Jeep is among the most adventurous small SUVs on the market. It comes with ample cargo space, excellent towing capacity, a spacious cabin, lovely seats, and decent fuel efficiency. However, is Jeep Cherokee a good car?
Overall, Jeep is a nice compact SUV. It is ideal for people looking for a small off-roader with outstanding towing capacity and fuel efficiency. Furthermore, it has an excellent cabin with a large cargo area. Nonetheless, it also comes with several setbacks, such as poor performance and low reliability.
History of the Jeep Cherokee
The Jeep Cherokee is one of the several Jeep SUVs offered by Jeep. This car was formally marketed as Jeep Wagoneer but changed its name to Jeep Cherokee. Besides, this car was named after the Cherokee tribe of North American Indians.
Jeep has been manufacturing the Jeep Cherokee from 1974 to date. Currently, the car is in its fifth generation and has undergone a lot of modifications over the years. It also has a bigger sibling, referred to as Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is bigger and more powerful.
Features of the Jeep Cherokee
Appearance
The Jeep Cherokee is not the best-looking car in its class, but it looks elegant. Additionally, it has a nice interior, but its quite lacking compared to its major rivals, such as the Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan. Note that some exterior and interior features vary according to the Cherokee trim that you select.
Even not as spacious as its rivals, the Jeep Cherokee comes with a larger body and dimensions. It has a wheelbase of 106.5-inches, a length of 182-inches, a width of 73.2-inches, and a height of 65.7-inches.
Performance
This is one area where the Jeep Cherokee lacks. The Jeep Cherokee comes with various trims, but most of its competitors outperform it. The base trim is the Jeep Cherokee Altitude, while the high-end trim is the Jeep Cherokee Limited 4X4. Other popular trims are X, Latitude, and Trailhawk.
The base Jeep Cherokee comes with a 3.2-liter V-6 engine that delivers a maximum of 271 hp and 239 lb-ft of torque. Contrarily, the high-end, Jeep Cherokee Limited trim comes with a 2.4-liter inline-4 engine that provides up to 180 hp and 171 lb-ft of torque.
Generally, the Jeep Cherokee is not the best performing car in its class. Cars like the Honda CR-V, VW Tiguan, and Mazda CX-5 perform way better.
Comfort and cargo space
The Jeep Cherokee may be larger on the outside than most of its rivals, but it is quite smaller on the inside. For instance, it has a smaller cargo area than Honda CR-V and Ford Escape. Additionally, the cabin feels confined because of the small windows and high windowsills.
When the rear seats of the Jeep Cherokee are folded, this car offers a total of 54.7-inches of cargo space, which is decent.
Fuel-efficiency
One of the most challenging parts about owning an SUV is that they consume a lot of fuel. However, that’s not the case with the Jeep Cherokee as it is among the most fuel-efficient cars on the market. It has an EPA rating of 19 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined.
Considering that the Jeep Cherokee is an off-roader, it is very fuel-efficient. Therefore, users will save some cash.
Price
The Jeep Cherokee is much costlier than most of its competitors. For instance, the base Jeep trim, the Cherokee Altitude goes for $31,500, while the most advanced trim, the Cherokee Limited 4X4 trim goes for $40,400.
When you compare this to the Volkswagen Tiguan which goes for $27,600, or the Honda CR-V which goes for $27,580, you will find that the Jeep Cherokee is somewhat costlier. On the contrary, these two cars perform better than the Cherokee.
FAQ
How reliable is the Jeep Cherokee?
When it comes to reliability, Jeep does not perform very well. Many reliability agencies rate the Jeep Cherokee as one of the least reliable compact SUVs on the market. Consumer Reports rate Jeep Cherokee as having below-average reliability, while J.D. Power rates the same car as having slightly above-average reliability.
What is the difference between the Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee?
The main difference between Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee is their size. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a midsize SUV, while the Jeep Cherokee is a small or compact SUV. Additionally, the Grand Cherokee is more powerful and expensive than the Cherokee.
Does Jeep Cherokee have a lot of problems?
Jeep Cherokee comes with several issues that owners or interested buyers should know about. Some of the issues include engine stalling, engine oil leaks, transmission problems, malfunctioning electric liftgate, problems with folding mirrors, suspension problems, and delayed gear changes.
More about Jeep Cherokee problems.
What is the high mileage on the Jeep Cherokee?
The high mileage on the Jeep Cherokee is 150,000 miles or more. Despite Jeep Cherokee being less reliable than most of its rivals, this car holds up for a long while. Most users have reported that they started having serious issues after covering over 150,000 miles. So, if this car is well-maintained, it can last for a long while.
Which car is better – Jeep Cherokee or Volkswagen Tiguan?
It depends on what you’re looking for. First and foremost, the Jeep Cherokee is slightly costlier than the Volkswagen Tiguan. On the other hand, the Jeep Cherokee offers an adventurous ride and is the better off-roader. Nonetheless, the Tiguan has a more spacious and upscale interior compared to the Cherokee.
When it comes to ease of maintenance, the Jeep Cherokee takes the day. Nonetheless, the Volkswagen Tiguan has a spacious interior and a larger cargo area.
Summary
Generally, the Jeep Cherokee is one of the best compact SUVs on the market. The car is spacious, sleek, luxurious, with a lot of cargo space, and outstanding towing capacity. What’s more, it is cheaper to maintain than most of its competitors.
Nevertheless, this car is not reliable as most reliability agencies rank it below-average reliability. On top of that, it is one of the worst-performing cars in its class, as competitors such as Honda CR-V, Range Rover Evoque, and Volkswagen Tiguan perform better.
