Christina McLachlan with the 2019 Jeep Cherokee she tested for a week.Al Charest/Postmedia CALGARY — Jeep has a long tradition with its Cherokee model dating back to 1974 when it first introduced what was then a sporty, two-door vehicle made to be taken off the beaten path. Fast-forward 45 years to the freshly facelifted 2019 Cherokee. The vehicle is now a unibody midsize utility vehicle competing in a rather crowded segment that includes models such as the Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. In North America, the Cherokee became the more compact Liberty for the 2002 model year, and that moniker lasted until 2013 – when the Cherokee label was re-applied to its redesigned four-door, midsize configuration. For 2019, Jeep has given the Cherokee an all-new front fascia and an aluminum hood. Also new are the bi-LED headlights. Inside, the Jeep features slightly increased carrying capability with a larger cargo bay, complete with the option of a power liftgate. In Canada, the Cherokee is available in eight trims. The base model is the Sport and moves all the way up to the well-equipped Overland. The Jeep can be had in front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and there are now three different engines to choose from; a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder, a 2.4L normally aspirated 4-cylinder or a 3.2L V-6; all are backed up by a nine-speed automatic transmission. In Calgary, driver Christina McLachlan got to spend a week in the North 44 edition of the newest Cherokee, and with destination charge and options it rang in at $44,185. McLachlan learned to drive in St. Thomas, Ontario. Her dad was a ‘car guy’ who was always buying and selling interesting vehicles, and McLachlan got to drive an array of cars from DKWs to Jaguar MkVIIs. Her first car was a Simca, followed by a pair of Austins. After moving to Calgary in 1979 and over the years, she and her husband have owned a number of different vehicles, from Oldsmobiles to Subarus. The couple recently downsized, however, and McLachlan sold her all-wheel drive Hemi-powered 2010 Dodge Charger. They now rely on a 2008 Jeep Liberty for all their driving needs. “We’ve always had front wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicles,” McLachlan says of one of the most important features they look for when buying a car. “Comfort is always up there, too, as we’ve done a lot of driving across Canada and into the U.S. And, style plays a role, too.” The revised Cherokee ticked off all of those boxes. “I liked the looks of it right away,” McLachlan says of her first impression. “It had a sporty stance and appeared ready to take on whatever you threw at it. Always a favoured colour, the red (Velvet Red Pearl paint, $100) with the black trim appealed to me, and I did like the black wheels (part of an $895 package).” McLachlan has always appointed her vehicles with leather seating surfaces, but the Jeep Cherokee North was outfitted with cloth – regardless, she found it was easy to slide herself into position behind the steering wheel. And, once there, she found the driver’s seat effortless to position and was overall a comfortable place to be. McLachlan’s husband, Art, is 6 foot 1 and wears cowboy boots and a cowboy hat – that means he often tries on vehicles like others might test fit a shirt. For him, their Jeep Liberty accommodates his height and his clothing preferences – so too does the Cherokee North. McLachlan found many of the controls and gauges easy to identify and manipulate. However, when wanting to take a peek at the optional $2,590 turbocharged four-cylinder engine, it did take her a minute to locate the hood release latch. Performance of that turbocharged powerplant was appreciated. “I do tend to have a bit of a lead foot,” McLachlan admits, and adds, “I felt the Cherokee moved along quite nicely, and the turbo really gave it some extra gumption out on the highway. But it did feature stop-start technology, and I’m not a fan of that. When you stop, and the engine shuts off, I don’t like that momentary hiccup when you take your foot off the brake and press on the throttle again.” Depending on how far off-road a buyer wants to go, Jeep offers three versions of its four-wheel drive system for the Cherokee models – Jeep Active Drive I, Jeep Active Drive II and the aggressive Jeep Active Drive Lock. Drive I is a more basic system with a revised and lighter weight ‘rear drive module’ that disconnects the rear axle when the extra traction isn’t required – this is the system McLachlan had in her tester. “The Cherokee felt very well connected to the road,” she says, “and we thought the ride was pretty smooth. You still know it’s a four by four, but for us, it was a very smooth ride. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get to take the Cherokee off-road to test its limits, I would have liked to experiment with the different modes in the Selec-Terrain system.” McLachlan remained impressed by the Cherokee, however, and that included her appreciation for the increased
Origin: Reader Review: 2019 Jeep Cherokee North 4’4