Just another face in the crowd?

By Bill McLauchlan

There are plenty of people out there who don't yet realize that Jeep's 2104 Cherokee is a new model at all. Not surprising as it seems to have been around forever. But, it might surprise you to know that with this all-new version, the Cherokee name is back for the first time since 2001, when Jeep put it out to pasture.

With its familiar name that dates back to the 1970s and the well-loved Grand Cherokee still populating today's roads, it can be easy if you’re contemplating the purchase of a mid-size SUV or crossover to overlook the fact that there's a brand new face for Jeep in the 2014 Cherokee.

With its sleek design, smooth sedan-like ride and expanded cargo and passenger room, it offers a nice blend of refinement and ruggedness that should easily handle family vacations, home improvement projects, winter roads and the driving that everyday life, and its wide variety of tasks, entails. 

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This unique new crossover also brings something different to its market segment that buyers are likely to find useful.

Two features that really stand out about the new Cherokee against competitors like Honda's CR-V, the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape and Subaru Forester are its transmission and towing capacity.

When fully equipped, the 2014 Cherokee can tow up to 4,500 lbs (2050 kg). That's enough to pull a medium trailer or boat and far more than the maximums of 1,500 lbs (680 kg) and 2,000 lbs (900 kg) offered by Honda's CR-V and the now out-of-production Jeep Liberty, respectively.

The other huge leg up for the new Cherokee is its advanced, 9-speed automatic transmission allowing for better fuel economy, a smoother ride and the performance to measure up to the kinds of jobs many seasoned haulers have considered beyond the scope of a mid-size crossover's capacity.

And that kind of civilized muscle makes it more than just another face in the mid-size crossover crowd.