When Jeep’s new Cherokee hit the market in the late summer of 2014 none of us really knew how well it would do. I liked how

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it looked, although I remember some of my colleagues weren’t so taken by its unusual styling, particularly its narrow, high-mounted headlights, but this said it’s impossible to forecast how the buying public will react once a vehicle gets off the auto show stage and hits the road. As it turns out, it’s been a massive hit for America’s iconic 4×4 brand.

Last year, during its first full year of sales, the Cherokee found 178,508 buyers in the US, while here at home it sold 22,529 units, making it the sixth most popular compact SUV in the US behind the Honda CR-V (335,019), Ford Escape (306,212), Toyota RAV4 (267,698), Chevy Equinox (242,242) and Nissan Rogue (199,199), and the fifth most popular in Canada behind the Escape (52,198), CR-V

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(37,684), RAV4 (36,639) and Rogue (28,827); the Equinox only found 19,559 Canadian buyers last year, which actually puts it behind the Mazda CX-5 (20,567). What about 2015?

With just 11 months passed so far this year the Cherokee’s sales are up considerably at 196,211 deliveries in the US and another 28,947 in Canada from January through November, although some of its rivals experienced strong growth too. Therefore the Cherokee remains sixth best selling in the US behind the CR-V (314,462), RAV4 (283,546), Escape (278,538), Rogue (260,711) and Equinox (255,762), with both Escape and Equinox sales falling while the RAV4 and Rogue moved up, whereas here in Canada the Cherokee remains fifth behind the Escape (44,567), RAV4 (39,297), CR-V (36,483) and Rogue (33,221), the Toyota Canada’s

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compact SUV moving ahead of Honda’s compact ute for the first time since 2009. While the Cherokee has a way to go before it catches up to these perennial favourites it has nevertheless moved ahead of compact CUVs that have been in the market a great deal longer such as the aforementioned Mazda CX-5 (100,033/20,567), Hyundai Tucson (55,280/15,549), Subaru Forester (158,395/11,639), Volkswagen Tiguan (30,943/10,494), GMC Terrain (102,381/10,058), Kia Sportage (47,695/6095), and Mitsubishi Outlander (17,119/5,683).

Of course numbers don’t tell the entire story, although they help us to understand a

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very important part of a vehicle’s overall adoption into the marketplace. Rather than left out on the fringe where some industry experts initially thought it would be relegated, the new Cherokee immediately found mainstream acceptance. By this Jeep has shown that you don’t need to follow the crowd to attract a crowd, but rather many of us are looking to be wowed by something truly special. Styling isn’t all that separates the Cherokee from most others in this class, mind you, the number one differentiator being its ability to venture way off the grid.

The Cherokee is offered with Jeep’s “Trail Rated” stamp of off-road approval in its top-line Trailhawk trim. Mine didn’t boast the circular badge on the front fenders, but that doesn’t mean it’s not better than the majority of rivals off pavement, at least when one of its three four-wheel drive systems are added. Base trim comes with

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front-wheel drive, as is the case with most of its rivals, but ante up with the entry-level Sport or this second-rung North model’s optional Active Drive I four-wheel drive system with its simple single-speed power transfer unit and automatic 4WD, or even better Jeep’s more capable Active Drive II that’s available with North and Limited models and features more ground clearance, a slightly stiffer suspension and a two-speed transfer case with a low gearing range plus a 56:1 crawl ratio, and you’re off to the trails. The former is for lighter trails, of course, but both include Jeep’s Selec-Terrain with Auto, Snow, Sport and Sand/Mud settings. If you’re really into slinging dirt or rock-crawling an even more capable 4×4 system is the top-line Trailhawk’s Active Drive Lock that comes complete with a rear axle lock, as the name implies, plus the same 56:1 crawl ratio

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combined with a total of 220 millimetres (8.7 inches) of ground clearance and the same Selec-Terrain traction management system, good enough to win it Four Wheeler magazine’s 2015 “Four Wheeler of the Year.” And its rivals? I’d seriously recommend keeping any of the others in this segment, and the base 4WD Cherokee, to light duty unpaved roads only, because none offer a low range of gears to travel over rougher terrain or the proper skid plate protection underneath to limit damage.

