Jeep® Grand Wagoneer Patents Found By Our Readers:

Jeep has put itself in a commanding position to be dominant in the SUV market with the next generation Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer and the new Wrangler as well as the updated Compass and Renegade. The glaring exception is the fast aging and misaligned Cherokee, which is a good vehicle that needs to be much better. With the launch of the Bronco, it’s most aggressive competitor, the Cherokee will immediately be at a disadvantage in capability. Frankly, the Cherokee should be a North American only offering and a powerful one at that, but the only solution is to go RWD and a become a bit longer and wider, more capable, more Jeep. Currently it is too close in size, configuration and character to the Compass, which with its lower price, steals sales from its near twin, and allow it to stand out and compete in its domestic market. As is, it just confuses the global segment and really should exit gracefully and leave it to Compass and Renegade.
The solution is to produce a Grand Cherokee based midsize spinoff built on the Grand Cherokee assembly line once the Durango moves to its new platform and assembly line. The Cherokee will be better in every way, better positioned in the domestic market to do battle with all comers. This brilliant move frees up the existing assembly plant for the cleverly masked return of Peugeot to North America with ultra modern reskinned vehicles badged as Chrysler’s.
I know I have championed this idea repeatedly, but to me, it’s beyond logical, it’s a sea change event that saves Cherokee and Chrysler absolutely.

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I felt the same way about a rear drive Cherokee as well. We will know a lot more tomorrow about the Wagoneer lineup, but I continue to be curious about the 2 row Grand Cherokee. The price might come in close to the higher Cherokee trims. That would make a shorter four cylinder powered Cherokee on the same platform a hard sell.

In my opinion the way forward for the Cherokee in the next generation is off-road sport. A 4Xe Cherokee Trailhawk with edgier styling would be the anti-Bronco. The rear drive Bronco's main Jeep nemesis is the Wrangler. The front drive based Bronco Sport competes against the Renegade and Compass.

Not sure on the overlap with the GC, but by abandoning the former segment occupied by the old GC, maybe something an inch or two shorter, positioned in a proven Jeep niche, can be filled again by the Cherokee. Price, styling and marketing should lessen any overlap. This new Cherokee configuration is the only path foreward where the Cherokee can reinvent itself or sadly, its more of the same old same old, not a good thing. Regardless of who the competition is, the need for a mid size Jeep is clear and the current Cherokee, configured so similar to its smaller Jeep relatives, fails to meet expectations or establish clearity.

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