical, and it ended up being very useful in maximizing usable cabin space in the new Cherokee. It’s bright, airy, and spacious, with dramatic increases in every dimension, with special attention paid to the back seats and cargo space; these were weak points in the former Cherokee, and this new one has 30% more cargo area.
“Function first, design will follow… not overdoing it with decoration, holding a few key elements up and letting them do the talking.”
The interior’s aesthetic is straightforward, with a clean dashboard design that emphasizes width to feel more spacious than it already is; I appreciate the use of vertical lines on the centre console along with the upper and lower dash to create a cohesive feel that leads the eye upward, while contrasting cognac stitching across leatherette surfaces tie everything together from left to right. It’s clean and utilitarian without being stark.
Materials all feel well chosen and of quality, with special attention paid to making sure the new Capri leatherette not only looked and felt the part, but were also sustainably sourced.
No Jeep has used more recycled materials than this one, thanks to their partnership with Econyl, a firm committed to capturing unusable ocean waste and turning into useful, quality materials. You wouldn’t know it at a glance, everything feels terrific for this class.
Tech & Infotainment
At the center of the cabin is a 12.3-inch touch display running UConnect 5; frankly, this isn’t new, it’s a known quantity and works well. What is new is the FALD display, enabling a vibrant contrast ratio that’s very near fancy-pants OLED levels, without the long-term liabilities (burn-in) that come with it.
It looks terrific, and enables for blacks dark enough to blend into the curved bezel framing it, and it’s bright enough to stand out against the sun being let in from the new -huge- panoramic moonroof.
The gauge cluster is a 10-inch digital unit that can be configured to be very modern with a map-centric display, or very classic with typical circular gauge faces, or however else you prefer. It’s not as nice as the center display, and I did clock some antiquated choppy refresh rates with the gauge animations, but the transitions are slick; it’s not a processing-power issue, just odd. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.
Under the hood
The throwbacks end under the hood. Like the champion of the segment, the Toyota RAV4, all new Jeep Cherokees are hybrids to help improve performance and save fuel. It uses a new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, paired with three electric motors to produce 210 horsepower and 230 foot-pounds of torque.
Those power figures are adequate for the crossover class, but the fuel economy numbers are exemplary. The official combined average fuel use is 6.3L/100km, and I was able to beat that without trying, averaging 5.4L/100km - a wow number that ties the last hybrid-only RAV4 I drove. And yes, it does that on cheap gas.
Power is routed to the ground via what Jeep calls an electronically variable transmission; essentially a smarter name for the same e-CVT system that Toyota and most other hybrids use, relying on varying resistance between an engine-mounted motor-generator and a gearbox-mounted traction motor to manage the engine’s power. As you’d expect of a Jeep, all wheel drive is standard.
Driving Impressions
Chances are if you’re considering one of these, you’re probably a Jeep loyalist, and aren’t used to hybrid systems; don’t be concerned when pressing the start button doesn’t start the engine. The electric motors have enough power to silently propel the Cherokee out of the parking lot and away from a stop.
The gas engine will seamlessly kick itself on as needed to charge the battery that powers the motors, or to directly drive the wheels if more power is needed, and it’s (mostly - more on that later) a pretty slick operation that feels fairly natural. A lot of time was spent studying Toyota's homework, and it shows.
The gas engine itself is (mostly - more on that later) smooth and surprisingly quiet, and is generally imperceptible when transitioning between its various states. Relying on electric torque to add low-speed punch, it feels pretty effortless when accelerating and merging, but if you ask for all it has to give, you won’t get much; it’s not brawny like the original XJ.
While it's powertrain may not be in much of a hurry, you’ll find the Cherokee handles quite well, with good body control and decent chassis feedback, with natural feeling steering, despite the steering’s unnatural shape. It rides fairly well, if a little on the firm side at times, and it is well insulated from wind and road noise, allowing the thumping Alpine sound system to shine. The driving position is comfortable, with great visibility, and the full-speed adaptive cruise control works well. It’s easy to drive, maneuver, and live with, and the fact that it’s so good on gas is a huge bonus for it.
First year foibles
There’s an old saying that you should avoid the first year of brand new cars, and while it’s less true than it used to be, it’s still true here - at least based on what I’m experiencing with this particular example.
The engine has the faintest wobbling feeling, when accelerating moderately, from about 20-30 km/h. If it’s very slight, but it’s there. The only other vehicle I’ve experienced this on was the (non-hybrid) GMC Terrain, but that one was so bad I was convinced it had a failed engine mount. I hope this is just specific to this early-build example.
While there are no egregious fit and finish issues, there are lots of minor assembly issues, including but not limited to the alignment of the hood, tailgate, rear doors/window trim. Overall paint quality is good, but there is a seam in the paint on the right-hand D-pillar that indicates this vehicle may have had to be repaired, The cabin also has subtle vibrations/buzzes from the passenger door, moonroof, and somewhere in the rear. It also has a very slight driveline vibration at around 105km/h that accentuates these.
The on/off button doesn’t always turn the car off, but it does register the button press, saying ignition on. It didn’t always do this, and I found it never did it if you followed the process of putting the vehicle into park (I usually don’t on modern dial-selected automatics) and taking your foot off the brake, so maybe there’s a specific order of operations I’m not following, but I wasn’t the only one at our office caught out by this.
Money
Pricing for the 2026 Jeep Cherokee starts at $39,995, and our Limited-trim tester with the added Tech Group ($2,695, includes 9-speaker Alpine audio, navigation, off-road pages) and a panoramic moonroof ($2,495) rings in at $55,580 before delivery and dealer fees. It appears an awful lot like it was benchmarked directly against Ford's Bronco Sport, and that offers much more power and off-road capability at the same price point.
This puts in a bit of an awkward spot, as its rivals in the Chevy Equinox, Mazda CX-50, Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 all undercut it in their top/comparable trims, plus they offer desirable quality-of-life features like ventilated seats, lane tracing, and surround-view cameras. While the Cherokee feels fairly upscale, drives well and has lots of room… so do they. It’s hard to ignore, especially given the fit and finish hiccups on our early tester.
Wrap it up
I want to like the 2026 Jeep Cherokee. It has heaping helping of visual personality, tons of well-designed cabin space, and incredible fuel economy, at the cost of underwhelming performance, and this early car has a long list of minor concerns that I hope get corrected by the next time we meet. I think it has the potential to be a solid contender - anecdotally, I’m already seeing a lot of them on the road - and they’ve built a good future-proof foundation, but I'm not sure it's enough to sway anyone not already drawn by the Jeep name, at least not yet.