All-New 2026 Jeep® Cherokee (KM) Prepares for Debut Late 2025

All-New 2026 Jeep® Cherokee (KM) Prepares for Debut Late 2025​

Jeep’s First-Ever North American Hybrid-Only SUV Breaks Cover This Year​

Jeep® fans, the wait is almost over. The all-new 2026 Jeep Cherokee (KM) is on its way, and it’s bringing a big change with it: it’s going hybrid-only. That’s right—this will be the first North American Jeep vehicle offered exclusively with a hybrid powertrain. No gas-only or plug-in (PHEV) options—just one smart, fuel-saving setup built for adventure.

All-New 2026 Jeep® Cherokee (KM) Prepares for Debut Late 2025

Jeep fans rejoice! The all-new 2026 Jeep Cherokee (KM) makes its debut late 2025 with an exclusive hybrid powertrain.

moparinsiders.com

 

[cygnus]

The 2026 Honda Passport (191.5 inches) is within 2.5 inches of the 2026 Jeep Cherokee (188.5 inches). It's going to be the perfect case study competition - 3.5L V6 powertrain vs 1.6L MHEV powertrain.

 

[Ryan]

The 2026 Honda Passport is within two inches of the 2026 Jeep Cherokee. It's going to be the perfect case study competition - 3.5L V6 powertrain vs 1.6L MHEV powertrain

The five passenger Grand Cherokee is directly comparable. The Cherokee is on the upper end of the compact segment but is still more of a CR-V competitor.

You are purposely comparing it to a vehicle that is a segment higher to put it at a disadvantage and prove your point about the smaller engine, while ignoring that Jeep has a more direct answer for the Passport in the Grand Cherokee.

I’d consider this too in Trailhawk form if it had more power, but it is still competitive within its segment in terms of powertrain.

 

[cygnus]

The five passenger Grand Cherokee is directly comparable. The Cherokee is on the upper end of the compact segment but is still more of a CR-V competitor.

You are purposely comparing it to a vehicle that is a segment higher to put it at a disadvantage and prove your point about the smaller engine, while ignoring that Jeep has a more direct answer for the Passport in the Grand Cherokee.

I’d consider this too in Trailhawk form if it had more power, but it is still competitive within its segment in terms of powertrain.

Which is why I don't understand the Cherokee pricing at all. It has a fair degree of overlap in pricing with the Grand Cherokee. Who is going to buy this thing?

And I'm frankly worried that the Passport is going to steal sales from both Cherokee and Grand Cherokee buyers. Especially Grand Cherokee buyers with the 2026 MY losing the V6 Pentastar.

 

[Ryan]

Which is why I don't understand the Cherokee pricing at all. It has huge overlap with the Grand Cherokee. Who is going to buy this thing? If they're budget conscious, why wouldn't the buyer also look at the Passport?

I agree with you on that. It’s priced too closely to the Grand Cherokee.

I also don’t disagree that a more powerful engine would be ideal for those of us who are car enthusiasts. The 2.0 turbo would be great. The people who buy these compact crossovers don’t seem to care about power though, given that GM discontinued the 2.0 turbo in the Equinox and Terrain several years ago too.

I’d like to see a few changes:
- A Summit model without the ugly black cladding
- A Trailhawk with legitimate off-road cred
- 2.0 turbo as a no cost option on Limited and above
- A non-grayscale interior color

 

[TripleT]

I agree with you on that. It’s priced too closely to the Grand Cherokee.

I also don’t disagree that a more powerful engine would be ideal for those of us who are car enthusiasts. The 2.0 turbo would be great. The people who buy these compact crossovers don’t seem to care about power though, given that GM discontinued the 2.0 turbo in the Equinox and Terrain several years ago too.

I’d like to see a few changes:
- A Summit model without the ugly black cladding
- A Trailhawk with legitimate off-road cred
- 2.0 turbo as a no cost option on Limited and above
- A non-grayscale interior color

Point to the ugly black cladding?

 

[Ryan]

View attachment 11944
Point to the ugly black cladding?

Referring to the Cherokee.

