Her and His Reviews
November 2014
2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited 4x4
There are always two sides to everything, right? Well, the truth is there are many more than that!
To keep our car reviews innovative and well-rounded, we are providing you with not just one, but two points of view on the same exact vehicle –
Her and His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| $38,425 | Our dark blue tester, a Jeep Cherokee Limited four by four, had a price of $29,995, $38,425 with options. |
| Performance | |
| The Jeep Cherokee Limited is a workhorse with grace. This powerful 271 horsepower top performing SUV in its class, has a 3.2 liter V6 engine that is powerful and purrs - the 9 speed automatic transmission makes it a stand alone amongst its competitors. Re-designed last year, this favorite CUV and hauler of ours keeps improving. Impeccable drive, ride and handling. Looking this good, you still can take it off road for a hearty spin; hauling preferred. | The 3.2 liter, 271 horsepower V6 can really move this baby in one heck of a hurry. And we found that the Cherokee handles beautifully, and gives you an added sense of stability and assurance as you head down the road. The all-new, innovative nine speed automatic transmission does its part, too, allowing the engine to cruise at lower revolutions per minute, resulting in considerably more gas mileage. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| 19 City and 27 Highway mpg. | The fuel economy rating is 19/27/22 combined gas mileage. |
| The Car | |
| The 2014 Jeep Cherokee Lmtd. is simply immaculate on the interior and exterior. Truly, this urban-sleek CUV takes driving to a new utmost comfort and pleasure. Jeep, tried and true, takes the Cherokee into luxury territory with the plush leather heated seats to the exquisite use of materials throughout the vehicle. While not the largest in its class or with the most amount of legroom, the flexibility of the rear seat offers a more customized seating for passengers - that we really like. The safety and tech features as well as the upgrades are most appreciated. New for 2015 is the auto start-stop feature. Not unlike a hybrid (although it isn't one), the Cherokee Limited turns itself off when at a stop to save on gas. Once the driver accelerates, the vehicle turns on and away you go. Very nice feature. Don does a nice job differentiating the various packages; click here to read. |
The new Jeep Cherokee is all about the comfort, the flexibility, and luxury appointments that make it seem more like its big brother, the Grand Cherokee. The new Cherokee is tomb quiet, stable on the road, and with plenty strong acceleration if you pick the larger powerplant. Whichever one you order, you will find that the whole tone of the Jeep Cherokee line, even the base model, is decidedly upscale, and that is borne out both by the vastly improved presentation and ambiance of the car, as well as its much better fit and finish. Thus, we think the Cherokee's slot in the compact CUV market should be somewhere in the middle, not ranked with the lower price, lower content Compact CUVs, but not as expensive as some of the luxury compact crossover models, either. Along with the quietness of the cabin, and fit and finish we found much to like about the Cherokee. First there was the easy to load, near waist level loading floor, the high quality of the interior, with the exception of some awful fake wood on the armrest, and the sense of space and airiness, especially when you order the dual panel sunroof. As you might expect there are a number of versions of Jeep Cherokee for you to choose from. And happily, they all have different personalities. And by the way, any version that you choose can be had with either front wheel drive or four wheel drive. Pricewise, you start at the Sport version, and for your money you get at no cost, 17-inch steel wheels and all-season tires; air-conditioning; power accessories; keyless remote entry; a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel; a 60/40-split folding and reclining rear seat; Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity; and a six-speaker audio system with a 5-inch touchscreen interface, USB/iPod integration, an auxiliary audio input and an SD card reader. Options include a Cold Weather Group package with a wiper de-icer and heating for the front seats, steering wheel and mirrors. You can get alloy wheels, a rearview camera, satellite radio and a CD player as stand-alone options. The Latitude, which we suspect may be the most popular version, some additional standard equipment is provided. That includes alloy wheels, roof rails, foglights, body-color door handles and mirrors, privacy-tinted glass, LED interior lighting, a folding front passenger seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, vinyl trim on the door panels and a 115-volt outlet. But that's not all. Latititudes also come with more choices for optional equipment than the Sport model. Here's some of the things you can get if you don't mind paying a bit extra: A V6 engine, dual sunroofs (the front roof opens; the rear glass is fixed), an upgraded nine-speaker audio system and an 8.4-inch touchscreen interface with smartphone app integration. The Comfort/Convenience package bundles a power liftgate, automatic headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, an eight-way power driver seat, a rearview camera, satellite