The 2026 Jeep Cherokee Brings an OG SUV Back to Life for Its Sixth Generation

What It Is

The return of a Jeep original. In 1974, the brand introduced the Cherokee as a full-size SUV with a brochure that featured a new term, “sport utility vehicle,” for the two-door version of the Wagoneer wagon. It later became the first modern SUV with four doors. The new model will be the sixth generation of the Cherokee, a nameplate that has been an integral part of Jeep’s storied history as it morphed from a large body-on-frame SUV to a compact SUV.

Why It Matters

The Jeep name used to be a license to print money, but sales have slowed, and the division needs some fresh hits to reignite buyer enthusiasm. When sales of the compact Cherokee continued to decline—in part because it had not received much love or updates—Jeep discontinued it in February 2023 and idled the Belvidere, Illinois, plant that made it. However, the brand, like the entire industry, needs to offer more affordable vehicles. This makes the Cherokee a good choice for a return. It also competes in the U.S.’ largest segment and is the right size for just about every global market. Jeep can’t afford to not have a compact SUV in play.

The Cherokee moniker, while politically incorrect, is a well-known nameplate and is expected to stay. Remember, renaming the third-generation model the Jeep Liberty in North America in 2001 led to an outcry, but Jeep did not return to the Cherokee name until the fifth generation with the 2014 version. The Cherokee also helped establish Jeep’s reputation for being off-road-ready and Rubicon-conquering. Even when it switched from body-on-frame to a compact SUV with unibody construction for the 1984 model year, it kept its rugged prowess.

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Platform and Powertrain

Parent company Stellantis has developed a series of platforms that can accommodate hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and pure electric vehicles. The new Cherokee would be unibody construction and use the STLA Large platform, which means it would be bigger than before. The last Cherokee had a wheelbase of 106.5–107.1 inches, and Stellantis has said STLA Large vehicles will have a wheelbase starting at 113 inches. We expect the Cherokee to reemerge as a 4xe with a hybrid and/or plug-in hybrid powertrain. That would address the previous model’s unimpressive fuel economy, even with the decision to drop the V-6 the year before the SUV was discontinued.

More efficient turbo-fours, with electric boost and a nine-speed automatic transmission, will make it more competitive. We don’t expect an all-electric Cherokee initially—there are other vehicles, such as the new Wagoneer S, to take up that slack. But the Cherokee can use STLA Brain to support cloud connectivity and STLA Cockpit for its hardware, screens, and computers, and it could be equipped with STLA AutoDrive for eventual Level 3 autonomous driving.

To continue its legacy, the Cherokee must have Rubicon-crawling capability—that means four-wheel drive and a Trailhawk off-road trim level. With the Belvidere plant now slated to build a new Ram midsize pickup truck in 2027, Cherokee production seems headed for Toluca, Mexico, alongside the Wagoneer S and the Jeep Recon.

Estimated Price: $40,000 and up

Expected On-Sale Date: Late 2025