 

[patfromigh]

If the Cherokee's non-plugin hybrid system proves to be an electrification sweet spot for buyers, it would be a simple matter to offer a non-plugin hybrid for the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler 4Xe models along side the plugin models. IMO, the reason the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee have been a hard sell is poor marketing compounded by a lack of communication skills. That small battery used in the Cherokee would be a good fit for a 2-door Wrangler 4Xe package.

Now that it has been revealed that the Cherokee has a mechanical AWD system, I expect there will be a Trailhawk trim. I don't think the hybrid transmission in the Cherokee will be practical for serious trail use. The 9-speed ZF combined with the 2 liter GME would be better for that purpose.

 

[Josh]

So tell me, what are the prices for the non-hybrid models? Because it's going to need to be exceptional to compete in this market.

Again - you better hope everyone from Allpar.com buys three of these, because the number of people that wouldn't even consider a sub 2L engine, like multiple people have already said in this thread, will shock you.

Fewer people than you think want this sub 2L trash. I guarantee this thing will not hit the sales numbers KL did, unless it gets the 2L. Not the upcoming EVO in the Grand Cherokee, but the other 2L that they offer with the Wrangler and they offered with KL.

Of course sales won't be good! Why do you think there is so much controversy around this thing? It's French crap! This is one of Tavares leftover projects coming to fruition. Man, I'm telling you reality, not what I really want. Did you really even read my comment you posted to? Again, what makes you think that Stellantis is going to put 300 hp in this thing? It's not happening. Why? Apart from where the competition is, and the fact that they gotta beef up the drivetrain, manufacturers are secretly worried that the current administration's emissions laws will change during the next presidency. Yeah, the Hemi is back, for now. And they are going to Hemi everything they can that is RWD. But I guarantee you the Pentastar is going to be phased out while everyone is ogling over the Hemi everything. And if we get another liberal president and emissions standards return, Mopar will have all of their bases covered with SMALL TURBOCHARGED I4 ENGINES. I shouldn't have to type all of this stuff, you should already know and see this stuff man. So to recap for you: 1. The new Cherokee will be a failure because of the Peugeot powertrain. 2. It could be good, but Stellantis is too paranoid about future administrations so it won't get better. It's not worth the investment, FWD cars are the paper cups of the automotive world. 3. All you can do is hope the next generation will be better.

 

[Josh]

Josh Josh Josh welcome.... the only good powertrains are old powertrains. Nothing new is any good. What it need was a the old 3.8 or 4.0. Dirty, heavy, slow, and under power...

Yes, but you and everyone else on here are wasting your time talking about the good ole days and not reality. I'm almost 35. My first vehicle was a 1994 Dodge Ram 1500 with a 5.2 Magnum. I feel you, I understand. But if I'm commenting about stuff like this, I'm going to use my brain and speculate with reason and rationality. I'm not a sports fan, but you and everyone else speculating about Pentastars in this thing is like a sports commentator saying that some old retired football player will be back playing football next year. It's not happening. How hard is it for people to look at the car and it's platform, look at Stellantis's powertrain portfolio, and make RATIONAL SPECULATION about what should and could be in this thing?

 

[cygnus]

You guys discount the cost of complexity, especially when it comes to ICE engines.

Fact - the Hurricane is twice as expensive to manufacture than the Hemi.

 

[Bili]

Uf... Where to start.

Ah, yes.

Platform.
It's STLA Large LP2. One for transversely mounted internal combustion engine capable of mechanical AWD which is something not offered by French sourced platforms.

Now about the actual car.

Styling is... It could be better, Compass is better. But I like this one. I'm talking about the exterior.
Interior is what I like on this car styling wise. For me they've nailed it.

Back to platform bits.
Snout is large with tiny engine inside which seems like hanging behind the front axle.
Why? If there is no plans for V6 it doens make sense. It could be mich shorter and we could havea car which is around 4" shorter on overall length.

I will type more about powertrains later

@Josh
I'm more than sure that @TripleT is sarcastic about engines.

 

[cygnus]

Uf... Where to start.

Ah, yes.

Platform.
It's STLA Large LP2. One for transversely mounted internal combustion engine capable of mechanical AWD which is something not offered by French sourced platforms.

