Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep - Pocono Record
The new Cherokee, which got mixed reviews when it showed up in late 2013 — mostly because it wasn’t the old, boxy Cherokee (1984-96, RIP) — has now truly arrived. The media and the market have decided it is a righteous Jeep. Some of this is due to changing ideas of Jeep-ness (roughing it, bad. And so now Jeep is doing what carmakers do when a new model has jumped its first hurdles and settled in for the long run: Add more options. Last fall Jim Morrison, Jeep’s product-marketing honcho, decided to load up a Cherokee with cold-weather goodies while holding the line on price. Our Latitude also had the 271-horsepower V-6 engine, a $1,695 option, which now can shut itself off (to save gas and emissions) whenever the Jeep stops, and re-start when needed. Jeep tested this system, with its heavy-duty starter, solenoid and flywheel teeth, through more than 300,000 on-off cycles — but if you don’t like it, stop-start has its own off switch. We’ve never seen a Cherokee reach 9th gear, and even 8th is rare. Higher gearing should improve fuel economy — and in the Cherokee 6th through 9th. Source: www.poconorecord.com
