When the Cherokee left Jeep's lineup on the end of 2023, it left a hole a long way large than, properly, a Cherokee itself between the smaller Compass and the midsize Grand Cherokee.
The Cherokee, you see, competes in one of the freshest car segments today, in opposition to large-time dealers just like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Equinox, Hyundai Tucson you get the idea.
So it become peculiar when the remaining generation Cherokee changed into discontinued without a direct substitute. After leaving untold income on the desk for two years, Jeep's Cherokee is lower back.
What Is the 2026 Jeep Cherokee First Look?
Jeep has launched the first photographs of the new SUV beforehand of its full screen and arrival "later this year." Fans of traditional Cherokees would possibly look fondly on the new version, which returns to a boxier, more Jeep-like visage than its smoother-snooted predecessor.
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To drive the factor home, Jeep even published an photo with the XJ-collection versions of the compact Cherokee bought from the 1980s via the early 2000s bracketing the brand new version (under). The ’26 Cherokee's the front give up is flatter and has squared-off headlights evocative of these sealed-beam devices on the original XJs, and the roofline is extra upright and angular than earlier than.
The Cherokee Goes Hybrid
Jeep's statement of the brand new Cherokee consists of some tantalizing tips of what would possibly sit beneath the SUV's flatter, longer hood. Per the automaker: Reimagined from the floor up, the subsequent-generation Jeep Cherokee will redefine North America’s most famous car section, bringing midsize SUV clients a brand new, green, and powerful hybrid propulsion option from Jeep.
So, there could be a hybrid. It's no longer clean from that whether or not the Cherokee will best be offered as a hybrid, although, because later inside the same press release Jeep makes this really puzzling reference.
From industry-leading ICE automobiles to plug-in hybrid management to all-electric services, the brand new Jeep Cherokee joins the project to empower clients with the freedom to journey their way with unequalled Jeep functionality and innovation.
Is that line relating to Jeep standard? The Jeep logo of direction offers each inner-combustion-engine alternatives in addition to plug-in hybrids (the logo's 4xe generation is offered on the Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, and Gladiator pickup).
Or is this a tease that the 2026 Cherokee will, as we anticipate, offer an entry-degree gas engine—say, the turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that powers the Compass—at the side of a 4xe plug-in hybrid variation or even an EV alternative? Perhaps, but Jeep is not releasing any further facts until in the direction of the Cherokee's launch.
It'll Be Larger, Too
Jeep has a history of relating to the Cherokee as a midsize SUV, however based on usually popular advertising and marketing classifications, it's honestly a compact—again, same because the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and others, none of which might be mainly "compact" these days.
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The large Grand Cherokee fits in the midsize category, at the same time as the larger-nonetheless Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are great 3-row beasts. That said, the brand new Cherokee is possibly going to inflate, adopting a larger footprint in the direction of the Grand Cherokee's than the smaller Compass's.
A massive reason for this is the platform: This new Cherokee is expected to utilize parent enterprise Stellantis' new STLA Large architecture, which is capable of helping ICE, hybrid, and all-electric powered powertrains.
This equal STLA iteration seems in the Jeep Wagoneer S EV. This new platform ought to stretch the Cherokee's wheelbase decently past the old Cherokee's, beginning up cabin area and pushing the wheels farther towards the corners, as you can see in those pictures.
Speaking of the cabin, it's probable the new Cherokee will adopt the state-of-the-art version of Uconnect infotainment—likely even imparting a 3rd dashboard display in front of the front seat passenger on high-cease models—just because the Wagoneer S does.
We'll find out extra because the 2026 Jeep Cherokee techniques its professional debut later this 12 months, which includes where the new SUV may be constructed (the remaining one was assembled in Illinois)—a key consideration in these tariff-tossed times.
The good news? Jeep is promising an low priced rate squarely between the recently extra lower priced Compass and the Grand Cherokee, or round $30,000 by using our estimation.
After production of the preceding Cherokee ended following the 2023 version year, the iconic nameplate is coming again on a emblem-new SUV set to launch in overdue 2025. After a three-yr sabbatical, the Jeep Cherokee is headed again to manufacturing.
Jeep simply discovered the primary snap shots of the 2026 version, which it says has been "reimagined from the ground up." Visually, it looks as if it, with the Cherokee abandoning the regularly occurring styling of its predecessor in desire of a greater rugged appearance and a squared-off the front end.
The previous-generation Cherokee turned into formally dropped from the lineup in 2023 after going in large part unchanged over nearly a decade of production. Along with the visible differences, Jeep is promising great changes under the skin for the new version.
The confirming that the revived version will add strength to the equation and formally said that the Cherokee will advantage a hybrid powertrain alternative, however the brand failed to confirm if it will likely be a plug-in hybrid or a conventional hybrid.
According to the automaker, the new model is about to reach in late 2025. Full pricing and specs, together with a slew of new images, should arrive within the coming months. When it does arrive, we anticipate the revived Cherokee to slot again into its preceding role between the smaller Compass and larger Grand Cherokee.
