What Jeep Needs To Do To Make The Next Generation Cherokee Great Again (2024)

The Jeep Cherokee would have turned 50 this year, but instead of planning a grand celebration for a model that has been crucial to its success, the American automaker stopped production in late February 2024. There are still new models available on dealer lots, but you can no longer build a Cherokee to your exact tastes. Not that you'd want to, as the Cherokee is thoroughly trounced by a long list of rivals. How did this happen? How did the Cherokee become one of the poorest-selling vehicles in its class? During the current fifth generation's first full year on sale in 2015, Jeep managed to sell 220,260, and sales remained in the six-figure league until 2021. Sales kept on dipping, and last year Jeep only managed to sell 24,610 last year.

Jeep Cherokee

7.4/10

What is Buzzscore?

Make

Jeep

Base MSRP

$37,695

Engine

2.4L Inline-4 Gas

Horsepower

180 hp

Jeep's troubles started the minute the Cherokee fell behind. Sure, Jeep has made some updates since it officially went on sale in 2014, but by 2021, you could get a top-spec Ford Bronco Sport for less. The same goes for the Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4. Its pricing even overlapped with brilliant products like the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride. The sales figures back it up. The CR-V and RAV4 are always on the list of the top 20 best-selling cars in the USA, and Subaru managed to sell more Foresters during the first three months of 2023 than Jeep sold during the entire year. Last year, Hyundai sold 90,000 Palisades, but Kia went all the way to nearly 111,000 units. Jeep didn't just turn up to a gunfight with a knife. It turned up with one of those annoying thin wooden forks that scrapes your mouth and breaks halfway through a meal.

So what can be done about it?

Jeep Needs To Understand Its Target Audience

The sad thing about the downfall of the Cherokee is the fact that Jeep already knows what the modern customer wants. They want a crossover or SUV because the ride is more comfortable, they get an elevated driving position, more space, and they feel safer. Also, the neighbor has one, so they need one, too.

Then there's the downsizing or rightsizing phenomenon. In a post-pandemic world, people are more careful with their money and much more aware of their needs rather than their wants. Instead of buying a large three-row SUV for a family of four, customers are now turning to smaller cars like the CR-V and RAV4. Many manufacturers were able to spot this trend coming and now have a range of vehicles to serve various needs. Jeep did not, and while it has the new Grand Cherokee catering to the midsize audience, the 'tweener category between compact and midsize has thrived and Jeep hasn't kept up.

The Off-Roading Bits Are Unnecessary

More than anything, Jeep needs to understand that its cars don't need to be as capable off-road. The Cherokee Trailhawk could off-road with the best of them, but that target audience is minuscule, and they'd much rather just buy a Wrangler. For the largest chunk of the population, it's not about going off-road but rather the lifestyle that comes with it. A car like the Subaru Outback Wilderness, with its aggressive looks, is a prime example. You don't actually want to go driving in the sticks, but you like the idea of exuding that you're an adventurous person, even though the closest you get to nature is the plastic plant aisle in Walmart. It's the same as buying a watch that can dive to 1,000 meters. You never will, but you like the idea that it can.

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Give Customers What They Need, Not What They Think They Want

The worst part is that Jeep knows this. If you look at the Grand Cherokee range, you'll see that 70% of the models come standard with RWD, with a 4x4 drivetrain being an optional extra. The only reason to opt for a car with all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive is necessity. In other words, you live in a cold weather state. For everything else, a FWD crossover or SUV will suffice, and it will cost less because of reduced complexity.

By all means, build a top-spec off-roader, but do a better job of catering to the majority. The outgoing Cherokee consisted of two trims by the time it was discontinued, and both were only available with a permanent all-wheel drive system. Customers don't know that they don't need all of that. According to Capital One's research, 98% of SUV and crossover buyers drive over rocks or through mud only once a year, if at all. 91% drive down a gravel road only once a year, and that's something we've done in a Mazda Miata.

