DETROIT – After three model years of absence that brand officials admit hurt, the Jeep Cherokee midsize CUV returns all new for the 2026 model year.
The sixth-generation Cherokee, riding on parent Stellantis’ STLA Large unibody platform, will resume its place in the extremely competitive middle CUV segment in the U.S. In its time gone, the segment has only gotten hotter, with sales growing from 3.4 million in 2023 to 3.9 million last year, Omdia Automotive data shows.
The previous-generation Cherokee tallied 89,000 U.S. deliveries in 2023, its last full year of sale. The segment leader is Toyota’s RAV4, which was the No.1-selling nameplate in the U.S. in 2024 with 475,000 sales.
Bob Broderdoff, Jeep CEO, says the time away was a negative given the lost potential sales. “I wish I would have had them the entire time,” he says at recent media preview of the new model here.
Nevertheless, he says Jeep used its time away from the segment to make sure it “got the all-new Cherokee right and that it delivers on everything our core customers and our new customers are asking for.”
Specifically, he says more standard equipment, more cargo room and better fuel economy were high on the list of priorities.
Hybrid Only to Start
The big news is Cherokee is going hybrid-only for the 26MY, with the sole propulsion system a new hybrid powertrain boasting a 177-hp, transverse-mounted 1.6L turbocharged direct-injected inline 4-cyl. engine with Miller Cycle combustion, two electric motors and a 1.08-kWh, 400V battery pack using lithium-ion cells with nickel, cobalt and manganese chemistry.
The total output of the powertrain is 210 hp and 230 lb.-ft. (312 Nm) of torque, Micky Bly, senior vice president and head of global propulsion systems at Stellantis, tells media here.
“(This vehicle) marks the debut of our all-new hybrid propulsion system…this is the first time we’re offering a traditional hybrid, not a plug-in, in a Jeep in North America,” Bly says, adding “very strong low-end performance” and “torque coming on early and staying strong” are hallmarks of the new hybrid powertrain.
While the RAV4 is going all-hybrid (traditional and plug-in) for its upcoming 2026 model, Jeep officials here say the Cherokee’s hybrid system may not be the only propulsion system in coming model years, leaving open the possibility of others in the future.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunities for powertrains, in general, across Jeep,” says Broderdorf. One of the attributes of the STLA Large platform, also underpinning the Jeep Wagoneer S and Dodge Charger Daytona battery-electric vehicles, is powertrain flexibility.
While the 1.6L is from Europe (a PSA Peugeot Citroen and BMW creation), it has been modified for use in North American Cherokees and will be assembled at Stellantis’ Dundee, MI, engine plant, but the battery, set to be sourced from overseas, is all-new, as is the vehicle’s electronically controlled CVT – dubbed EVT by Jeep. That is being sourced from a still-to-be-named supplier.
Jeep estimates the new Cherokee can travel more than 500 miles (805 km) on a tank of gas and will achieve 37 mpg (6.4 L/100 km) combined fuel economy. That's up from the fifth-gen Cherokee's 24 mpg (9.8 L/100 km) combined with its 180-hp 2.4L I-4.
Tech and Features
On the technology and features front, every trim level of the vehicle (entry, Laredo, Limited, Overland) is expected to have standard a 10.25-in. (26-cm) cluster display screen and a 12.3-in. (31-cm) infotainment screen, powered by Jeep’s Uconnect 5 infotainment system. Owners will find an App Market in the Uconnect 5 system, featuring apps for geocaching, as well Soduku.
There’s also standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability across trim levels, and Stellantis’ new Connect One connected services package. The Connect One package on the 2026 Cherokee has 10 years of service for over-the-air (OTA) updates, plus Jeep’s smartphone app to control various vehicle functions and perform automatic SOS calls, at no additional cost. Jeep notes the Connect Wi-Fi Plus package with unlimited data is available to upgrade to for a fee and can be purchased in the App Market, as can Jeep’s Off-road Pages Plus subscription.
Optional creature comforts available on the Cherokee include ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a foot-activated power liftgate with adjustable height setting, a dual-pane sunroof, Alexa in-vehicle assistant and a camera with a 360-degree view around the vehicle.
Standard Safety Tech
Emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist identification, drowsy driver detection and blindspot monitoring with rear-cross-path detection are some of the standard safety technologies on all 2026 grades of the CUV. Adaptive cruise control boasting Level 2 driver assistance – Level 2 being an SAE-defined, semi-autonomous technology making possible partial automation, also is standard.
Size, Design and Off-Road Capability
The new Cherokee interior is larger than the prior-gen model, thanks in part to the vehicle being 5 ins. (127 mm) longer and with a 6-in. (152-mm) bigger wheelbase than its predecessor. A rotary gear selector opens room up front while cargo capacity rises 30% in the back.
Jeep designers say they didn’t try to replicate too much the 2026 CUV’s predecessors, although the newest version’s sharp edges do “recall beloved Cherokee models from yesteryear,” Jeep says.
For the interior, brand designers aimed for a look that was “rugged but refined,” Ryan Nagode, vice president-head of interior design for Stellantis, says at the event. Jeep’s color and materials team focused on sustainable materials such as those using recycled or reclaimed plastics for the carpet and headliner. Interiors are available in black and gray themes, although he tells WardsAuto to expect more bold color in forthcoming limited-edition grades. Broderdorf teases a trail-rated version of the Cherokee as “coming in the near future.”
As for design elements, the interior of the Overland trim (pictured above) has a geometric “Apex” insert on its seats, and the rotary shifters are swathed in metal, Nagode says.
Being a Jeep, the Cherokee is off-road ready given thanks to its 8 ins. (203 mm) of ground clearance, an 18.8-degree breakover angle, claimed best-in-class approach (19.6 degree) and departure (29.4 degree) angles, as well as the brand’s Active Drive I 4x4 system as standard equipment.
Pricing
Jeep is launching sales later this year with the two upper grades of the new Cherokee: the Limited (beginning at $42,495) and the Overland (staring at $45,995). Pricing for base and Laredo grades, not launching until early 2026, starts at $36,995 and $39,995, respectively. All pricing includes a $1,995 destination charge.
Jeep will assemble the new 2026 Cherokee at Stellantis’ Toluca, Mexico, vehicle-assembly plant.
