[Adventurer55]

After doing a online build of the Cherokee compared to competion I went from excited to disappoint.

I was excited when I heard the starting price and hybrid (I really want better mpg then my 19 when it's time to replace) and starting at $35 destination was exciting. The standard content was great.

My only must haves where sunroof, upgraded stereo, leather seats, heated/vented seats. First strike no real leather only fake, then the only way to get vented seats is to start on the overland trim and add an expensive option package to get them. (Dose come standard with sunroof and sound system) But it brings to price to 49k.

I've owned Mopar vehicles for 22 years since I was 16, but short of drastic price reduction my Jeep will probably be my last.

I can buy a top trim hybrid Hyundai Tucson with all the same options as overland including vented seats that are actually leather too, for $42k $7k less. (Heck same with a hybrid Honda CRV) There is no way I can justify a $7k premium for the Jeep Cherokee.

I think this is going to rot on the lots the way they require you to climb such high trims and option packages to get stuff that's standard on most of the competion at lower trims and lower prices.

Or they are going to have to slap massive incentives on the hood ala Wagoner S, and Hornet.

My advice is go buy the Hyundai. I'm sure it'll be the best.

 

[Matthew]

I'm hoping by the time I need to buy jeep has come to its senses on pricing and options.

 

[johnb300m]

I'll second what Adventurer says, the Hyundai will be the best bang for the buck for sure.
The engine will probably blow up at 75k miles, but Hyundai will replace it for free, and it'll likely be the first and only issue.

 

[Dave Z]

In defense of the Cherokee, I don't know why you'd insist on the upgraded stereo before hearing the standard one.
I get you on the vented seats, it's why I'd rather have a cloth option. There is always the option of waiting a while and getting junkyard vented seats, I suspect (I don't know if that works in modern CAN bus cars).

The overall package is pretty impressive to me, on paper.

 

[Adventurer55]

I'll second what Adventurer says, the Hyundai will be the best bang for the buck for sure.
The engine will probably blow up at 75k miles, but Hyundai will replace it for free, and it'll likely be the first and only issue.

Or it'll blow up again and again.

 

[GasAxe]

Or it'll blow up again and again.

Ford enters the discussion.

 

[Matthew]

I'll second what Adventurer says, the Hyundai will be the best bang for the buck for sure.
The engine will probably blow up at 75k miles, but Hyundai will replace it for free, and it'll likely be the first and only issue.

Honda is also the same price for top spec hybrid CR-V

Heck the top spec with a Bose stereo CR-V cost the same as a Laredo Cherokee with cloth seats sunroof and base 6 speaker sound system (you can't get tye 9 speaker alpine) and I like my 9 speaker alpine in my current Cherokee don't want to give it up.

It's hard to justify financially the premium for the new Cherokee. Unless they bring the price down or put decent incentives on the hood.

And I worry for Mopar alot of potential customers will be cross shopping tye compilation and say tye same thing. Especially if they don't get reliability perfect right out the door. Tye hornet suffered and still seems to (from hornet owner Facebook group post) very spotty reliability. For the phev version. Coupled with what was a high starting price out the gate.


I'd like to see tye Cherokee do well but unless they do either significant cash on the hood, or a combo of cash on the hood and 0% financing I'm not too optimistic.

With all the financial constraints facing buyers plus interest rates at average of 5.25-5.30 for an 800 credit score so in other words excellent, I large premium over the compilation is going to be a harder sell. This isn't pre pandemic when auto loan interest rates where dirt cheap.

And tye cost of living was relatively low compared to today

 

[Matthew]

In defense of the Cherokee, I don't know why you'd insist on the upgraded stereo before hearing the standard one.
I get you on the vented seats, it's why I'd rather have a cloth option. There is always the option of waiting a while and getting junkyard vented seats, I suspect (I don't know if that works in modern CAN bus cars).

The overall package is pretty impressive to me, on paper.

I know on the old one on my Cherokee forum most people didn't have luck with doing it after the fact as tye car had to be configured to have them already.

 

[Matthew]

In defense of the Cherokee, I don't know why you'd insist on the upgraded stereo before hearing the standard one.
I get you on the vented seats, it's why I'd rather have a cloth option. There is always the option of waiting a while and getting junkyard vented seats, I suspect (I don't know if that works in modern CAN bus cars).

