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2014 Jeep Cherokee

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No more Liberty. It’s back to the old Cherokee name. (Which was till used overseas anyway)

This quite a departure. I am sure many people will be screaming about this bold design.
I foresee many tears from the good old macho crowd.
Personally, I think it’s about time Jeep comes up with a modern take on the old theme.

This might  a good job at getting sales from the CRV/RAV4 croud. Which is where the money is.

More on this very soon.

Conversation 27 comments

  1. I've read so much hate directed at this vehicle's design today and find it all completely unfounded.

    Sure the front-end styling is a bit daring for Jeep, but inane comparisons to the cartoonish Nissan Juke simply make no sense as this is infinitely more cohesive and elegant than that automotive abomination.

    In this particular pic, it actually looks very modern, upscale and quite handsome.

    Nice Work Jeep!

  2. Wow, looks better than I thought, especially in that color. It still has design issues, though. For instance, the front end is too predator-ish. Can't see too many mothers running to it.

    Still, can't deny its distinctiveness.

  3. The moment I saw it didn't like it but it is growing on me. Jeep is bold designing new Cherokee. I give them big credit.

  4. I'm glad their bringing back the Cherokee name, but that design is NOT going to help take sales from the CRV/RAV4 crowd.
    I appreciate that they went with some bold styling, but the headlights are just hideous!

  5. The issue here isn't the design. The issue here is having a vehicle designed such as this, and giving it the Cherokee moniker. Even the Liberty moniker would be inappropriate… names associated with a "go-anywhere, do-anything" attitude can not be limited by a FWD platform also shared by the Dodge Dart. Jeep survives largely because of its name and what it stands for, especially since most people who buy them never fully utilize these SUV's potential. But their willing to buy it for that image, and if Jeep can no longer stand for that distinguishment, then people will no longer have a reason to prioritize it over another automaker providing perhaps an even better car-like ute.

    The appropriate direction with this car-ute would have been to give it an entirely new name, or make it an upgrade from the Compass as an intermediary between it and the Grand Cherokee, and market its on-road manners towards those looking for jeep alternative to the Mercedes GLK, Audi Q5, or BMW X3 & X1. Italian handling, American-made.

    It's a handsome looking car, but the naming of this as the Cherokee will dilute the Jeep pedigree, something sergio macchione himself has sworn not to do to one of the most hallowed brands out there, perhaps second only to Ferrari in brand cache and prestige. Very stupid move on the part of Ferrari.

  6. The new Nissan pathfinder ran into the Pontiac Aztec. Bold is one thing, but bold shouldn't be flat out ugly, as this is.

  8. Vince, I agree with you that its time for Jeep to bring a modern take to their DNA. The front end scared me when I saw it in the first spy shots, the real thing is less scary. I would have integrated the stacked light as one larger piece for a bolder tougher look. We'll all get use to the new look… and isn't a 45% fuel economy improvement going to very very attractive to most shoppers?

  9. at first i thought this is a CHINESE COPY of the jeep. i just dont see how this will sell in the u.s.

  10. Looks good, but the split headlight trend must end NOW! It didn't work for the aztec or the juke, or this…

  11. Is it "trail rated"?

    All kidding aside, I think that even the worst complainers will get used to the looks if it does the business. Give it enough ground clearance, make it ride like a see-saw (something Jeep owners love), and style the interior with a hacksaw.

    Half the Wrangler owners I know are women, so that kind of stuff has broad appeal. No pun intended.

  14. How big is this thing? Is it Santa Fe/ Edge sized or CR-V/RAV4 sized? Jeep needs a more modern midsize SUV and this is starting to grow on me. It does need to be a real Jeep though, not just another run of the mill soft roader.

  15. There are parts that I like a lot – the bent grille, the horizontal ridge line (which is also on the back, from spy shots I've seen) and the contouring of the hood. I think the look falls apart with the lighting, which is needlessly radical and fractured in appearance.

    If they had devised a single-unit lamp that incorporated that interesting ridge, the design probably would have been a home run. Instead, there is this odd, lumpy cartoon grimace expression. Fiat seems to have trouble with the "face" of their vehicles (the new Dodge work van being the other recent example), and this is showing a lot of Fiat design influence.

  16. I have to agree that at first glance, I hated it.. but the direction Jeep is taking actually makes sense. First of all, the sleeker greenhouse and overall shape does suggest a smaller Grand Cherokee, which makes the Cherokee moniker more appropriate for this than Liberty, which was always more Wrangler-esque in appearance. Sure, the headlights are weird, but it sort of explains why they scrunched up the lights on the 2014 Grand Cherokee.. and if the somewhat radical face doesn't sell well, they can quickly change the fascia. If it does sell, though.. expect to see this face on the Patriot and Compass almost immediately.

  18. I like it. Overall, it's a sleek and modern SUV. The front end is daring, but aren't we all sick of bland copy-cat designs?

    But (as has already been said) it should really have been called something other than Cherokee. A rock-hopper it surely ain't.

  19. Part of the problem is that there is a huge contrast between the conventional overall shape and design, and the wonky front clip. If the design was completely aggressive and unique, then it may not look so disjointed.

  21. As human beings we're used to seeing the same old headlamp layout and even refer to it (in a subconscious way) to the front of a vehicle as its "face". Pareidolia is the term used to describe our almost automatic and subconscious ability to assign a "face" to something. We are built to subconsciously repulse something whose "face" doesn't make sense in nature. Hell, this thing has six eyes! Makes me want to run from it!

  22. It's amazing how suddenly everyone likes this weird design! If this were Nissan or Mazda or some other import, the same people will be blasting it for how ugly it is. It is just pathetic!

  23. Horrible. Wtf were they thinking? This front end looks like the current day Isuzu coupe from the 90's

  24. by calling this cherokee people will simply confuse with the grand cherokee so I suggest call this cherokee sport or compass sound more like Jeep RAV4 or CRV & name the upcoming 2015 Jeep compass sport or Jeep Freedom or Jeep Journey…

  25. The problem is that there really isn't much left for the "macho" crowd. Why does every car sold in America today have to look so much alike? There's nothing wrong with soft, car-like SUVs for the people who want them (and I know, there are a lot of people who want them), but a little variety would be a nice change and if any brand of vehicle is supposed to appeal to a macho crowd, it's Jeep. I was excited to see where they were going to go with the new Cherokee but this is a horrible disappointment. It would probably make a fine Hyundai, but it doesn't deserve to wear a Jeep badge. Sergio go this one wrong.

  26. I agree that this is not a cherokee. what it really should have been is a dodge SUV that competes against the crv and rav4. This dilutes the Jeep brand.

  27. if this is half decent it will be a best seller. It scares me as a competitor to this brand, well done Fiat…..Really Italians, what do you expect. They bring us the best food, the best art, the best super cars, the best music, the best motorcycles, yup u know what i am sayin"

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