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The Jeep Cherokee is a line of sport utility vehicles (SUV) manufactured and marketed by
Jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...
over five generations. Marketed initially as a variant of the Jeep Wagoneer (SJ), the Cherokee has evolved from a full-size SUV to one of the first compact SUVs and into its latest generation as a
crossover SUV A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ( ...
. Named after the
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
tribe of
Native Americans in the United States Native Americans (also called American Indians, First Americans, or Indigenous Americans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of the United States, particularly of the Contiguous United States, lower 48 states and A ...
, Jeep has used the nameplate in some capacity since late 1973 when
American Motors Corporation American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the mergers and acquisitions, merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 19 ...
(AMC) introduced the 1974
model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated as MY) is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...
line. Production of the Cherokee ended in February 2023. The Cherokee nameplate was since only used by the Grand Cherokee and its longer version, the Grand Cherokee L. Jeep is expected to revive the Cherokee for a sixth generation (KM) in the later half of 2025. It is going to be based on the STLA Large Tranverse platform. It will initially be launched with 1.6-liter
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed in 2021 through the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group, PSA (Peugeot S.A.) Group. The company's hea ...
Prince engine EP6CDTX turbo four-cylinder Hybrid drivetrain only, with the potential for a gas/ice model later, most likely the 2.0l FCA Global Medium Engine I4-T, though that hasn’t been confirmed just yet. Production is expected to start in Fall 2025, at Toluca Car Assembly, although due to tariffs it could potentially get moved to another plant in the U.S. __TOC__


First generation (SJ; 1974)

The Cherokee was a rebadged reintroduction of a two-door body style Jeep Wagoneer, with a redesigned
greenhouse A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...
that eliminated the car's C-pillar. Instead, the Cherokee featured a much broader D-pillar and a single, long fixed rear side window with an optional flip-out section. Previously, a two-door version was available in the Jeep Wagoneer line (from 1963 through 1967). However, this had the same pillar and window configuration as the four-door Wagoneer. The Cherokee replaced the Jeepster Commando, whose sales had not met expectations despite an extensive 1972 revamp. The Cherokee appealed to a younger market than the Wagoneer, which was regarded more as a family SUV. The Cherokee was first revealed in late 1973 and it was marketed as the "sporty" two-door variant of Jeep's
station wagon A station wagon (American English, US, also wagon) or estate car (British English, UK, also estate) is an automotive Car body style, body-style variant of a Sedan (automobile), sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo ...
that went beyond the CJ-5 in interior space with off-road ability. The term "sport(s) utility vehicle" appears for the first time in the 1974 Cherokee sales brochure. A four-door was added to the lineup for the 1977 model year. In addition to the base model, the trim levels of the Cherokee included the S (Sport), Chief, Golden Eagle, Golden Hawk, Limited, Classic, Sport, Pioneer, and Laredo.


Second generation (XJ; 1984)

While the full-sized Wagoneer continued production for another eight years as the Grand Wagoneer, the Cherokee nameplate was moved to a new platform starting with the 1984 model year and continuing through 2001. Without a traditional
body-on-frame Body-on-frame is a traditional motor vehicle construction method whereby a separate coachwork, body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain (the engine and drivetrain) and to wh ...
chassis, the Cherokee instead featured a lightweight
unibody A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had ...
design. This generation of Cherokee would eventually be well known as the innovator of the modern SUV, as it spawned competitors, and other automakers noticed that this Jeep design began replacing regular cars. It also began to supplant the role of the station wagon and "transformed from truck to limousine in the eyes of countless suburban owners." The XJ is a "significant link in the evolution of the 4x4." It would prove so popular that the second generation Cherokee's replacement was released as a separate vehicle, the
Jeep Grand Cherokee The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a range of mid-sized sport utility vehicles produced by American manufacturer Jeep. At its introduction, while most SUVs were still manufactured with body-on-frame construction, the Grand Cherokee has used a unibody ...
, starting a successive line of Jeep flagship models.


Third generation (KJ; 2002)

The third generation, marketed as the Jeep Liberty in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
to differentiate it from the Grand Cherokee, was introduced in April 2001 for the 2002 model year. It was sold as the Jeep Cherokee in markets outside of North America. The Cherokee was priced between the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. It remained the smallest of the four-door Jeep SUVs until the crossover-based four-door
Compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...
and Patriot were introduced for the 2007 model year. The Cherokee featured unibody construction. It was assembled at the Toledo North Assembly Plant in the United States and other countries, including Egypt and Venezuela. The KJ was the first Jeep vehicle to use rack and pinion steering. It was also the first Jeep to feature the newly introduced " PowerTech" engines; the 2.4 L I4, which was used until 2006, and the 3.7 L V6. The KJ Cherokee was also the second Jeep vehicle to incorporate an
independent front suspension Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system in ...
, with the 1963 Wagoneer first to feature this as an option on four-wheel-drive.