The overall package is pretty impressive to me, on paper.

Unless they have made drastic changes I heated a base 6 speaker system on the old Cherokee and my 9 speaker (+sub) alpine is much better and I always use the surround sound setting.

 

[Adventurer55]

Honda is also the same price for top spec hybrid CR-V

Heck the top spec with a Bose stereo CR-V cost the same as a Laredo Cherokee with cloth seats sunroof and base 6 speaker sound system (you can't get tye 9 speaker alpine) and I like my 9 speaker alpine in my current Cherokee don't want to give it up.

It's hard to justify financially the premium for the new Cherokee. Unless they bring the price down or put decent incentives on the hood.

And I worry for Mopar alot of potential customers will be cross shopping tye compilation and say tye same thing. Especially if they don't get reliability perfect right out the door. Tye hornet suffered and still seems to (from hornet owner Facebook group post) very spotty reliability. For the phev version. Coupled with what was a high starting price out the gate.


I'd like to see tye Cherokee do well but unless they do either significant cash on the hood, or a combo of cash on the hood and 0% financing I'm not too optimistic.

With all the financial constraints facing buyers plus interest rates at average of 5.25-5.30 for an 800 credit score so in other words excellent, I large premium over the compilation is going to be a harder sell. This isn't pre pandemic when auto loan interest rates where dirt cheap.

And tye cost of living was relatively low compared to today

The cost of living is low today compared to real inflation in the 70s. Youngsters today have no clue.

 

[Matthew]

@Adventurer55 That doesn't change the fact that the cost of living compared to the last 2-3 decades has gone way up but pay has not. For example to afford a mortgage on tye averaged priced US home to follow conventional/traditional financial advice the required income should be $177-125k a year the actual average household income in the US is $83k a year, that's a big difference. That doesn't take into account the rapidly rising cost of everyday goods/necessities due to tariffs most buyers are under a lot of pressure.

 

[Adventurer55]

@Adventurer55 That doesn't change the fact that the cost of living compared to the last 2-3 decades has gone way up but pay has not. For example to afford a mortgage on tye averaged priced US home to follow conventional/traditional financial advice the required income should be $177-125k a year the actual average household income in the US is $83k a year, that's a big difference. That doesn't take into account the rapidly rising cost of everyday goods/necessities due to tariffs most buyers are under a lot of pressure.

Welcome to the life of the working class. Do you think this is something new? Working class people have been experiencing this for 50 years now. Reagan told us in the 80s that if we work harder and become more efficient that good paying jobs would be here. Companies leaving the US accelerated. Sadly, there is no easy fix it answer. When I was a kid, my father had a factory job as a supervisor that allowed us to live a good life. But then beginning in the 80s, they started taking perks away from him. So when he retired in 92, his job was a former shell of what it once was. I used to buy new vehicles every few years. My last new vehicle was purchased on 2002. It was almost 20 years before I bought another one.

 

[Dave Z]

I wrote something and deleted it, instead I'm going to politely request we keep this within the margins.

I will say that the blame can be spread around, but the ideas that wages for ordinary working folk should never go up, and that the US can do just service and manufacturing doesn't matter so go right ahead and move that plant to China, and that deficits are great, really were popularized in 1980-84.

 

[Matthew]

I wrote something and deleted it, instead I'm going to politely request we keep this within the margins.

I will say that the blame can be spread around, but the ideas that wages for ordinary working folk should never go up, and that the US can do just service and manufacturing doesn't matter so go right ahead and move that plant to China, and that deficits are great, really were popularized in 1980-84.

My main point was that unless Jeep brings tye Cherokee pricing in line with the compilation through incentives, or dose 0% and low interest financing people are going to cross shop and chose the more affordable option. Especially for the non Trailhawk models (which currently are the only ones)

Like I've said I like the Cherokee I want to support Chrysler/Jeep, but it's hard to justify the premium especially when on the backside that premium will cost way more. It's the same reason sales started falling across the board on basically all jeeps but maybe wrangler/gladiator because they don't have much in the way of direct competition and what they do have is roughly the same price.

