American Motors Company (AMC) is a brand that many people today have long forgotten ever existed or, if they’re under the age of 40, perhaps were never even aware of. Despite that, AMC has in some important ways had a greater influence on the 21st century automotive environment than almost any other company. Before it was subsumed into Chrysler in 1987, AMC released two key products, the Eagle and the second-generation Jeep Cherokee. These two vehicles defined the type of vehicle nearly 60% of American car buyers purchased in 2024 and Jeep is now launching an all-new Cherokee for 2026.
A Little Bit of History
Let’s be brutally honest, the AMC Eagle launched in 1980 wasn’t a great product. It was actually two related products from AMC. The perennial fourth member of the old Big 3 took their Gremlin hatchback and Hornet sedan and wagon, lifted them, extended the wheel arches a bit and added four-wheel-drive. If this formula sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because practically every automaker does this now for many of their nameplates. Subaru really perfected the formula with what was originally the Legacy Outback, but now we have everything from the VW Golf All-road to the Toyota Rav4 that can trace their roots back to the humble Eagle.
Then there was the second-generation Cherokee, often referred to by fans with its product code, XJ. The first-gen Cherokee from the 1970s was a traditional body-on-frame SUV. The smaller XJ was one of the first unibody off-roaders, certainly the first to bring the idea to the mainstream. It combined the overall construction technique that was becoming common for cars across the spectrum at the time with solid front and rear axles, a two-speed transfer case and a footprint that maintained a size reasonable enough to drive on a daily basis. In an era when Jeep CJs were barely more sophisticated than the Willys MB of World War II, the Cherokee was a revelation.
The XJ Cherokee was the vehicle that inspired a wave of competitors like the Chevy S-10 Blazer, Ford Bronco II and countless others (most of which stuck with body on frame until well into the 21st century. But the unibody architecture of the Cherokee and the Eagle demonstrated what was possible and now almost everything mainstream seems to be a direct descendant of these vehicles.
The XJ Cherokee remained in production until 2001 when it was replaced by a couple of generations of SUV badged as Liberty in North America while retaining the Cherokee branding overseas. Neither generation of Liberty was a fan favorite, having suffered from the cost cutting of the Daimler Chrysler era among other issues.
The Cherokee name returned with the KL in 2014 on a very different vehicle that was in many ways more like modern crossovers than the type of off-roader that was associated with the XJ. It had a transverse mounted four-cylinder engine and was the first application of the new ZF 9-speed transaxle that proved very troublesome in its early years. Production of the KL Cherokee ended two years ago, leaving Jeep without an offering in this highly popular segment – until now.
Time For A Reset
The powertrain wasn’t the only issue people had with the KL Cherokee, there was also the way it looked. It was a completely different kind of Jeep with a front end that incorporated elements that have since become very common. But at the time, the thin horizontal running lamps with small projector headlamps mounted below and a seven-slot grille that wrapped over the top was not what Cherokee fans expected. Over time it got more conventional looking lighting but it was never as popular as hoped for.
The 2026 Cherokee returns to a more traditional, yet modern SUV look. Jeep designers have adopted a much boxier, chunkier profile than before that in some ways harkens back to the XJ although there is also a resemblance to the current Grand Cherokee. The modern composite headlamps have a rectangular shape that also calls back to the XJ, but with a U-shaped LED daytime running lamp around the perimeter.
The seven slot grille adopts the shorter, wider style of other recent Jeeps but is mostly blanked off with most of the air coming in through the lower grille for better aerodynamics. One thing you won’t find on any XJ is the radar sensor in the lower grille for the adaptive cruise control. The whole front fascia looks flatter and more upright than the KL and looks like a Jeep.
Around the sides are the traditional trapezoidal shaped wheel openings that go back to the earliest days of Jeep. As is the case almost universally now, there is no two-door Cherokee, it’s four doors or nothing. The lower bumper areas, rocker panels and wheel arches are covered in flat black plastic, at least on the Cherokee Overland we’ve been shown so far. Other trims may have body color trim. The Overland we’ve seen also has a black painted roof that extends back to the D-pillars that are body color.
