The Jeep Cherokee, body code KM, has long been in Stellantis’ list of body codes, but there has been no official talk of the new vehicle. The KL version left production last year.
The Jeep Wagoneer S is to arrive midyear, being built in Toluca, Mexico. Given body code KM49, it is clearly sharing quite a bit with the future Cherokee; the photo (or rendering) above, issued by Jeep, shows a vehicle with a decently sized hood, more than one would really need for an electric vehicle. One can surmise that this is about the size and shape and chassis of the next-generation Cherokee. The huge gaps between wheels and fenders suggest plans for a decent amount of suspension travel (or a careless rendering).
Off-road capabilities of the new model remain unknown. The Ford Bronco’s long-travel independent suspension has been a key selling point, and Rivian has achieved rather stunning off-road capabilities with its combination of electric propulsion and a long-travel independent suspension. However, Jeep has been trending towards a split between non-Rubicon-ready mass-market vehicles and the Wrangler-Gladiator series. The Recon is set to come out as an all-electric with strong off-road capability, though not to Wrangler levels.
The Jeep Cherokee, with body code KM74, is still officially unannounced, but will likely arrive for model-year 2025 to fill in the gap between Compass and Grand Cherokee. If the Wagoneer S is on STLA Large, the Cherokee could use the 4xe system, Pentastar V6, and/or Hurricane Six—even the Peugeot 1.6 liter engine, though that’s more likely to be reserved for STLA Medium. Source: Motales.
David Zatz started what was to become the world’s biggest, most comprehensive Mopar site in 1994 as he pursued a career in organizational research and change. After a chemo-induced break, during which he wrote car books covering Vipers, minivans, and Jeeps, he returned with Patrick Rall to create StellPower.com for daily news, and to set up MoTales for mo’ tales.
David Zatz has around 30 years of experience in covering Chrysler/Mopar news and history, and most recently wrote Century of Chrysler, a 100-year retrospective on the Chrysler marque.
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