After a hiatus of three model years, the compact/midsize SUV is back at Jeep — meet the hybrid-only 2026 Jeep Cherokee.
Like a lot of people, I like to cook. As much as I’d love to get every new recipe right on the first try, I don’t always. The failures are rarely inedible, rarely cause for calling up Domino’s, but sometimes I need to work on the dish a few more times until I get it just right.
Driving the new Cherokee across the area near Malibu, California, I got the sense that Jeep engineers had come up with a good start, but some more time is needed in the kitchen.
The biggest news here, is, of course, the powertrain. This is the first non-plug-in hybrid offered in North America by Jeep parent Stellantis. It pairs a 1.6-liter gasoline-fueled inline-four with two electric motors and a 400-volt battery. Total system power is listed at 210 horsepower and 230 lb-ft of torque, and an electronically controlled continously-variable automatic transmission is part of the package. Four-wheel drive engages automatically, with a standard rear-axle disconnect.
Towing is rated at 3,500 pounds.
While the powertrain will get the lion’s share of the press, the inside and out are completely redesigned, too.
(Full disclosure: Jeep flew me to the Los Angeles area so I could drive the Cherokee, and the company fed and housed me for two nights. I did not take home any swag other than a notepad and pen.)
The switch to a hybrid powertrain as the sole underhood option has Jeep folks talking up fuel economy — the Cherokee is now listed at 39 mpg city, 35 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined. Jeep also touts a maximum range of 500 miles — despite the small-ish 13.7-gallon fuel tank.
I’m skeptical of that claim — perhaps if you have light foot you’ll get there. Our drive started with the test vehicle showing about 318 miles of range with close to a full tank. That number did climb during our drive, at least at the beginning, but only by a few miles. I am just spitballing here, and my math skills are sometimes suspect, but I’d guess 400-450 miles is more realistic, depending on the heaviness of one’s right foot and the type of driving encountered on one’s commute.
That’s still pretty good, and I must note that I was driving a tad aggressively in the name of testing.
I did feel that the Cherokee could use either a skoosh more power — or perhaps the throttle was just a tick slow to communicate intent. I wouldn’t use the word “slow” here — there’s enough grunt for most commuting duty. But a little more guts would be appreciated when passing, merging, or hill climbing.
The transitions between hybrid modes were seamless, nothing like the jarring changes I felt when driving 4xe PHEV products. That’s the good news — the bad is that the powertrain got a bit loud and coarse at full zoot.
Noise was an issue overall. Mother Nature let loose the morning of my test drive, and the windshield wipers were, uh, not quiet. Tire noise was mostly muted, though, and wind noise wasn’t too bad — it was just mechanical sounds that intruded.
I found the handling to be mostly acceptable, despite steering that was a tad too light. Body roll was muted well, and responsiveness was a tad better in Sport mode — the others are Auto, Snow, and Sand/Mud. Still, the Cherokee isn’t particularly sporty on road.
Ride was an issue — at least in the Laredo trim I drove first. It was a tad too stiff and harsh. I did ride shotgun in an Overland later and it felt smoother than the Laredo, at least from the right seat. Perhaps the difference between the 18-inch wheels on the Laredo and the 20-inch wheels on the Overland was at play. Or perhaps not — I drove a Limited for photos and found it rode a tad better than the Laredo, but it too had 18-inch wheels.
These test vehicles were all pre-production units, as well, though Cherokees have been trickling into dealers since the end of 2025.
Jeep had promised us some off-road time, but pouring rain put a stop to that — the conditions were simply unsafe.
Jeep folks told us they wanted to declutter the interior, and they did. The new dash looks and feels cleaner and manages to keep the infotainment system integrated. I’m of mixed feelings when it comes to rotary shifters, but the use of one here frees up even more space. The available wireless phone charger integrates well, too, and the digital gauges are easy to read and use.
The excellent UConnect system continues to provide your infotainment.
Letdowns include a massive steering wheel that seems a tad too big, and some of the HVAC controls have gone haptic — and they were a bit wonky to use.
At least the rear seat accommodated my tall frame adequately when I slid back there to take some photos. Jeep has the cargo space listed at 33.6 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 68.3 with them down.
Materials were a mix of price-point acceptable and downmarket hard plastic on the Laredo I drove, with the seats being a little lacking in lumbar towards the end of a long stint. The Overland’s interior materials were much nicer and the seats seemed much more comfortable, though my time in that one was relatively short. The Limited I drove had a nicer level content than the Laredo, but the materials weren’t a huge step up.
Trims, to this point, are as follows — base ($36,995), Laredo ($39,995), Limited ($41,995), and Overland ($44,995). Those prices include $1,995 for destination.
Standard features include 18-inch wheels, LED headlights and taillights, and active driving assist level 2 hands-free driving. Laredos add fog lamps, power driver’s seat, heated front seats, second-row USB ports, and remote start. Limiteds add a heated steering wheel, leatherette seats, power passenger seat, power liftgate, wireless phone charger, and heated mirrors with turn signals. Opt for the Overland and you’ll get 20-inch wheels, dual-pane sunroof, black roof, foot activation for the liftgate, front and rear park assist, and traffic-sign recognition.
Other available features include drowsy-driver detection, 360-degree camera, rain-sensing wipers, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, intersection collision assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-path detection, rear park assist with rear automatic emergency braking, heated rear seats, cooled front seats, digital rearview mirror, premium audio, and Alexa voice assistant.
Keeping in Jeep’s off-road tradition, the approach and departure angles are 19.6 and 29.4 inches, respectively, and ground clearance is at 8 inches. Jeep folks wouldn’t comment on whether a Trailhawk trim is imminent, but I’d bet one is.
During the press briefing, there was a short, mostly polite kerfuffle over whether the Cherokee is a compact or a midsize. I’ll not take sides in that debate, but I will note that the competitive set will include the Toyota RAV4 (which is also going hybrid for 2026, with a PHEV available) and the Honda CR-V hybrid. Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, and Mazda also offer hybrids that will fight the Cherokee for buyer dollars. And if you expand to include models without a hybrid, you have Ford’s Bronco Sport and Volkswagen’s Tiguan out there, too, along with the gas version of the Chevrolet Equinox.
I’ve not yet driven the newest RAV4, but the outgoing model remains the standard for all-around excellence in the class. Honda’s CR-V isn’t far behind. Ford’s Bronco Sport is, well, sportier on-road and very capable off-road when equipped correctly. The Tiguan is a better on-road handler, though neither it nor the Ford can be had with a hybrid.
The good news for Jeep is that this Cherokee is more in the mix than the outgoing generation, which felt behind the times from jump (disclosure — a close family member owns a 2021). And while I couldn’t take this one off-road, I am sure it will be plenty capable, if history is any guide.
I dig the updated interior and the boxier styling works well — the design flows better than before. It’s unfortunate the Laredo trim felt so rough — at least the Limited (which is probably what I’d buy, were it my money) and Overland were a little better cooked. The problem Jeep faces is that this is a crowded segment. Jeep will market the Cherokee on fuel economy and off-road ability, and that’s fine. The new Cherokee is a big step forward from before — but the recipe needs a bit more work if Jeep has the all-around ability of the Toyota and Honda in its sights.
That’s part of the delight of cooking — seeing what works and what doesn’t, and working to keep the good and fix the rest. Jeep has gotten part of the way there — but there’s more to be done.
[Images © 2026 Tim Healey/TTAC.com]
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