Jeep pares down the 2023 Cherokee lineup to just two trims, according to a recent report.
Things have been in flux for the past month after Stellantis’ announcement to shutter the Illinois assembly plant manufacturing the Jeep Cherokee in February. At the time, a Jeep spokesperson said that the company is “committed to expanding” its presence in the midsize SUV market. Now, though, a new report from Car and Driver shows the current Cherokee is slimming down the lineup, in what looks to be the final model year before the automaker launches new SUVs in 2024.
That report confirms Jeep will indeed sell a 2023 model — the company noted the Cherokees it built over the past little while fill the 2023 model year gap. While last year’s model added a new “X” trim to the range, this time around your choices are actually limited to just two. The Altitude Lux kicks off at $39,290, while the Trailhawk is still available for $42,890. Both models come standard with four-wheel drive, and it appears the only available engine is the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Per the report, Jeep dropped the 3.2-liter Pentastar V6 for the 2023 model year, while it already dropped the 2.4-liter engine last year.
Thanks to the trim changes, the 2023 Jeep Cherokee is now $7,700 more expensive than before. You do get some extra equipment including leather upholstery, remote start and a heated steering wheel. The Trailhawk, now exclusively equipped with the 2.0-liter turbo, sees a $3,750 price bump.
So, what will happen to the next Jeep Cherokee…will there even be one?
As we previously covered, Stellantis will stop Cherokee production at the Belvidere, Illinois plant on February 28. Beyond that, reports suggest the automaker could shift manufacturing to Mexico, though we have not yet seen a formal announcement on future plans beyond the earlier statement.
The current KL-generation Jeep Cherokee has been in production for the past eight years, since 2014. It did see a facelift for the 2019 model year, though it is currently one of Jeep’s least popular models in the U.S. Last year, the automaker delivered just 40,322 Cherokees — a 55% drop from 2021 figures. The larger, more expensive Grand Cherokee, on the other hand, sold 223,345 examples, outpacing the Cherokee by more than five-to-one.
