Jeep has detailed its new Toyota RAV4-rivalling mid-size hybrid SUV, which won’t be coming to Australia.
The 2026 Jeep Cherokee is arriving in US showrooms later this year, and while it’s a return to boxy form for the long-running nameplate, it’s launching exclusively with a hybrid powertrain.
The new mid-size crossover SUV debuts a 132kW/300Nm turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, mated with two electric motors, a 1.08kWh battery, and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).
Total outputs are 154kW of power and 312Nm of torque, with Jeep claiming combined fuel consumption of 6.4L/100km and more than 805km of range.
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Jeep’s Active Drive I 4×4 system is standard, with a single-speed transfer case and rear axle disconnect. There are selectable Auto, Sport, Snow and Sand/Mud drive modes.
The company claims the Cherokee’s approach and departure angles of 19.6 and 29.4 degrees are best in class, while there’s a breakover angle of 18.8 degrees and 204mm of ground clearance.
The new Cherokee is longer, taller and wider than the previous KL generation that exited production in 2023, having moved to the STLA Large platform that also underpins electric and combustion-powered models like the new Dodge Charger and Jeep Wagoneer S.
The Cherokee measures 4778mm long, 1898mm wide (2123mm including the mirrors) and 1715mm tall on a 2869mm wheelbase. Kerb weight is 1948kg.
Its predecessor was up to 4651mm long, 1904mm wide and 1724mm tall, depending on variant, and rode a 2700mm wheelbase.
While it’s not as boxy as the long-running XJ Cherokee produced from 1983 to 2001, the new-generation SUV is certainly more angular than the KL it replaces.
The belt line is quite straight but the roof line curves gently, making it less boxy than the full-size Wagoneer. There’s only a slightly rounded-off kink at the D-pillar, while the wheel-arches are trapezoidal.
Up front there’s Jeep’s seven-slot grille and slim headlights that wrap around the corners and contain U-shaped daytime running lights.
Down back, there are slim, wraparound tail-lights with chunky internals – which Jeep says are inspired by jerry cans – flanking a large trapezoidal area containing the number plate.
Inside, there’s a standard 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen running the Uconnect 5 infotainment system, and featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto while also supporting over-the-air updates.
The start button is situated on the centre console, near a rotary dial for gear selection and a rocker switch for drive mode selection.
Jeep claims to have boosted cargo capacity by 30 per cent.
A black interior is standard, while an Arctic interior is available in all bar the base Cherokee.
Available equipment includes a panoramic sunroof, hands-free power tailgate, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a digital rear-view mirror, and a surround-view camera.
Standard safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection and intersection assist, plus blind-spot monitoring, driver fatigue detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and reverse AEB.
There’s also Jeep’s Active Driving Assist system, which combines adaptive cruise control and lane support systems to provide Level 2 autonomous driving.
The Cherokee will be offered in Limited and Overland trims at first, with base and Laredo variants arriving in American showrooms early in 2026.
It’ll be produced in parent company Stellantis’ Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico, despite newly imposed tariffs on Mexican imports.
“Powered by our new, efficient hybrid propulsion system, the 2026 Jeep Cherokee is built to compete, inspire and take back our place in North America’s largest vehicle segment,” said Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf.
The Cherokee is re-entering production this year after an absence of more than two years, with Jeep having exited the hugely popular segment after letting the previous KL generation stay in production for 10 years.
Jeep Australia has previously told CarExpert the new Cherokee isn’t planned for Australian showrooms. This follows the local axing of the larger Jeep Grand Cherokee in right-hand drive markets earlier this year.
Taking its place instead – while also replacing the old Compass – will be the new-generation Compass. This model has grown in size and will offer electric power for the first time, and it’s due on sale here during the second half of 2026.
The mid-size SUV segment accounted for almost a quarter of all new car sales in Australia last year, with 287,637 of the total 1,237,287 new vehicles sold being medium SUVs.
The previous-generation KL Jeep Cherokee was sold in Australia between 2014 and 2022 with four- and six-cylinder petrol engines, as well as (briefly) a turbo-diesel four-cylinder. Production ended globally in February 2023.
MORE: Everything Jeep Cherokee