Jeep Cherokee review

The Cherokee is a 4x4, not an SUV. SUV, remember, stands for Sport Utility Vehicle, and there’s nothing remotely sporty about the Cherokee. The steering is slow and lifeless, the ride set up for off-road dexterity and comfort on freeways, and the only powertrain of any relevance to the UK, the 2.0-litre turbodiesel twinned with the nine-speed automatic gearbox, is rough, slow and clunky. Jeep can’t conceal this car’s agricultural intent like Land Rover can with the Disco Sport, try as they might.

Where the Cherokee comes into its own, apart from off road, where it’s supreme, is the motorway. The Cherokee’s suppression of wind, tyre and engine noise is impressive, and partly a boon of the nine-speed automatic gearbox, which keeps revs safely south of 2,000rpm when cruising in the top ratio. The ride is extremely impressive for such a workmanlike vehicle too. At low speeds, there’s some saggy rebound about the Cherokee as it negotiates speed bumps, but as soon as you’re up above 30mph the cushioning effect is something approaching luxurious.

Problem is, to get onto the motorway in the first place, you’re going to have to accelerate briskly at some point. And then, the Cherokee’s hopelessly indecisive nine-speed auto, its 1,950kg kerbweight and rough, agricultural engine are a lot more exposed. The stop-start system needs a complete rework too, to avoid getting caught out and left stranded in stop-go-stop city traffic. Altogether, it comes across as a vehicle unhappy and unsuited to its powertrain. In the US, where you can sample the car with a petrol V6, as several Top Gear staff have, the Cherokee is far more likeable…