Now about the actual car.

Styling is... It could be better, Compass is better. But I like this one. I'm talking about the exterior.
Interior is what I like on this car styling wise. For me they've nailed it.

Back to platform bits.
Snout is large with tiny engine inside which seems like hanging behind the front axle.
Why? If there is no plans for V6 it doens make sense. It could be mich shorter and we could havea car which is around 4" shorter on overall length.

I will type more about powertrains later

@Josh
I'm more than sure that @TripleT is sarcastic about engines.

There is no V6 coming, Pentastar is dead from what I’ve heard, unfortunately.

It’s the 1.6L MHEV or the 2L GME T-4. Unless the 1.3L brings the price down by $5k, which it won’t, there’s no point in the 1.3L.

 

[cygnus]

Of course sales won't be good! Why do you think there is so much controversy around this thing? It's French crap! This is one of Tavares leftover projects coming to fruition. Man, I'm telling you reality, not what I really want. Did you really even read my comment you posted to? Again, what makes you think that Stellantis is going to put 300 hp in this thing? It's not happening. Why? Apart from where the competition is, and the fact that they gotta beef up the drivetrain, manufacturers are secretly worried that the current administration's emissions laws will change during the next presidency. Yeah, the Hemi is back, for now. And they are going to Hemi everything they can that is RWD. But I guarantee you the Pentastar is going to be phased out while everyone is ogling over the Hemi everything. And if we get another liberal president and emissions standards return, Mopar will have all of their bases covered with SMALL TURBOCHARGED I4 ENGINES. I shouldn't have to type all of this stuff, you should already know and see this stuff man. So to recap for you: 1. The new Cherokee will be a failure because of the Peugeot powertrain. 2. It could be good, but Stellantis is too paranoid about future administrations so it won't get better. It's not worth the investment, FWD cars are the paper cups of the automotive world. 3. All you can do is hope the next generation will be better.

The 2L T-4 is 270hp, which is perfect for this vehicle.

The 2L GME EVO is 300+.

 

[patfromigh]

I predict there will be a 2liter GME-EVO standard in a Trailhawk and that engine will also be combined with off-road and towing packages for other trims. I'm now less sure about what transmission the 2L GME would be combined with. The Compass dumped the 948TE 9-speed for a Hyundai 8-speed (8F30) when it adopted the 2 liter turbo in 2022. Who knows where this new standard hybrid transmission will come from, but I wouldn't mind seeing the Magna 7-speed dual clutch 48V hybrid transmission combined with the 2 liter turbo. That transmission is used in the Euro market Compass and Renegade 4Xe models with the 1.5 GSE.

in the process of jogging my memory I am reminded that the previous generation Cherokee had the 2.4-LITER MULTIAIR2 TIGERSHARK as the standard engine. The torque for the 2.4 was 177 ft-lbs @ 4,600 rpm and FCA claimed it had 180hp @ 6,400 rpm. I remember that engine suffered from severe horsepower leakage and did not get along with the 9-speed transmission. I also suspect the 2.4 could never rev high enough to reach its 6,400 rpm power peak.

The new Cherokee standard engine gives up .8 liters of displacement and only loses 3hp. The hp peak is 900 rpm lower and has a broad torque peak from 2,000 to 3,500 rpm. The toque offered by the 1.6T engine alone is 221 ft-lbs. Combined with the e-motors the total power is 210 hp and 230 ft-lbs of torque.

I find this new standard drivetrain an acceptable replacement for the previous standard drivetrain.

The 2022 was the last model year for the V6. I doubt it will return.

 

[cygnus]

Btw, this will be exported to Europe from where it's manufactured - Toluca, Mexico. I forgot about that angle as well. So even if US sales are meh, it will be interesting to see how this does in Europe.

 

[BWS1]

Every statement by TT has some, and I emphasize some, validity, but critical and inflammatory statements to those just wanting simple, proven and in many instances loved V-6 engines might be a low blow. Your right, it is not in the sweet spot of the market, with all its other sins, but there remains many old timers who want old things. We may not find that in this Cherokee and we may have antiquated thinking but come on, don’t insult us seasoned Jeep fans. I was taught to respect everyone no matter my opinion, which opinion, as logic defines, is fundamentally a bias itself. Show us some love won’t you.

