The first official 2014 Jeep Cherokee images have been revealed, showing a bold midsize SUV that will not be confused with anything else on the road. Serving as the Liberty replacement, the newest Jeep will be built in Toledo, Ohio and arrive in showrooms in the third quarter of this year.
0:00 / 0:00
The2014 Jeep Cherokeewill make itsworld debutat the2013 New York auto showat the end of March, and word on the street is that it will use a 3.2-liter version of Chrysler's Pentastar V-6 and it could be one of the first Chrysler products to use the upcoming, ZF-sourced nine-speed automatic transmission.
Before any midsize SUV customers hear about the 2014 Jeep Cherokee's 45-percent improvement in fuel economy, they'll take a look around its distinctive sheetmetal. Like the Nissan Juke, the 2014 Cherokee has three sets of front lights, including one with LED daytime running lights. The seven-bar Jeep grille is prominently displayed, with a pulled-back look that's far more modern than the long-gone conservatively styled Cherokee ever was.
The Jeep Liberty finished 2012 with sales of 75,483, ahead of the Patriot and Compass, but behind the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. With far more competitive fuel economy and exterior styling that will get its driver noticed, the 2014 Jeep Cherokee might just have what it takes to become a more significant part of Jeep's lineup. And those who complain the new Jeep Cherokee isn't as off-road ready as its predecessor can always buy a Wrangler or Grand Cherokee instead.
Source: Jeep
I’ve come a long way since I drove sugar packets across restaurant tables as a kid, pretending they were cars. With more than 17 years of experience, I'm passionate about demystifying the new car market for shoppers and enthusiasts. My expertise comes from thoughtfully reviewing countless vehicles across the automotive spectrum. The greatest thrill I get isn’t just from behind the wheel of an exotic car but from a well-executed car that’s affordable, entertaining, and well-made. Since about the time I learned to walk I’ve been fascinated by cars of all shapes and sizes, but it wasn’t until I struggled through a summer high school class at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design that I realized writing was my ticket into the automotive industry. My drive to high school was magical, taking me through a beautiful and winding canyon; I've never lost the excited feeling some 16-year-olds get when they first set out on the road. The automotive industry, singing, and writing have always been my passions, but because no one seeks a writer who sings about the automotive industry, I honed my writing and editing skills at UC Irvine (zot zot!), serving as an editor of the official campus newspaper and writing stories as a literary journalism major. At USC, I developed a much greater appreciation for broadcast journalists and became acquainted with copy editing rules such as why the Oxford comma is so important. Though my beloved 1996 Audi A4 didn’t survive my college years, my career with MotorTrend did. I started at the company in 2007 building articles for motorcycle magazines, soon transitioning to writing news posts for MotorTrend’s budding online department. I spent some valuable time in the copy editing department, as an online news director, and as a senior production editor. Today, MotorTrend keeps me busy as the Buyer's Guide Director. Not everyone has a career centered on one of their passions, and I remind myself all the time how lucky I am.
Read More
