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Sunday, 15 December, 2013 6:46 PM
2014
Jeep Cherokee replaces the Liberty in the automaker's line-up
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
This
all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited made its west coast debut
in L.A.
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LOS
ANGELES -- While Jeep did not hold a press conference at
the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, it still had some product news to
share. The 2014 Cherokee will be replacing the Liberty in the Jeep
portfolio. It will be based on a platform from Alfa Romeo, thanks
to Chrysler's partnership with Fiat S.p.A. There are four models
of the all-new Cherokee: Sport, Latitude and Limited plus a Trailhawk.
They come with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 184 hp
and 171 ft.-lb. of torque or 3.6-liter, V6 engine with a towing
capability of 4,000 pounds. It achieves 22 mpg city and 31 mpg on
the highway. The front grille looks very modern in design.
"Here
in L.A., this is the west coast debut of the all-new Jeep Cherokee,"
said Jim Morrison, director of Jeep product marketing. "We're
really excited about this new midsize SUV. It's a huge savings in
the United States. We're bringing back the Cherokee name. It really
defined SUVs for a lot of Americans back in the '80s.
Its got great on-road drive dynamic, 31 mpg and at the same time,
it's a Jeep. We gave it three new four-wheel systems and made it
incredible off-road too. We get a new nine-speed transmission, which
lets us have our cake and eat it too."
Interior features include 12-volt front and cargo area power outlet,
Bluetooth wireless capability, cargo tie downs, and one-touch power
windows. An 8.4-inch screen in the center stack offers navigation,
AM/FM/Satellite radio, a weather map and Chrysler's UConnect voice
command and hands-free calling. In addition, the 2014 Cherokee comes
with lane-keeping assist safety feature, adaptive cruise control,
perpendicular and parallel park assist.
"It's
built off of the new CUS-wide platform that we have," Morrison
added. "It's got heritage back to the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
It feels really like a sport sedan when you're driving yet, but
it's an SUV. It's a nice way to have Jeep four-wheel-drive technology
adding into the platform. You can actually move the back seats six
inches forward and back to get more cargo capacity or to add more
for the second row."
It
also features four terrain driving modes: auto, snow, sport and
sand/mud. The snow mode fully balances the full-wheel drive system.
Meanwhile, the sport mode that changes the steering inputs, the
shift and throttle inputs to create a more sporty feel and drive.
It puts 60 percent of the power to the rear and makes the front-wheel
drive Cherokee feel like a rear-wheel-drive vehicle.
"With
the new Jeep cargo management system, the bar allows you to attach
everything from a dog kennel to grocery cart bags to a cooler or
a sport organization bag," the director of Jeep product marketing
explained. "It's amazing what you can do. It keeps your cargo
from sliding around in the back of your Jeep. One of my favorites
is the big grocery bin. It can actually fit right in your grocery
cart. It has a Jeep on it so it allows you to advertise
for us. You can put all of your groceries right in the bin, take
it out of your cart and lock it right into the Jeep cargo management
system bar. It's a real easy way to manage your groceries."
The
new 2014 Cherokee is being manufactured at Jeep's factory in Toledo,
Ohio. Pricing starts at $22,995 to buy the vehicle or $259 per month
for a lease. Sales of this new midsize SUV were up 30 percent in
November, its best sales month since 2007.
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
Jeep's
Jim Morrison shows me the features of the center console display.
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| PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com |
A
close-up of the right front headlamp and grille
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