Jeep Cherokee drops V6, most trims for 2023 model year

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Whilst the “Cherokee” name is well-known amongst most Canadians, its sales numbers are slightly adrift from other models in the Jeep lineup: Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee L all outstripped the compact SUV in 2022, when it found just 6,371 buyers (about 10.5 per cent of brand volume). Now, it seems the brand may be slowly winding down the current model as it plans for an electrified future.

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Changes to the model range for the coming 2023 model year include now offering just two trims of Cherokee: Altitude and Lux. There were seven trims in 2022, and eight choices in 2021. Also gone from the options sheet is the naturally aspirated V6 engine, a reliable mill which made 271 low-stress horsepower. Left standing are a turbocharged 2.0L four-banger making 270 ponies in the Trailhawk; and a 2.4L inline-four good for 180 horses in the Altitude. Both continue to use a nine-speed automatic and four-wheel-drive as standard gear.

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In case you’ve forgotten, Trailhawk variants get the brand’s Active Drive II 4×4 system, which adds an extra driving mode, plus the so-called Active Drive Lock for extra grip in the muck at low speed, thanks to a mechanical locking diff. It also gets beefier 17-inch all-terrain tires and a full-sized spare.

What the future holds for this model is murky. Stellantis, parent company of Jeep, has decided to idle its Illinois factory next month, potentially leaving the Cherokee out in the cold. Officials have said the Cherokee will remain in production until the plant is idled, but anything beyond that time is currently up in the air, though there are mutterings of production (for either the Cherokee or its replacement) moving to Mexico.

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Sales in America, where volume is much higher compared to Canada, are even more bleak for the Cherokee: just 40,322 were sold in 2022, representing a 55-per-cent decline from last year — the most of any Jeep model. In that market, it made up less than 6 per cent of the model mix in 2022. For comparison, 191,397 found homes in 2019.

Talking heads are suggesting the model will be replaced by some sort of electrified offering, a plan which would at least align with the company’s goals as a whole. Whether any replacement will still be called “Cherokee” is up for considerable debate.

A “Wrangler-inspired” compact EV called the Recon is on its way to North America soon. Despite being nearly a decade old, the existing Cherokee has won friends around here, including with the authors of the comparison test linked above; and this writer, who owns a 2020 Trailhawk.

When quizzed about the Cherokee’s future, the Driving.ca Magic 8-Ball simply said “Ask again later.”

Check out even more specs for the latest Jeep Cherokee.