2026 Jeep Cherokee previewed: large SUV could get hybrid and electric variants
The 2026 Jeep Cherokee will be wildly different from its predecessor, with the potential for both hybrid and electric power...
On sale 2026 Price from £45,000 (est)
Launched in 1973 and named after the Native American tribe, the Jeep Cherokee has strong ties to history, but it’ll look to embrace modernity in its new generation with brand new electrified tech.
Indeed, Jeep’s answer to the Land Rover Discovery will take many design cues from the recently-revealed Compass, and it could be offered with both hybrid and pure-electric power.
The new Cherokee will be vastly different from the outgoing model, given that it’ll be underpinned by brand new technology. It’ll sit on parent company Stellantis’s new STLA Large platform, which has the capacity for both hybrid and pure-electric power. Indeed, it’ll be closely related to the next-generation Alfa Romeo Stelvio, which will use the same tech.
No technical details have been revealed yet, but the combustion-engined Cherokee could borrow setups from the larger Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models – neither of which are sold in the UK – which get power outputs of 414bhp and 503bhp respectively from a turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol engine.
It’s likely that the electric Cherokee will get the same kit as the Jeep Wagoneer S, which is slated for a launch later this year. The electric SUV will have a 100.5kWh (total capacity) battery and a 592bhp dual-motor four-wheel-drive setup. That battery should be good for an official range of more than 300 miles. For reference, the dual-motor Volvo EX40 can officially manage 374 miles on a single charge, while the Kia EV6 can similarly do 339 miles.
Outside, it borrows some design elements from the Compass, including a more prominent version of Jeep’s seven-slot grille. Similar to the Wagoneer S, it gets a sloping roofline and a boxy, squared-off stance.
Early shots of the new Cherokee reveal that it has a similar interior to the Wagoneer S, with a large 12.3in infotainment touchscreen, including user-friendly rotary dials on the sides. Climate controls can be found on a button bar below the screen.
The new Jeep Cherokee is expected to launch in Europe next year. It’ll sit in between the Compass and Grand Cherokee in Jeep’s lineup, and the American firm claims it should be competitively priced. We expect prices to start at around £45,000, which is around the same as an EX40 and slightly pricier than an EV6.
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