2014 Jeep Cherokee Coming To Des Moines
Yesterday I was a part of small group of local Iowa Jeep dealers who got invited out to Iowa City to have a quarterly review of the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep & Ram business plan for the rest of 2013 and into 2014. While these meetings can sometimes drag on and the gentleman next to me had to fight the urge to fall asleep on a few occasions, there was one highlight of the trip. We got to see a production 2014 Jeep Cherokee.
The new Jeep is a far cry from your traditional boxy Jeep styling that customers have come accustomed to with the Jeep Wrangler. The new Jeep is powered by a 3.2L V6 (which is brand-new) and an innovative nine-speed automatic transmission. I know what you're thinking, how did I ever live with just five-speeds in my transmission before?? Well, the reasoning behind the new nine-speed is added efficiency and gas mileage.
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The mid-size SUV segment (think Ford Escape, Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4 and a step up in size from the Jeep Compass/Jeep Patriot) has greatly increased its efficiency and achieved gas mileage that we were once accustomed to in an economy car. Jeep realizes this and the new Cherokee is now capable of gas mileage up to 31 MPG on the highway, which is a far cry from the 21-22 MPG you were going to get from the Jeep Liberty it replaced.
But what about that Jeep style?
So the new Jeep decided to take a progressive stance on the styling for the Cherokee. This design has been polarizing to say the least, but I will say after seeing the car in person yesterday, it looks better in person that in pictures. I am not sure if I am sold on the styling yet, but I can tell you that you won't be mistaken for anything but a Jeep Cherokee when driving down 80/35.
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One thing I can assure you though is that the fit and finish of the car is tremendously better than the outgoing Liberty. The Cherokee has taken a page out of the big brother Grand Cherokee book when it comes to interior quality and that is definitely not a bad thing. Combine this with innovative powertrain options with the smaller V6 & a nine-speed transmission and this Jeep will surprise some people.
I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the styling. Love it? Hate it? Let me know what you think!