A neat little Jeep detail that the designers executed can be found in the taillamps. There are four red LED segments arranged around a black X-shaped section inspired by the moulding on traditional Jerry cans that were used to carry extra fuel on the Willys MB. It’s a neat little, subtle detail that recalls the Jeep heritage.
Modern Interior
Climbing inside the new Cherokee, there is little here that recalls an XJ apart from the most basics of having a steering wheel, pedals and seats. This is a thoroughly modern cabin that drivers today expect. On the center console is the now typical Jeep rotary dial for the transmission along with a toggle behind it to select drive modes – auto, sport, snow and sand/mud on the Overland. Ahead of the shift knob is an octagonal push button to start and stop the engine and to the right are the cup holders. A storage bin at the front of the console has a wireless charging pad.
Above this is a panel with buttons to switch off lane keep assist, park assist, traction control and enable low gear as well as a pair of USB-C ports. Continuing up is a capacitive touch panel for climate controls which is a bit unfortunate. Some traditional physical knobs to adjust temperature and fan speed would be preferable. The center of the dashboard is dominated by a 12.3-inch touchscreen with Uconnect 5. Uconnect 5 is one of the better OEM infotainment systems and is generally responsive and easy to use. It’s based on Android but doesn’t use Google services, instead relying on TomTom maps and Alexa voice services along with a range of purpose-built apps for various functions.
In front of the driver, the octagon theme continues with the steering wheel. It has a nice thick rim to grip on to and the shape leaves a large aperture in the top half to see the instrument cluster which is a 10.25-inch display. As with other recent Stellantis products, both screens are full array-local dimming LCDs which provide about the contrast you’ll get short of an OLED panel.
Overall, the cabin of the Cherokee Overland looks very clean and modern without going too far. For example, the vents are still completely manual as they should be. In case designers haven’t heard the message yet – putting vent controls in the touchscreen is one of the dumbest things you can possibly do for usability. The Cherokee driver can just reach out and grab a tab to move the vents. Jeep has also focused on sustainability with the materials which feature non-leather alternatives and recycled fabrics in the carpets.
The rear seat and cargo area have grown significantly on this new generation. The cargo space behind the rear seats is up to 33.6 cubic feet while 68.3 cubic feet is available with the seats folded. While that’s a notable improvement over the KL, it still falls short against many competitors which are smaller overall like the Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V.
How Big is It?
The new Cherokee is built on the STLA Large platform which is also used for the Dodge Charger, Jeep Wagoneer S and Recon. Compared to the 2023 Cherokee, it is now 5-inches longer at 188.1 inches overall. That is just 3.4-inches less than the Honda Passport and larger than all of the volume leaders in the segment.
To give you an idea how much vehicles have grown over the last several decades, the new Cherokee is 20.6-inches longer than the XJ and that old model had a longitudinally mounted inline-six cylinder engine in the front while the new one has a transverse four cylinder. It’s also almost 1,000-lbs heavier. At 4,295-lbs, it’s over 400-lbs more than a KL. The wheelbase of 113-inches is 6.4-inches more than the old Cherokee. It’s also wider and taller by over an inch. This really is much more of a midsize utility than before and is nearly the size of the old WK2 Grand Cherokee.
STLA Large is a surprisingly flexible architecture, supporting internal combustion, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and of course full battery electric powertrains. So far the Cherokee, Wagoneer S and Charger all use a similar integral link rear suspension, but the two BEVs use a multi-link front layout. The Cherokee is the first on the platform to use a strut front suspension. This is of course partially driven by the powertrain and partially by cost considerations.
What’s That Thing Got In It?
Bob Broderdorf, Jeep CEO, opened the background session where we previewed the Cherokee by confirming that the Wrangler will be keeping the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 as an option indefinitely now that the Trump administration has effectively stopped enforcing the fuel economy and emissions standards. The Cherokee on the other hand is getting something a bit more tame, at least for now.
