| The Good | The Bad |
| ✓ Still has distinctive Jeep styling | ☓ Lackluster interior |
| ✓ Hybrid fuel economy | ☓ More expensive than RAV4, CR-V to start |
| ✓ Solid power output | ☓ On the heavy side |
Overview: The 2026 Jeep Cherokee fights an uphill battle against Toyota and Honda.
Jeep as a brand is no stranger to fighting battles, and that’s a good thing for the all-new Jeep Cherokee. Crossovers represent some of the fastest selling cars in the world. The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V move around 500,000 and 400,000 units respectively. Swaying those customers is no small feat, though many try. To make it in the heavily saturated, small crossover segment takes nothing short of a miracle.
Thankfully, the 2026 Jeep Cherokee has some tricks up its sleeve. Headline features like 37MPG combined, standard hybrid and standard AWD place it a step above most. Jeep is also a strong brand and the Cherokee name goes back as far as 1974. This could be a winning formula, so how is the execution?
The 2026 Cherokee has Jeep DNA, even at a glance.
From the outside, the new Cherokee certainly won’t be confused with a Wrangler. You won’t be likely to see one at the top of Hell’s Gate in Moab either, that’s not the goal. For a street-oriented Jeep crossover, the new Cherokee brings a much welcomed boxy profile. Most would agree that this new KM generation of Cherokee looks far better than the KL Cherokee it succeeds. Jeep equipped the nose with a modernized 7-slot grill and a squared off daytime running light. Paired with a fairly flat face, the Jeep Cherokee has an overall masculine front end compared to most its competition.
Around the back you’ll find the car’s most distinctive angles. The new Jeep Cherokee has a very boxy trunk, the most XJ-like angle on the vehicle. Plus Jeep’s classic “jerry can” style tail lights that add in some additional rugged charm. Otherwise, the car’s proportions and features are what you’d expect from a medium sized crossover. The Cherokee offers no special knobby tires or big red recovery hooks, at least for now.
Inside the new Cherokee, things could be better.
While the Cherokee’s exterior brings some rugged flare, the interior is a missed opportunity. It’s not that anything inside is offensive to the eye, maybe that’s the problem. The Wrangler and Gladiator feel uniquely Jeep thanks to boxy dashboards and rugged switchgear. The Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer have luxury locked down with premium materials and features. Unfortunately, the Cherokee does neither. A more rugged dash design and an emphasis on physical switchgear would set the Cherokee apart from the competition. The most unique part of the interior is an awkwardly square steering wheel that takes some getting used to.
That being said, the 10.25-inch instrument screen and 12.3-inch infotainment are of good quality. P-R-N-D works through a typical rotary dial. The dash and door cards have an overall futuristic shape, formed with budget minded materials. Rear seat passengers have especially plastic door cards and hard surfaces, though space in the rear is not an issue. Jeep proudly claims the new Cherokee has as much as 30 percent more cargo space than before: a total of 33.6 cubic feet, 68.3 with the seats folded flat. Some of that free space is under the cargo floor where you won’t find a standard spare tire.
Hybrid fuel economy is a highlight feature.
KL Cherokees of the past got by with only 23 MPG city and 31 MPG highway. Thanks to the hybrid coming standard, the new car’s numbers are 39 MPG city, 35 MPG highway and 37 MPG combined. The system utilizes a 1.6-liter four-cylinder paired with two electric motors, and a more durable planetary gear set EVT transmission. AWD comes standard, and sends power to the rear wheels with a physical driveshaft to make the system more capable. Whether its AWD programming is worthy of a Jeep badge remains to be seen in future testing.
On the street, the Cherokee has a healthy 210 horsepower and 230 lb-ft of torque without any significant lag. If you lay into the throttle, the car whines in typical variable transmission fashion. It isn’t a pleasant noise, but thankfully it’s not especially loud. New Cherokees also weigh in at a somewhat heavy 4,300 pounds. It certainly doesn’t try to be the most engaging and sporty crossover, but it doesn’t struggle to hustle down a twisty road. It only protests when pressed beyond the point most drivers push to. At normal speeds the car behaves well and makes driving easy.
Verdict: It’s a good start, with more potential to (hopefully) be unlocked soon.
Starting price on a base Cherokee is $36,995 including destination. That is several thousand more than the Rav4 and CR-V, though the great fuel economy and standard AWD helps sweeten the deal. Many folks may also be asking where a more rugged Trailhawk model is. Thankfully Jeep has hinted at the possibility of such a trim, which would add some needed excitement to the Cherokee lineup.
For more information on the new Jeep Cherokee, check out the video linked below!