Hang in there Bill. It’s hard for TT to write such sarcastic, biting rebuttals, and seem extra cute and educated all at the same time. Us old timers will watch how the four banger buzz boxes do in the Jeep world, watch from afar.

 

[vbondjr1]

This is just a hypothetical "what if" statement. No rumors, no none of that just an observation.
Looking at the new and upcoming Jeep lineup, we have this Cherokee, the Wagoneer S, the Recon, the Grand Cherokee the Wrangler/Gladiator and the Grand Wagoneer. You have Stellantis wanting to move to the four Multi-energy platforms STLA small, medium, large and frame and frame. We have Hurricanes, both 4 & 6, along with Hemi V8 engines along with a weird range of price points. Sensibly (to me) the Grand Cherokee would be replaced by the Wagoneer S with actual ICE and Hybrid powertrains (I'm thinking honestly the Hurricane-4 EVO with 325hp or something like that and then a 4Xe powertrain with that engine and the Gen-4 ZF 8-speed hybrid setup with AWD and then possibly the Hurricane-6 HO engine as an SRT Performance variant. Same as the Recon. Then you have the Cherokee that comes in as an AWD vehicle with the only transverse mounted powertrain, not meant for a lot of power but meant to meet the needs of the masses. The Wrangler & Gladiator move to a frame platform same as the full Size Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer and get all of the same powertrains that the Ram 1500s get. Just keeps it simple. That's not saying that the Wrangler/Gladiator will be the same size as a Ram 1500 but same platform.

 

[Ryan]

Hang in there Bill. It’s hard for TT to write such sarcastic, biting rebuttals, and seem extra cute and educated all at the same time. Us old timers will watch how the four banger buzz boxes do in the Jeep world, watch from afar.

This is not meant for old timer Jeepers. The Grand Cherokee and Wrangler fill that gap.

This is meant for people who would otherwise buy a RAV-4, CR-V, or another compact crossover and want a Jeep, but don’t want to give up efficiency.

 

[patfromigh]

I live in a senior apartment complex which also backs up to another senior apartment complex. I would say that, yeah, we're tired of the buzz boxes just from seeing all the hybrids and EVs running around and in the parking lot.

 

[Bili]

So... It seems that 1.6 has 177 HP. Not much. And electric part gives roughly 40 HP. That's not much for a HEV.
I don't know if it's Miller or not. Compression ratio?

Comparing this to Renault HEV which has small 1.2 turbo has only 130 HP for a total of 200 HP.

But Renault has a 2 kWh battery compared to a tiny 1 kWh on a Jeep.
1 kWh is P2.5 MHEV level.

And then it seems that for a hybrid tech a lot has been bought or licenced form Toyota and Toyota owned suppliers.
It has EVT transmission.

I think that both European and Americans do not like EVTs. They do operate and feel like a CVT although they're not CVTs.

Now I will go back to Renault. They have their own innovative hybrid transmission with 4 gears and additional electric gears.
Although it's not ideal it's much closer on feel to a classic gearbox operation.
Was it possible to licence Renault's tech?

@patfromigh
1.5 GSE from FCA has 1460 cc capacity and is extremely compact for a 1.5 liter engine.
It's a Miller engine with 160 HP and 240 Nm at just 1500 rpm. It has VGT.
This engine is built for a real life fuel efficiency.

In my opinion what Stellantis lacks and needs is a proper Miller cycle 2.0 GME and 3.0 GME.
I don't know if US fuel formulation is one obstacle.
The other obstacle is willingness to build and develop such engines.

@Josh
It's no all about specific power output. There are mildly boosted turbo engines running on Miller cycle designed for fuel economy.

@cygnus
Cherokee wasn't planned for Europe and even if it is good luck with EVT. I'm unaware of European competitor with EVT.

@Ryan
This is larger than RAV4, both inside out. This is a midsize. Even Stellantis is calling this a compact midsize offering. Strange positioning.
Now modern Compass is needed as a proper compact SUV.