2014 Jeep Cherokee: What the critics say

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“It looks downright weird” at first glance, but the new Jeep Cherokee honors its rich heritage in the ways that really matter. Built on the same chassis that underpins the Dodge Dart, this compact crossover replaces the “underwhelming” Jeep Liberty while reviving a hallowed name in SUV history. Sure, it doesn’t have the “boxy but beloved” face of a 2001 Cherokee, but it “can bull its way along city streets and billy-goat through rough terrain pretty much like the old one, and a whole lot more comfortably, too.”

The Wall Street Journal

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In fact, this Jeep “drives like a champ,” cornering with confidence that the Liberty couldn’t match and exhibiting a “deep, supple solidity” no matter the task. Choose the V-6 option on a four-wheel-drive Trailhawk edition and you’ll be mating 271 hp to a new nine-speed automatic transmission while enjoying the off-road benefits of skid plates and a locking rear differential. Sculpted, heated leather seats highlight this Jeep’s “excellent” interior.

Edmunds.com

The entry-level four-cylinder engine delivers only “sluggish” acceleration and 28 mpg on the highway. But no matter the model, this Cherokee “offers about as cushy a ride as you’ll get in this class.” It’s unquestionably “the most complete Jeep we’ve driven in years.”