Let’s face it. Most SUV buyers are never going to venture off pavement. This is why I was happy to get my hands on this less capable variant that simply had Jeep’s Active Drive I system installed, which basically powers the front wheels to save fuel until slippage occurs, at which point the rear wheels engage as needed to improve traction and safety. This, and the added visibility of raised ride height, is what

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most people want from their SUV after all, proven by the high number of competitive sales above, and Jeep delivers it spot-on with this Cherokee, along with performance car-like ride and handling, while also doing the best job of appealing to the consumer subset that wants to feel as if their vehicle can take them just about anywhere they dare to go if needed. Buy one of the aforementioned competitors and you know for sure it’s just a tall wagon with some tough looking body cladding, but with the Cherokee there’s a belief that it could very well tackle the famed Rubicon Trail, even if it’s not Trail Rated. It’s all marketing, but it’s good marketing that Jeep backs up with the ability to buy that all-conquering four-wheeled hero if you’re willing to pay a bit more.

As it is the 2016 Cherokee North will only set you back $28,695 plus freight and dealer fees, which is very reasonable for such a nicely finished, well equipped SUV.

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Mine had options, however, starting with an upgraded 3.2-litre V6 and four-wheel drive pushing the base price up to $31,395. I’m glad that Jeep sent me a PDF of the window sticker as it stipulates the 4WD as being Active Drive I, whereas if you build this model on their website it informs that Active Drive II is the only option, and when so configured the quoted price is a bit higher than the website, although you can’t rely on perfection from build configurators. My tester included a number of additional upgrades too, which I’ll detail as I go along.

The Cherokee is finished to a higher standard than most of its key rivals, even those that sell better (so far), which gives Jeep an edge in this market and you, the potential buyer, a more premium experience. For instance, all Cherokee trims get a soft-touch dash top that wraps completely

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over the instrument panel facing before edging each side of the centre stack, while the door uppers are soft synthetic as well, both front and back. This is unusual in this class, while there’s yet more that separates it from the CUV masses. My Cherokee North trimmed tester, a model exclusive to Canada that’s similar to Latitude in the U.S., gets attractive mesh cloth covered door inserts plus padded and contrast stitched leatherette armrests, while that stylish stitching curves around the top of the dash is well, and surrounds the well bolstered sport seats too. Leather upholstery is available in North trim but my tester was finished with cloth, which works well for me, as fabric seats are cooler in summer and warmer in winter, but just the same the example on loan to me was upgraded with an $895 Cold Weather package that added two-way heatable front seats and a heatable steering wheel for this option’s leather-wrapped rim, not

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to mention a leather-wrapped shift knob, heatable side mirrors, a windshield wiper de-icer, remote start, and all-season floor mats.

I should mention, that Jeep doesn’t just wrap the steering wheel rim with stitched leather but also the spokes, while the switchgear on those spokes is superb with very little side-to-side wiggle and excellent damping for a quality feel. Some of these buttons control the extremely useful 3.5-inch multi-information display housed in the slightly revised instrument cluster. Additionally, the steering column has been improved to work better with the Cherokee’s redesigned seats, and while I’ll get to those latter items in a moment I also wanted to mention that the steering wheel stalks are higher in quality than some premium-branded compact SUVs,

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as is the switchgear on the centre stack and the aforementioned rotating Selec-Terrain driving mode dial on the lower console that features a nice rubber wrapping for an upscale feel and excellent grip when used during winter with gloves. It’s also finished with chrome edges for a classy look, while the vent controls get nice metal edging treatment too, along with rubber grips of their own.

The centre stack is filled with a large 8.4-inch infotainment system complete with radio, media, phone connectivity and HVAC controls, plus numerous apps, while the six-speaker audio system sounded good and even included satellite radio with a one-year subscription. UConnect 8.4, which isn’t standard with the North by the way, this being an $800 upgrade from the base Uconnect5.0 system, has been enhanced for 2016 with new Siri Eyes Free voice control for iPhone users, a new Do-Not

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Disturb mode that’s less distractive, plus a Drag and Drop menu that lets you add common functions to the main display. Down below on the console an SD card slot, USB port, aux plug and 12-volt charger join Bluetooth with audio streaming built into the system, all allowing for excellent device connectivity, while another USB port and 12-volt charger gets hidden in the storage bin under the centre armrest.

Flanking that armrest are two super supportive and truly comfortable seats that, as mentioned, were redesigned for 2016, while my tester’s driver seat received $500 worth of optional eight-way power with four-way lumbar support. No wonder I was thoroughly at ease. Really, it’s easily one of the best driver’s seats in the class, while only XXXLs would be allowed to complain about front seat roominess, an attribute that carries over to the rear quarters too.

