Category: Small 4x4s 
Price Range: £20,095 to £24,595
Modern yet Jeep-like looks, great off-road ability yet capable on-road, space, value, ingenious two-part tailgate
Poor pedal positioning, some illogical switchgear, unrefined engines
An impressive reinterpretation of the Cherokee theme
A remarkable 18 years on from the last model's launch, Jeep introduces an all-new Cherokee off-roader. It's taller and softer-edged than the old one, and in line with today's trends it has a one-piece body construction instead of a separate chassis. Independent front suspension (at last) and rack-and-pinion steering should improve the road manners, and there are three new engines. First on the market are a 3.7-litre V6 and a 2.5-litre CRD (common-rail turbo-diesel) with a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine to follow next spring. Known as the Liberty in its native US, the Cherokee has a spacious and modern interior and a clever tailgate design with a flip-up rear window above a side-hinged door. Trim levels are Sport and Limited Edition, as before, but this time Chrysler Jeep is aiming straight at the Land Rover Freelander and Honda CR-V with the promise of more off-road capability than either.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Jeep Cherokee
wrote on 19 07 2006