There is not much doubt that if you say something such as “selling cars is getting hard as the time passes” no one would disagree. But many people forget that “there is a lot of ways to sell a car in nowadays” is an equally true statement. Until the last decade, there were some cars known for selling very well despite the fact of staying many years almost untouched. However, sooner or later everyone has to change, not to mention improve. This article will explain why Jeep’s strategy with such a traditional vehicle is smarter than it may look like at first.
The automaker’s responses to the new Cherokee’s criticism may sound a little harsh, but the truth is there’s a world of items for one to analyze in a whole new car, rather than restricting itself to give an overall disapproval based on two or three minor details – that might explain if some Jeep designer was asked about this car’s looks, he would die to answer with something like “Yeah, we all know it’s different. Get over it!”. After all, countless cars have represented huge changes for their automakers through the decades and many ended with huge success, like Land Rover Evoque or the current Hyundai Sonata. Cherokee needed to change that much because its customer has changed.
There will always be fans of Jeep’s original “recipe”, but the automaker does have an entire line focused on them – Wrangler has played the role of tough off-road car much better than any Cherokee ever produced, in fact. And since Compass has never been a best-seller, it wouldn’t be a nonsense to think it’ll be succeed by this article’s crossover. The KL phase brought once again a whole new concept to what has been a very charismatic nameplate mostly since XJ, debuted in 1984. At that time it was a mid-size SUV which later originated Grand Cherokee mostly as its luxury version, but since the third generation (called Liberty in North America) there has been a bigger differentiation between them, including size and structure.
Actually, there’s no better item to start talking with than Cherokee’s brand new structure. Like Dodge Dart, this is one of the first Chrysler Group’s vehicles to be underpinned by the Compact U.S. Wide platform, developed by Fiat. That is what begins to explain all the compact Jeep’s European hints, such as the smoother volumes and round edges which remind of Grand Cherokee and make it much more elegant than Liberty. The front has proved itself capable of starting quite a fuss, but it’s undeniable that finding it beautiful or ugly really depends on which angle it’s stared at – just like on every other car. The attention is taken first by the sleek direction lights, whose position leads to think they’re the entire set.
However, the real headlights were separated and placed right below, ironically like what Citroën presented for the new C4 Picasso around the same time. Having them in such lower position helps to compensate the car’s height, while the fog lights complete a verticalized illumination set which really contributes to the imponence impression every SUV should have. That must’ve been the same inspiration for the rear, although this section received horizontal units. These, in turn, work with the plain area below them to give the impression of a solid vehicle, yet nimble; the biggest dimension increase was 5.1 inches at the length. After discussing taste-related matters, it’ll be hard even for the most traditional Jeep fan to reject Cherokee’s evolution at the cabin.
There are lots of pampering items when it comes to practicality, like the Uconnect infotainment system with wireless phone recharge, quality, such as soft-touch materials and premium cloth or leather seats (heated and ventilated power-adjustable for the front occupants) and technology, like the available full-color seven-inch screen as dashboard or the safety package: the crossover brings ParkSense, Chrysler’s first complete parking assistant (when the intended spot is accepted the driver only has to accelerate and brake, leaving the steering for the car). There are all the latest systems to prevent accidents and to protect the passengers, but the fans don’t need to forget it’s a Jeep: the standard option is front-wheel-drive, but having it with AWD means three options.
Sport, Latitude and Limited trims can bring Active Drive I, a fully automatic single power-takeoff unit (PTU) whose torque distribution is made by the braking system. Active Drive II can come in all of them and adds a two-power PTU with low range, providing maximum torque and pulling power when needed. The debuting Trailhawk trim pairs the intense off-road external styling with the exclusive Active Drive Lock, adding rear differential lock to the previous set. Cherokee’s standard powertrain is the Tigershark 2.4L, with 184 hp and 171 lb-ft. With the exception of Sport, it’s possible to upgrade it for the debuting PentaStar 3.2L, which is a reduced brother of the famous 3.6L unit – the younger V6 offers 271 hp and 239 lb-ft. The transmission will always be ZF’s brand new nine-speed automatic.
Lançamento no Brasil (11/09/2014)
Um dos veículos mais emblemáticos da Jeep acaba de estender sua nova geração ao Brasil. O Cherokee deixou de ser visto como “irmão menor” do Grand Cherokee para ganhar personalidade própria, o que já aparece claramente no estilo geral. A oferta brasileira começa com a versão intermediária Limited, por R$ 174.900. Como esta é focada no requinte, o conjunto evita detalhes visuais muito chamativos. O potencial fora-de-estrada da Jeep será reforçado em breve, com as outras versões que estão por vir, de forma que esta é, de longe, a mais indicada para quem já aderiu à moda dos crossovers de luxo voltados ao uso prioritariamente urbano. Isso é ainda mais fácil de perceber ao entrar na cabine.
Alguns equipamentos de série desta versão são sete airbags, assistente de estacionamento, central de entretenimento Uconnect, com touchscreen de 8,4” e navegador integrado, controle de velocidade, quadro de instrumentos com tela de 7” partida sem chave, retrovisores elétricos, revestimento interno em couro, sensores de pressão dos pneus e de estacionamento, e sistema de som multimídia com nove alto-falantes e subwoofer. Seu motor é sempre um 3.2 V6 Pentastar, de 271 cv e 32,2 kgfm. O câmbio, por sua vez, é automático de nove marchas. Já a tração integral é a Jeep Active Drive I (a versão Trailhawk tem outra, exclusiva), que faz a transmissão de força em forma automática sempre que for necessário, seja na terra ou no asfalto.