When the 2026 Cherokee goes on sale this fall, it will be available exclusively with an all-new hybrid powertrain. At least part of the reason for this is to help with quality control by keeping the number of build options relatively low to start and then gradually adding more variants over time. Ram is doing the same by delaying the extended range EV Ramcharger until early next year while they add the 5.7-liter Hemi to the mix now.
The heart of the new Cherokee powertrain is a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This is the third-generation of an engine that has been used extensively in Europe across the old PSA lineup for many years. It is not related to the Stellantis 2.0-liter turbo four that has found a home in many products in recent years. It has gotten a variety of updates including a Miller combustion cycle that is more efficient and compatible with the turbo. The direct injected engine is rated at 177-hp and 221 lb-ft of torque and it will be produced at the Dundee Engine Plant in Michigan.
The engine is paired with a brand new hybrid transaxle that has been developed along with an as yet unnamed partner that will also produce it. It’s a two motor power-split system with a planetary gear set that is architecturally similar to units from Toyota and Ford. In combination with the engine, it will produce a total of 210-hp and 230 lb-ft of torque and Jeep is projecting the Cherokee to get 37 mpg combined. That’s the same rating as the current RAV4 and CR-V hybrids with all-wheel drive.
The Jeep will be offered exclusively with AWD and unlike the Toyota which uses a rear e-axle, it’s a mechanical system with a single-speed power take-off and driveshaft to the rear axle. At launch, Jeep is offering a base Cherokee, Laredo, Limited and Overland, none of which are considered really off-road variants although it should be able to handle anything the current competitive offers will do which is more than most consumers actually need – as opposed to what they might want.
At some point in 2026, Jeep will add a Cherokee Trailhawk which gets the vaunted “Trail Rated” badge. Right now Jeep isn’t providing any details on what will be in the Trailhawk, although they acknowledged more powertrain options are in the pipeline. We think it’s safe to assume the Trailhawk will have at least the 2.0-liter turbo that was in the WK with 270-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It will also probably have a similar low-range four-wheel-drive system that the last generation Cherokee had.
During a scrum after the presentation with Stellantis global vice president of propulsion systems, Micky Bly, I asked him if the 3.0-liter Hurricane would fit sideways in the Cherokee – he laughed and said “not for today.” An inline-six is almost certainly too long to fit transversely. However, a plug-in based on the new hybrid with more powerful electric motors could be an interesting future option. Jeep executives wouldn’t talk about that, but neither were they willing to rule out anything going forward. A 2.0-liter turbo PHEV with say 350 to 400 horsepower in a Cherokee? That could be good for a few laughs.
What Else?
As you would expect there’s going to be all the usual array of modern amenities including a full suite of driver assist features. That includes active lane management, level 2 active driver assist (not clear if it will be hands on or off yet), blindspot monitoring with cross traffic alert and pedestrian cyclist automatic emergency braking. There’s ventilated front seats and a windshield wiper de-icer and front tire to curb view to help prevent scraping those wheels.
The base 2026 Cherokee will start at $36,995 including the $1,995 destination charge. The Laredo, Limited and Overland will cost $39,995, $42,495 and $45,995 respectively. We haven’t seen pricing for the new 2026 RAV4 yet and we don’t have the full equipment list for the trims to do a direct comparison. However, the 2025 RAV4 LE Hybrid starts at $34,050 while the 2026 Honda CR-V hybrid ranges from $38,850 to $43,700 delivered. It’s a safe bet that the new RAV4 will be similarly priced putting all three in roughly the same price range. Deliveries of the Limited and Overland start first as usual arriving before the end of the year with the base and Laredo coming early in 2026 (assuming there’s no major glitches!).
We’ll be looking forward to driving this new Cherokee and its hybrid powertrain.
That grille is a sad disgrace to previous grilles…that front end is fucking hideous. What a fat pig
Regarding the STLA platform: I’d love to read a story on how “platform engineering” has changed of late.