Build A Hybrid, And The Customers Will Come

We all know EV sales are taking a dip, but hybrid sales are growing rapidly. According to Morgan Stanley, hybrid sales grew five times faster than EV sales in February 2024. Once again, Jeep knows this. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe has been the best-selling plug-in hybrid in the USA since its introduction, and if Jeep started the development of the next-generation Cherokee three years ago instead of flogging a dead horse, it would have had a product to rival the magnificent Honda CR-V Hybrid by now. Just look at how these two models stack up.

• 

  2023 Jeep Cherokee

  Make

  Jeep

  Model

  Cherokee

  Base MSRP

  $37,695

  Engine

  2.4L Inline-4 Gas

  Horsepower

  180 hp

  Fuel Economy

  21/29 MPG

• 

  2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid

  Make

  Honda

  Model

  CR-V Hybrid

  Base MSRP

  $34,350

  Engine

  2.0L Inline-4 Hybrid

  Horsepower

  204 hp

  Fuel Economy

  43/36/40 mpg FWD | 40/34/37 mpg AWD

Look at the difference in fuel consumption and tell me that the average customer won't be swayed by those figures. Thankfully, Jeep already has a plug-in hybrid powertrain, but it has yet to bless the American market with a plain old hybrid. The 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot is begging to receive a less complex hybrid drivetrain, which the Stellantis Group can use for a number of models under its umbrella. Plus, the 2.4-liter Tigershark motor is a bit gutless, and a shot of electric augmentation would go a long way to making it work.

The New Cherokee Needs A Modern Interior

Jeep has made the Cherokee more handsome over the years, but the interior is ages behind everyone else. Minimalist interiors have been the trend for at least five years, and the old ways of putting as many buttons as possible on the center console are long gone. We don't want Jeep to replace the physical HVAC buttons, but a new, high-definition screen running the latest Uconnect software would do wonders for this car.

The Cherokee is also an in-betweener as far as interior quality is concerned. It was a big step up from the horrible fourth-generation Cherokee/Liberty, which had an interior made mostly from melted-down disposable forks, but it's still not on par with the latest Jeep models. It's also not on par with any of its rivals, which proves that you can build a quality item at an affordable price.

Jeep also needs to put it together properly to avoid another third-generation scenario. During its first year on sale, Jeep had to recall the 2002 Liberty 14 times, and nearly 2,000 customer complaints were lodged against it.

Rename It The Liberty

Much has been said about using Native American names to sell products. Jeep insists that it's honoring Native American culture by sticking to its naming structure, but research has shown that it can do harm. It seems Jeep may bring the Liberty name back, as CarBuzz discovered a trademark for the name in 2022. It could just be to keep the name within the family, or it's seriously considering moving away from the Cherokee name. Honestly, we don't care either way, as we're not in a position to comment on this emotionally charged issue from a position of authority. But maybe a fresh start would do the SUV some good.

Stick With A Single Design Theme

There are three core models in the Jeep range: Wrangler, Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee. The Wrangler is a bit retro, but also not. It has basically looked the same since Jeep started building the first civilian models. Apart from that nasty business where Wrangler YJ got square headlights (heresy), Jeep's most famous off-roader hasn't changed much. The same goes for the Grand Cherokee, which has always had rectangular(ish) headlights and elegant lines.

The Cherokee has been all over the place. Across five generations, there has never been a standard design. It started with the 1974 SJ, which was actually a full-size SUV. The design of the Cherokee peaked in 1997 with the unveiling of the second-gen XJ. It was an unibody SUV that knew its place in the world. The designers obviously wanted something a bit more suburban-friendly, elegant, and more usable than the Wrangler, and that's exactly what the XJ's styling conveys.

After that, it went horribly wrong. The third generation's round headlights are obviously an homage to the Wrangler, but the bulbous bodywork came out of nowhere. After that, it was the fourth generation, which will always be remembered as a prime example of how badge engineering shouldn't be done. It looked like the Dodge Nitro cousin that went to private school. And then Jeep followed it up with the radical fifth generation model and its odd slim daytime running lights and hidden headlights.

The best thing Jeep can do is return to the Cherokee's roots to create a modernized version of the XJ. Ford, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, and Dodge have all proven that retro-inspired cars can work, and the XJ has the added bonus of being the best and most reliable Cherokee of all.