The 2019 Jeep Cherokee has had its global reveal at the Detroit Motor Show overnight showing off its new look and engine.

FOLLOWING THE RELEASE locally of the new Compass (and we’ll have a launch review of this vehicle early in February), the new Jeep Cherokee has been revealed at the Detroit Motor Show. It sees Jeep continue its model refresh.

“A stunning, more premium design and the addition of our new fuel-efficient 2.0-liter turbo engine make the new 2019 Jeep Cherokee even more desirable in the mid-size SUV segment,” said Mike Manley, Head of Jeep Brand – FCA Global.

“In addition, Cherokee builds on its benchmark 4×4 capability and on-road dynamics with refinement and style, a host of new attributes, powertrains and the latest technology that is perfectly situated for consumers worldwide.”

Available in five different trim configurations – Latitude, Latitude Plus, Limited, Overland and the rugged Trail Rated Trailhawk, the 2019 Jeep Cherokee is manufactured in the United States at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois. The new Cherokee will begin arriving in US showrooms soon, Europe later in the year and Australia too.

The new Cherokee gets a new-look front and rear along with LED lighting front and rear, but the stand out design element is the tweaking of the waterfall bonnet and seven-slot grille. Moving inside the Cherokee, and the dashboard has been redesigned with improved storage in the front of the vehicle – infotainment ranges from 7.0-8.4-inch tousch screens with smartphone connectivity. There are new front seats and the rear seats can be moved forwards and backwards and split-fold 60:40. The boot has grown too.

“Jeep Cherokee’s evolution offers more interior comfort and convenience, delivering everyday practicality with outstanding ride and handling characteristics, independent front- and rear-suspension systems with world-class body torsional stiffness, a choice of three different engine offerings fitted to an enhanced, high-efficient nine-speed transmission and more than 80 safety and security features,” Jeep said.

The Cherokee adds FCA’s 2.0-litre direct injection turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine (200kW and 400Nm) with Start&Stop which joins the carry-over 3.2-litre Pentastar V6 (199kW and 316Nm) and 2.4-litre PZEV Multiair2 Tigershark I-4 engines. All engine options can be mated to the nine-speed automatic transmission.

The Cherokee Trailhawk is the hero of the range, offering Jeep Active Drive Lock which builds on the Jeep Active Drive II by adding a rear differential lock – it’s standard on Trailhawk. The Cherokee also offers Selec-Terrain, which offers five terrain settings: Auto, Snow, Sport, Sand/Mud and Rock. Approach angle is 29.9 degrees, departure angle is 32.2 degrees and breakover angle is 22.9 degrees – ground clearance is 220mm. Crawl ratio is 52.1:1.

In terms of safety, new Cherokee starts with 65% of its structure being built from lightweight, high strength steel. It also has a range of active and passive safety systems, including ParkSense Parallel/Perpendicular Park Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control-Plus, Forward Collision Warning-Plus, and LaneSense Lane Departure Warning-Plus; SOS button; Electronic Stability Control (ESC); Electronic Roll Mitigation; Blind-spot Monitoring; Rear Cross Path detection; ParkView rear backup camera with dynamic grid lines and eight standard air bags.

Pricing and specifications for Australia haven’t been announced. Stay tuned.