I’m not sure what qualifies now – it used to mean obvious engineering connections that an enthusiast could point out and potentially do some parts swapping.
If a large V8 RWD based body on frame SUV, and a 1.6 transverse FWD unibody midsize SUV are on the same platform, what actually connects these two vehicles?
Does “Trail Rated” still mean it goes all the way up the Rubicon(?) trail by itself or is that becoming a trim level at this point? I’m not too up on Jeeps.
So the new Cherokee and Outback are a similar size and shape now but the Subaru has the more butch styling and the Cherokee looks like the tall soft-roader? What a weird timeline we live in.
Seems like it’s at least competitive in segment again. And Jeep will have a product in the main US vehicle class again…
It’s just a Fiat with a Jeep badge. Nothing to see here. The only people buying this are somehow ignorant of Subaru, Honda and Toyota.
A Stellantis product with a hybrid-only powertrain? What could possibly go wrong. And a Prince engine to make things even more entertaining.
Those used to have horrible reputation in the EU, probably not without a good reason.
And it has seemingly been rushed to market in response to the lackluster reception to the old model. I’m sure it’ll have stellar reliability and quality per usual.
I really like this, and would love a Trailhawk 4xe (PHEV) version.
And yes, please bring back HVAC knobs for the inevitable refresh.
I know that all grills are plastic, but dang, this one just screams PLASTIC!
And it already looks faded. What will it look like after a year or two of, say, Florida sun?
Kinda of a very inspid design? An abundance of grey plastics, plastic grilles with patterns that even Audi designers would reject and a very Defender inspired interior.. just without the style and the right materials.
JFC new cars are heavy. That thing weighs more than my BOF first gen Cherokee.
Kinda weird.
Especially the dial-a-drive.
Do not want.
Coming to a flatbed near you!
It’s a nice interior. Generally follows the design language of the GC, but looks very user friendly at a glance. I really hope they don’t go the touch control route. For something meant to belong to a physical, off-road brand, how can you not have physical controls for HVAC?
I still don’t like the exterior. While it looks vaguely similar to the Grand Cherokee, I dislike the massive black plastic overbite. Makes it look like a French bulldog. The new ‘merged’ seven slot grille also reads poorly. Maybe if each of those slots had a chrome ring it might read better, but as is, it just looks a weird black blob in between two meh headlights. (What’s wrong with circular headlights?) the rear looks like it could have been a rebadged Honda. There’s nothing in that design that says Jeep.
Beyond those concerns, the lack of a trail rated badge tells me this is another lifestyle Jeep, which is diluting it further from what should be a strength: authenticity in off-road capability.
Ah well. It’s Stellantis. They find some way to screw it up.
Of all the brands that could take inspiration from its past, they chose to make it almost complete devoid of personality with seemingly no retro touches?
I just don’t get it seeing as how every year Jeep releases some sick concept trucks which look both futuristic but still harken back to their roots as a brand. How do you remove all that and make a generic-looking design like this?
This has the old useless CEO’s fringerprints all over it, I bet.
7k on the hood within 9 months is my guess. It’s a volume leader at 33k. At 40+ it’s gonna sit on the lot unless CRVs and RAV4s are out of stock.
Who’s going to buy this, when there are much better vehicles out there, not to mention paying the Stellantis tax on one of these. Jeep needs to get the Wrangler right by fixing the dumpster fire 4XE and figure out how to make the Gladiator appealing. Everything else is a lost cause. I don’t know why a brand with such an appealing history as Jeep doesn’t lean into the wave of nostalgia. I saw a Gladiator a couple of months ago with a retro decal pack, complete with Scrambler lettering on the hood. The guy told me he constantly has people wanting to buy it from him. Wake up Jeep and start printing money.
Have you ridden in a wrangler? It’s an offroad vehicle that people drive on the pavement. It’s not a CRV competitor its a Toyota Tacoma competitor.
People are buying people movers that are SUV shaped. That’s the market right now. Kia Tellurides are killing it in the three row segment. RAV4 and CRV in the Middle.
