Jeep Cherokee

Overview

It’s confirmed, the iconic American brand Jeep will enter our Indian car market with the help of Fiat. The legendary SUV, Jeep Cherokee will be their first offering in India. In this article, we try to know how good this SUV is for Indians.

Exterior

There is no particular word in our dictionary which can define the massive size of Cherokee. The SUV completely justifies its name. The square shaped presence of this huge vehicle can grab anyone’s attention on road. The front chrome grille boxes forms the jaw of this beast while the angular headlights look like the eyes of this car. The heavily chromed front bumper houses the air dam and gives aggressive look to this car. The up-raised bonnet complements the muscular appearance of this SUV. The high ground clearance is quite visible when seen from either side. The bulgy wheel arches, massive split alloy wheels and roof rails look extremely sporty and enhance the visual appearance of this SUV. The silver lining around windows and chromed door handles look premium on Cherokee. The boxy shape continues at the back with broad tail lights. Dual exhaust chrome pipes and chrome finishing on rear bumper makes it look catchy when seen from the back. The slanted rear glass complements the designing of this SUV while the roof antenna and rear spoiler adds sporty character to Cherokee.

Interior

Cherokee comes with stylish interiors with acceptable quality of leather and fabrics. The fit and finish inside is quite good but the true feel of luxury is missing. Some of the plastic bits are quite harsh to touch and feels down market. The fabric quality also could have been much better. Apart from this, we could not find any major flaw inside. The huge size of this SUV offers you great space inside. Be it at the front or at the back, the passengers enjoy great level of comfort. The knee room, headroom and shoulder room makes it a perfect car for long journeys.

Comfort and Convenience

The car has automatic climate control system, voice command system and wireless charging system. The Multi information display gives important information to the rider. The electric side mirrors, adjustable steering, seats and cruise control further enhance your comfort inside. Individual arm-rests, rear AC vents and central locking are also some of its vital comfort features.

Dashboard and Storage

Jeep has a wide black colored dashboard with wooden finish. The texture and design of this dashboard is not much appealing though. The dashboard comes with an integrated central console. The quality of plastic buttons being placed on this dashboard could have been much better though. The silver finishing on its AC vents and central console doesn’t look premium at all. It has an air-cooled glove box in its dashboard while there are cup holders at its front and at the back. The door pockets also offer optimum storage space. Cherokee has massive boot space which can easily carry your luggage on long trips.

Music System

Cherokee features an integrated music system in its central console. It comes with a standard 5 inches touch screen while it also has an optional 8.4 touch screen mounted on its dashboard. It’s a double din music system with Aux and USB ports. The in-built speakers give you terrific musical journeys. Bluetooth connectivity enables you to take calls and make calls through voice command system. The audio and Bluetooth controls are mounted on its three spoke steering wheel. The inbuilt navigation system is also quite helpful in city traffic.

Engine and Gearbox

The Indian version of Cherokee will debut with a 3.0L V6 diesel engine. The maximum power output of this liquid cooled engine of 240 bhp which arrives at 3600 rpm. The torque output of this engine arrives at 2000 rpm which is of 580 Nm. This engine is mated with an eight speed automatic transmission.

Acceleration and Performance

This powerful engine supplies its power to all four wheels and truly amazes you with its linear power delivery. The eight speed gearbox confirms that you suffer minimal turbo lag and enjoy great throttle response at all speeds. The power starts to kick in as early as 1400 rpm which helps this car to reach 0-100 km/hr in less than 10 seconds. The engine can make this car reach the speed of 185 km/hr easily. Overtaking is quite easy on highways and you will also enjoy off roading with Cherokee thanks to its adjustable four wheel drive system.

Mileage

Expect Cherokee to return a fuel economy of around 7-8km/ltr on our Indian roads. The SUV comes loaded with many safety features like ESP, roll stability around corners, front video sensors and rear cross path detection which makes your journeys safer. Cherokee also comes with standard 10 airbags and park assist system which is quite useful in city driving.

Suspension and Brakes

The self-adjustable suspension system adjusts accordingly as per driving conditions and gives you comfortable on and off road journeys. The ventilated discs effectively stops this heavy machine and gives you precise braking with the help of ABS with EBD.

Ride and Handling

The electro-hydraulic and adjustable steering wheel sheds the actual weight of this car and makes it quite light in terms of handling. It can move frequently around corners and shows minimal body roll. The strong suspension system is also capable to hold it firmly on as well as off road. The traction control, hill assist and four wheels drive system prompts you to go off road with Cherokee. The broad tyres and wheelbase of 2915 mm adds stability to this SUV. The company has also worked on the sound insulation of this car and there is minimal disturbance inside.

Shades, Variants and Warranty

The shades, variants and warranty will be disclosed only after the official launch of this car.

Verdict

With aggressive styling and impressive performance, ride and handling, Cherokee turns out to be a complete value for money car. Cherokee can become a successful brand if only Fiat prices it competitively in our Indian car market.