It’s

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easy to see from the outside that the Cherokee is a bit longer than the compact SUV class average, this reality showing up in rear seat legroom that’s more than ample, while behind those 60/40-split seatbacks is a loading area that’s considerable at 696 to 824 litres (24.6 to 29.1 cubic feet), the variable numbers dependent on the position of the sliding second row. Others in the class offer easier loading of long items from the rear, with cargo wall-mounted levers that automatically fold the seats flat or at least release the seatbacks, but with the Cherokee you’ll need walk around to the side doors to do so. The seats fold easily enough when you do, and open up a sizable 1,554 litres (54.9 cubic feet) of max cargo capacity. A cargo cover and net can be had but wasn’t included in my tester, although Jeep’s unique cargo management system that gets fitted to the driver’s side rear cargo wall comes standard, allowing secure attachment of an available cargo bin, cooler, first aid kit, off-road accessory kit, and more. Additionally,

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under the cargo floor there’s a narrow but large multi-sectioned compartment positioned just above the compact spare tire, the former good for hiding valuables and the latter (standard when you upgrade to 4WD) important when off-road, although this can be replaced by a full-size spare tire that’s even more critical when heading into the wilderness (or rather for coming back out), while a couple of things that might go unnoticed unless your Jeep salesperson brings them to your attention include a handy hidden cargo compartment integrated within the lower cushion of the front passenger seat, and a front seatback that folds all the way forward so you can load in really long cargo. I love thoughtful innovations like this, and I must say FCA vehicles often deliver better than average in this respect.

As for features, I’ve mentioned a lot already including the upgraded gauge package, revised steering column and improved infotainment, not to mention the Cold Weather package, but I’d better give you a rundown of highlights that come with

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this North trimmed version, while I’ll try not to be redundant by going over things twice. First are items of a mechanical nature, which include a 3.73 final drive ratio with the four-cylinder or 3.25 final drive with the V6, while the base engine gets a 160-amp alternator and the upgraded mill utilizes a 180-amp unit. Next, exterior features include chrome grille surrounds, auto on/off bifunctional halogen projector headlamps, LED daytime running lights, fog lamps, LED taillights, body-colour side mirrors and door handles (the former powered), bright side window mouldings, silver roof rails, chrome exhaust, deep tint privacy glass and a great looking set of silver-finish 17-inch Y-spoke alloys on 225/65R17 Firestone Destination rubber, while inside the North gets all the mid-grade luxury features you’d expect as well as premium cloth upholstery, illuminated front cupholders, ambient LED interior lighting, a 115-volt household-style power outlet,

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a rear seat armrest with cupholders, all the usual safety features plus hill start assist, brake stability control, trailer sway control, tire pressure monitoring, an Enhanced Accident Response System (EARS), 10 airbags including driver and front passenger knee blockers, and more.

I should also mention that an electromechanical parking brake is standard across the line, adding to the upscale experience, although I can think of many an off-road occasion where I’d prefer the Liberty’s old centre console-mounted mechanical parking brake lever, but these are changing times and we need to adapt. For those who don’t intend to tackle the wild unknown this addition will be a positive, so let’s leave it at that.

The

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optional 24-valve, DOHC 3.2-litre V6 sounds fabulous, by the way, and puts out 271 horsepower and 239 lb-ft of torque, more than ample for getting off the line quickly or passing without worry. It’s mated to a smooth and efficient nine-speed transmission that’s as state-of-the-art as gearboxes get, the two working in perfect symmetry. As touched on earlier the Cherokee’s handling is excellent although it doesn’t sacrifice comfort, delivering a wonderful ride that soaks up road imperfections extremely well. The larger engine allows for best-in-class towing too, with a limit of up to 2,041 kilos (4,500 lbs).

As important in this class is fuel efficiency, the Cherokee meeting this challenge with a standard auto start/stop system that shuts the engine down when it would otherwise

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be idling. This system is smoother than many others that attempt the same, turning off and on almost imperceptibly, the result of this and its many other efficiencies being a five-cycle EnerGuide rating of 11.6 L/100km city, 8.5 highway and 10.2 combined with the V6-powered 4×4 version I tested, which is excellent considering the performance.

While I really enjoyed my week with the Cherokee, I’d personally opt for the Trailhawk I tested last year. Don’t get me wrong as I think anyone considering one of the front-leading compact SUVs mentioned earlier in this review should first test a competitive front-drive or Active Drive I-equipped Cherokee, as it competes very well against these models, but I grew up trekking through Canada’s great outdoors and would love to own a vehicle that lured me deep into God’s country more often. The Trailhawk, with the standard 184-horsepower 2.4-litre four-cylinder would be just the ticket, the four letting you go further into the woods on a single tank of fuel. Hey, I’d opt for a diesel if they offered it. This, of course, is the best part of the Cherokee story. It’s the only vehicle in its class that gives us a real 4×4 option.

Kudos to Jeep for sticking to its core values by bringing a 4×4-capable SUV to market that’s even more refined than most of its lightweight crossover competitors.
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