radio, remote start and a cargo cover and net. If you intend to do a lot of off-roading, you'll probably want the Trailhawk, though any Cherokee is going to be a lot better off road than some of its competitors. The Trailhawk is 4WD only and comes with slightly wider 17-inch wheels and all-terrain tires; unique suspension tuning (aimed at making the Jeep more capable in the dirt); rear locking differential; functional skid plates and tow hooks; unique fascia trim and side moldings; upgraded instrumentation; the 8.4-inch touchscreen and satellite radio. The upgraded audio system and Comfort/Convenience package are also optional on the Trailhawk, but now you have access to a panoramic sunroof (that opens over the rear seat if desired), leather upholstery and a navigation system. If you wish, you can pay for a Technology package, which includes automatic high-beam control; adaptive cruise control; forward collision and lane departure warning and mitigation systems; blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning systems; and an automated parallel and perpendicular parking system. The Limited comes with 18-inch alloy wheels and all-season tires; automatic headlights; keyless ignition/entry; dual-zone automatic climate control; a power driver seat; heated front seats and steering wheel; leather upholstery; a rearview camera and a cargo cover. Options are the same as on the Trailhawk, except that the Luxury Group takes the place of the Comfort/Convenience package. In addition to a power liftgate, this option group includes xenon headlights, premium leather upholstery and ventilated front seats. The Limited also has all the same electronic technology features that the Trailhawk has. |
| Safety | |
| Included with a myriad of Airbags on sides, front, etc, this CUV is equipped with a Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert, Rearview Camera, Adaptive cruise control, Park Assist System, and Blind Spot Monitoring. Also included is Traction Control, Remote start (we LOVE), Hills Start Assist, Trailer Sway Damping, and mounted audio controls on the steering wheels for hands-on driving. | Standard features include full power accessories, climate control, traction control, stability control, electronic roll mitigation, the Selec-Terrain System, hill start assist, trailer sway damping, remote start, passive entry/keyless go, ambient LED interior lighting, the fabulously easy to use UConnect infotainment system, ParkView rear backup camera, steering wheel mounted audio controls. |
| Technology | |
| Jeep has done a wondrous job of bringing style points, safety, and technology and wrapped it up under the 4 x 4 model. Don does a nice job differentiating the various packages; click here to read. As a result the brand continues its leadership role in its class, attributed to allowing customers great flexibility of choice. | Standard features include full power accessories, climate control, traction control, stability control, electronic roll mitigation, the Selec-Terrain System, hill start assist, trailer sway damping, remote start, passive entry/keyless go, ambient LED interior lighting, the fabulously easy to use UConnect infotainment system. Options included a customer-preferred package, that included with parallel and perpendicular parking assist, adaptive cruise control with Stop and Go advanced brake assist and other options. One other package was installed on our test model, a luxury package with leather seats, power liftgate, ventilated front seats and other items, a premium navigation system and dual bright exhaust tips, and a fantastic dual pane panoramic moonroof stretching the full length of the roof. Looking at this list of stuff you might expect this car to be rather expensive for a small crossover - $38,425. But considering what all you're getting, we think it's a steal. You can get about the same equipment on a luxury crossover-maybe even missing a piece or two that is installed or can be installed on the Cherokee - and spend thousands upon thousands of dollars more. As you might expect there are a number of versions of Jeep Cherokee for you to choose from. And happily, they all have different personalities. Whichever one you order, you will find that the whole tone of the Jeep Cherokee line, even the base model, is decidedly upscale, and that is borne out both by the vastly improved presentation and ambiance of the car, as well as its much better fit and finish. |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| Taking the Jeep trademark to new heights, the overall design language is appealing, fresh and bold. The verdict on the overly aggressive narrow-shaped headlights is still out, but hey, all other makers are incorporating innovative looks in the bulb design (Audi), so Jeep choose an innovative approach here. Adventurous and bold front with the rich high touch materials, it's a product that has broad-spectrum demographic appeal. Bravo for an A plus on design. | A lovely job done by Jeep designers. It is thoroughly modern looking, with an aggressive demeanor, and it does a good job balancing looking forward while retaining many Jeep styling cubes. |
| Warranty | |
| 3 year/36,000 miles Basic warranty, 5 year/100,000 mile warranty on Powertrain, 5 year/unlimited mileage Rust-through warranty. | 3 year/36,000 miles for basic warranty, five years/100,000 mile warranty on powertrain, 5 year/unlimited mileage rust through warranty. |
