Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4X4 – PLEASANTVILLE

Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4X4

PLEASANTVILLE

Next year it will be 40 years since buying our first Jeep, a 1987 Cherokee 4-door with an inline six, manual trans and 2-wheel drive. My defense in opting for a 4X2? We were in Dallas, it was my wife’s Jeep, and she had almost no intention of parking it on gravel – and no intention (NONE) of taking it offroad. We didn’t have it long, but I’d give my right arm – you know, the one I shift with! – to have it back. For 2026 Jeep’s Cherokee is back. But as I’m about to tell you, it ain’t our Jeep Cherokee.

After taking a sabbatical (it was discontinued in 2023), the Cherokee has returned with a more expansive footprint, a hybrid-only powertrain, standard all-wheel drive, and final assembly in Toluca, Mexico. In profile it impresses as more of a tall wagon (think Honda Prologue…while you can) rather than a conventional SUV. The glass area is generous, and given its relatively low height you step in rather than having to step up. And for those Jeep owners accustomed to maneuvering around a relatively narrow rear door, this new Cherokee offers a warm – and wide – welcome. You could, I’m told, even do it in a tight skirt! (I don’t have a tight skirt.)

Inside, our Laredo trim is one step up from the Cherokee base, and without the optional dual-pane sunroof would have a decently-equipped window sticker of $40K. The base Cherokee starts at $37K, the Limited at $42,000 and the top-of-the-line Overland at $45,000. Car and Driver regards the Laredo as the sweet spot, and I would agree. The cloth interior is upgraded, wheels are 18-inches, and the driver’s seat is power adjustable. And frankly, this package  – while reasonable at $40K – becomes somewhat unreasonable at $45,000. 

Inside you’ll find generous room for four, and this needn’t be a young family – rear seat room can handle the high school volleyball player and at least two of her teammates…or two of her boyfriends! Passenger volume is 100+ cubic feet, while cargo space behind the rear seat is 34 cubic feet, and 68 with the rear seat down. Liftover through the back hatch is a tad high, making me wish my mountain bike – now 15+ years old – was both newer and lighter. Or I was newer and stronger…

In 2026 Jeep gives you one powertrain – and only one. Like just about every OEM in the mass market, Jeep has gone hybrid, matching a 1.6 liter DOHC four supplying 177 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque with two AC motors. The total output – 210 hp and 230 lb-ft of torque – is delivered to the ground via a CVT automatic. And while the numbers – 0-60 in an estimated 8.1 to 8.3 seconds by Car and Driver – aren’t great, neither will they require an anti-anxiety prescription. And fuel economy is class-competitive, delivering 39 City/35 Hwy/37 Combined. 

The hybrid, of course, is what takes a platform that would typically deliver in the mid-to-high 20s and put it in the mid-to-high 30s. The electric assist allows the gas engine to work less often and less hard; without the stress it burns less fuel. And while its lack of a plug-in capability means there’s no all-EV operation, it also means the entire platform is less complex. At this point in this century, simple is good. 

The Cherokee gets down the road – it simply won’t get far offroad. 

And therein lies the disconnect. The ride is comfortable, the handling benign, but beyond its all-season all-wheel-drive, there’s absolutely no pretense at this being offroad-capable. Ground clearance is little more than you’d find on those old Jeeps used by the postal service, and the 18-inchers on our test Laredo were 225/60s, a tad wimpy in spec – and obviously intended to optimize fuel economy and not boulder hopping. As noted, its efficiency is class competitive, but then, do you buy a Jeep for its efficiency…or because it’s a Jeep?

In the second model year we may very well see a more offroad-specific variant of the Cherokee – but that will likely push $50K. In this iteration the newest Cherokee isn’t trail-rated. But in sticking with ‘Cherokee’, it could be Trail of Tears rated.

If on the Stellantis branding team, I’d want to Dodge the controversy.