That’s who this needs to beat. It needs to be a little bigger, a smidge more efficient and a lot more affordable. That’s the winning recipe. The MSRP gets the last part wrong.
That said they’ll slash the prices and the actual market price will move the units. This price is for wall street IMO.
I’m not saying fix the Wrangler to compete in this space, I’m saying fix the Wrangler so that Jeep survives. The new Cherokee with a hybrid system will NEVER sell. Who’s going to buy this verses the options from Japan? This thing is as DOA as the Grand Wagoneer.
The same people that buy Nissan Rogues or Mitsubishi crossovers,maybe even a few Mazda customers. That’s whose gonna buy – those that want a mid sized CUV but don’t want to pay a Honda, Toyota Premium
Yes CRV and RAV4 are going to be the first choice but 5-10k goes a long way to change peoples mind.
This is gonna sell and sell well at close to 30k.
At 40K+ it’s going to sit while people buy Toyotas and Hondas.
Again I think people are too hung up on Jeep needing bonafides like the old XJ or Wrangler. That’s great for brand heritage but heritage doesn’t keep the lines open and running.
The meat on the bone in the automotive industry today is in affordable midsized crossovers. Stellantis cannot afford to leave meat on the bone at this point.
Jeep has the most brand recognition so any item they (stellantis) think is a potential volume seller is going to get a 7slot grill.
Hold up. TomTom is still a brand? And coherent enough to supply OEMs? This
smellsreeks of serious cost-cutting.Overland not being considered an off-road variant gave me a solid chuckle.
Looks decent I guess if one is willing to be the sucker on a first-year Stellantis product. $40k+ seems wildly steep but that could be due to me being out of touch with the reality of new car prices.
Touch controls for HVAC is bad mis-step, but I’ll bet there will be a fairly quick mild refresh that will fix that considering the market has spoken fairly firmly with their wallets on that issue.
The fact that this has a Prius-style transmission and not a CVT or the execrable 9 speed they used in years past (aside: how can ZF make the undisputed world’s best RWD automatic transmission, and at the exact same time the world’s worst FWD automatic transmission?) is a huge plus.
It has enough power to perform every bit as well as previous Cherokees, and enough fuel economy to compete with its direct competitors, while looking better and carrying a better badge and legacy (for those who care about such things). And the bread and butter Laredo trim is priced a touch below the average new car transaction price in arguably the highest volume selling market segment. As long as its Peugeot bones don’t **** the bed on North American roads, this thing should be a hit and print money.
Why buy this ugly Jeep, when you can get an ugly Toyota?
Ugly Toyota that you have to struggle to find and can’t special order!
Potential quality issues aside, I really like the way this thing looks both inside and out. Which appears to be contrary to literally everyone else posting here lol. I love how the screen is incorporated into the dash and doesn’t look like a tablet bolted to it that sticks up like Toyota keeps doing. I do wish the capacitive buttons were real buttons though. That’s a bummer. Also, no more white interiors.
Counterpoint from someone who lives in Texas: fewer black interiors! Damned things are ovens here, but for some reason most automakers gatekeep interiors in colors other than black behind really expensive trims and upmarket models. Why do they want the poors to roast? More choice is better.
I agree and I didn’t say more black. I want more tan/brown interiors but I also want more red/green/blue ones too.
Clicking into this article, I thought I might be interested in a Stellantis product. But they went with touch controls for things instead of buttons and knobs. And it’s still a Stellantis product.
It’s too bad. I like the idea of the AWD system, but the rest of it isn’t enough to make it worth it.
The interior looks nice enough but feels like a bit of a misfire. It should be more rugged-looking. IDK white is a weird choice too.
I would imagine it drives in that numbed-out disconnected way that a lot of modern Jeeps do.
Boy howdy is that ugly
It’s not horrible or offensive in any way, but offers nothing that would make me take the risk of owning one over the competition.
The days of things like the XJ ever existing are long gone. Collectively we have to all just get used to everything being a soft box on wheels and find new interests.
I like the tailights.