And my big fear is there track record for a while now has been to release new vehicles and have large amounts of recalls tye first 2-3 years, add that to a price premium that's going to hurt.

The price for the hornet at release hurt and tye fact it has built a reputation for the phev version of being wildly unreliable is what did the most damage.

Because there's an ok amount willing to look past a premium for a package they like but very few that will pay a premium and accept unreliability too or tye serious risk of it. Especially if there is compilation.

 

[valiant67]

My main point was that unless Jeep brings tye Cherokee pricing in line with the compilation through incentives, or dose 0% and low interest financing people are going to cross shop and chose the more affordable option. Especially for the non Trailhawk models (which currently are the only ones)

Like I've said I like the Cherokee I want to support Chrysler/Jeep, but it's hard to justify the premium especially when on the backside that premium will cost way more. It's the same reason sales started falling across the board on basically all jeeps but maybe wrangler/gladiator because they don't have much in the way of direct competition and what they do have is roughly the same price.

And my big fear is there track record for a while now has been to release new vehicles and have large amounts of recalls tye first 2-3 years, add that to a price premium that's going to hurt.

The price for the hornet at release hurt and tye fact it has built a reputation for the phev version of being wildly unreliable is what did the most damage.

Because there's an ok amount willing to look past a premium for a package they like but very few that will pay a premium and accept unreliability too or tye serious risk of it. Especially if there is compilation.

For all the people justifying soft Jeeps, this is the problem. Jeep can’t compete on price or quality. And without capability that exceeds the competition Jeep will be in a weak position.
The “Jeep premium” they’ve been exploiting is going away.

 

[Dave Z]

I agree with that main point, partly. I think that as equipped, most people will find it's a good deal, if it gets a better quality record. The Peugeot system should be better tested.

 

[Matthew]

I agree with that main point, partly. I think that as equipped, most people will find it's a good deal, if it gets a better quality record. The Peugeot system should be better tested.

Unless they want something more like a sunroof or better sound system then tye competition beats on price and given jeeps record quality.

I mean basically every model year except the last two of the KL including mine has been recalled for the two speed PTU and mine to fix is software to detect "excessive gear ware" then it doesn't specify a fix after it finds that.

I know lots of Cherokee owners in the kl forum I'm part of who have stated either it was their first and last jeep because of quality and price or who have bought jeeps before and it will be there last.

You can't have a premium unless you have tye impeccable quality and track record of such before you can get a premium, unless that vehicle is offering something the competion can't.

I mean if all the trims of Cherokee where truly head and shoulders more capable off-road then tye compilation; that would justify the premium. Otherwise why not just go to the compilation.

And I've been a loyal Mopar buyer and fan. And I want to see them succeed.

I do find it irking how like Hyundai and Honda can have most every color be free, but Cherokee to get any color other then white you basically have to pay $600. You can't tell me that those colors cost jeep so much they can't afford to make margins if they offer it for free.

 

[Adventurer55]

For all the people justifying soft Jeeps, this is the problem. Jeep can’t compete on price or quality. And without capability that exceeds the competition Jeep will be in a weak position.
The “Jeep premium” they’ve been exploiting is going away.

I'm glad it's going away. If they're smart, (that's up in the air yet) it'll result in better more capable vehicles. My guess the reason the Trailhawk is late is because Tavares didn't deem it necessary, and too costly.

 

[74Powerwagon]

The GMC Terrain elevation, heated seats and steering while are standard, ventilated seats are optional but for less than $40k you can get on pretty well loaded. Denali vented/heated seats are standard for about $40k

Since 2001 wife always bought the GC Overland for the ventilated seats but not fond of the air ride that you have to get.
Since the one she has , ventilated seats became an option on limited and one other model for a price...
like the sunroof, never wanted one but we had to pay for it , as it was part of the ventilated seat package, or on every Overland

When may we see this Cherokee on a dealer lot? Hate to call them cause then they will be calling every couple weeks trying to sell me something I do not want..
I would rather have fake leather with my ventilated seats and No sunroof...

still have not seen a description of the 99-2004 Jeep that was to compete with the solid axle 4Runner that they cannot make fast enough..

 

[Adventurer55]

Here's my description, go buy a Terrain.