New Face of the 2019 Jeep Cherokee

Restyled Cherokee offers more conventional looks, and promises ‘even more fuel-efficient powertrain options.’

It’s been almost half a decade since Jeep launched the reborn Cherokee. It featured more modern running gear than the model it replaced wrapped in fresh sheet metal…that left many squinting and scratching their heads.

The KL Cherokee had a seven-slot grille, but it was bent back and flanked by slits for daytime running lights, which were completely separate from the headlights below them. It was polarizing, to say the least.

Now it’s time for a refresh, both visually and mechanically. The 2019 Jeep Cherokee stays away from the visual extreme that the 2014-2018 model hit and goes down the middle of the road.

The DRLs and headlights are housed in the same unit. Designers also moved up the rear license plate and tweaked the elements inside the tail lights to make them look more modern.

The new model looks more like its Jeep siblings, but it comes at the expense of being aesthetically unique.

The outgoing Cherokee looked like a design experiment in comparison to this safe and conservative – albeit attractive – approach.

Jeep has paired the Cherokee’s new lines with what it calls “even more fuel-efficient powertrain options.” The new turbocharged and eTorque-assisted 2.0-liter I4 in the all-new 2018 Wrangler would make sense as one of them. So would its 3.5-liter Pentastar V6 because the current Cherokee’s 3.2-liter V6 isn’t used by any other Jeep.

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However, it seems as if the 2019 Cherokee will get down the road and up trails with more familiar power plants – at least initially. According to Allpar.com, “The build codes indicate there is a 2.4 liter MultiAir, and the 3.2 liter VVT – but no 3.6 liter, and no 2.0-liter, as hoped by many. At least, they won’t be available right away. Both engines in the mix at launch will be mated to the nine-speed 948TE automatic transmission.”

Let’s hope the carryover engines will be tuned to make a little more power. Jeep will release more details about those and the 2019 Cherokee in general at the Detroit Auto Show in January. We’ll experience the facelifted Cherokee for ourselves later that month during its media launch event.

Looking for a good deal on a new Jeep? Get insider information here.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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