Fourth generation (KK; 2008)

Continuing to be marketed as the Jeep Liberty in North America, the Cherokee was redesigned in 2008. For the first time, a rebadged fourth-generation Cherokee was marketed by
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
as the
Nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitro ligand ...
. The Nitro was discontinued after 2011, and Sergio Marchionne wanted to avoid duplicate vehicles with Dodge and Jeep (as well as
Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...
) sharing the same sales network. The four-cylinder engine was dropped from the Cherokee's models because the smaller Patriot and Compass offered greater fuel efficiency. The iron-block, aluminum-head V6 became the standard engine with the 2008 models. The towing capacity was . Jeep discontinued the Cherokee's CRD for the American market because it could not meet the more rigid 2007 emissions standards for diesel engines. Transmission choices were both carry-overs: a six-speed manual or a four-speed
automatic Automatic may refer to: Music Bands * Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band * Automatic (American band), American rock band * The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band Albums * ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...
. Standard equipment included electronic stability control with roll mitigation, traction control, and anti-lock brakes with brake assist. New Features included standard side airbags. Optional features were rain-sensing wipers,
Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio ( SDARS) service that operated in the United States and Canada. Sirius launched in 2002, and primarily competed with XM Satellite Radio, until the two services merged in 2008 to form Sirius XM. Li ...
,
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...
, a
navigation system A navigation system is a computing system that aids in navigation. Navigation systems may be entirely on board the vehicle or vessel that the system is controlling (for example, on the ship's bridge) or located elsewhere, making use of radio or oth ...
, and the MyGig entertainment system with a 30 GB
hard drive A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating hard disk drive platter, pla ...
.


Fifth generation (KL; 2014)

For the fifth generation, the Cherokee nameplate returned to North America as the vehicle was converted to a crossover and grew to midsize to make room for the
Jeep Renegade The Jeep Renegade is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by Stellantis under their Jeep marque. It was first shown to the public in March 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show#2014, Geneva Motor Show and production started in late August of that year. T ...
below the Cherokee and Compass. It was introduced for the 2014 model year at the 2013
New York International Auto Show The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto show that is held in Manhattan, New York City in late March or early April. It is held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It usually opens on or just before Easter weekend and closes ...
, with sales starting in November 2013. The Cherokee is the first Jeep vehicle to be built on the Fiat Compact/Compact U.S. Wide platform, co-developed by Chrysler and Fiat. The Cherokee has a highway fuel economy rating of and a 45% better fuel economy rating than the Liberty/Cherokee it replaced. The front end was updated for the 2018 model year,and a new 2.0 L turbo engine became available, rated with and of torque. The other engines included the 3.2 L V6 and 2.4 L inline-four. For the 2021 model year, Jeep added more standard comfort and convenience features on each trim, as well as introduced the Latitude Lux and related 80th Anniversary trims. The Jeep Cherokee assembly was at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in
Belvidere, Illinois Belvidere is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Illinois, United States. It is settled on the Kishwaukee River in far northern Illinois. Known as the 'City of Murals', Belvidere is home to several public art installations througho ...
, until 28 February 2023.


Call to change the name

The vehicle was launched in 1973 for the 1974 model year, and the
Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...
had not asked Jeep about the name, there is no copyright on the Cherokee name, and the tribe was not offered royalties for using the name. At that time the names were "carefully chosen and nurtured over the years to honor and celebrate Native American people for their nobility, prowess, and pride." In February 2021, Chuck Hoskin, Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, called for Jeep to change the vehicle's name. "I think we're in a day and age in this country where it's time for both corporations and team sports to retire the use of Native American names, images and mascots from their products, team jerseys and sports in general." "I'm sure this comes from a place that is well-intended, but it does not honor us by having our name plastered on the side of a car." "The best way to honor us is to learn about our sovereign government, our role in this country, our history, culture, and language and have meaningful dialogue with federally recognized tribes on cultural appropriateness." The use of Native-oriented names and brands "are particularly fraught, because they cannot be disentangled from the harrowing history of mistreatment and land dispossession in the United States." By March 2021, Carlos Tavares stated that Stellantis was open to dropping the Cherokee name from its vehicles, and "the company was in talks with the Cherokee Nation over the use of tribe's name on its SUVs." Following the discussions, Jeep will continue the Cherokee name on some versions of the vehicles. In 2023, the Cherokee was discontinued "after 49 years of serving as a staple in Jeep's lineup, as well as the foundation for many modern SUVs" but the larger Grand Cherokee model continued.


Notes


References

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Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
All-wheel-drive vehicles Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States Anti-Indigenous racism in the United States