Jeep Cherokee Limited Diesel 2014 Review

Smart-looking and brimming with interesting technology, the Jeep Cherokee Limited Diesel is an enticing proposition on paper.

Priced from $49,000 plus on-road costs, it sits at the high-end of the medium SUV market, but its impressive specification justifies the price somewhat, but it is the off-road teeth that really sets the Jeep apart from the soft-road sales success of the Mazda CX-7.

The Cherokee not only features a low-range option via its Active Drive II off-road system, but also Selec-terrain, which in the Limited Diesel offers the default ‘auto’ mode along with settings for snow, sport, and sand/mud. In an ‘industry first’, the Cherokee also features a ‘rear axle disconnect’ system which engages four-wheel drive only when required, to improve the 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel’s efficiency.

Also adding to this is the nine-speed automatic gearbox, the sole option for this model. It combines with the 125kW/350Nm turbo-diesel to return a claimed 5.8L/100km and includes stop/start tech.

The familiar ‘Limited’ trim line gains the Cherokee Diesel 18-inch alloys and Xenon headlights complete with washers.

Inside, there’s leather trim with heated front seats, the passenger side with a tricky hidden storage compartment underneath your backside. A seven-inch colour screen doubles as the instrument cluster behind the multi-function wheel, while an 8.4-inch central touchscreen offers a large navigation display and doubles as a reversing camera. Audio is taken care of via a nine-speaker Alpine system, a powered tailgate and parking sensors to the front and rear of the vehicle. Time for a drive.

The first thing we noticed upon opening the door was an odd smell to the ‘leather’ interior. It’s plainly artificial, rather than rich. The HVAC display is logical and cleanly-laid out, though it takes some time to settle the cabin to the desired temperature.

Despite the raised height of the driving position, the pedal-to-seat placement mimics the Alfa Romeo Giulietta – the platform on which the Cherokee is based. The pedals are pitched at an awkward angle, the accelerator pedal in particular; it’s very easy for your foot to slip off the bottom of it as a result.

Curiously, the diesel fires up with an old-tech chatter, the vibration into the cabin quite intrusive. Slip the nine-speed into drive, via an oversized-though-cheap-feeling floor shifter, and the diesel smooths out with momentum to reveal smooth and torquey response through the gears.

Ahh, the gears. While slurring through to the upper reaches with confidence on a constant throttle, when picking up the throttle on the exit of a roundabout (for example) the combination of slight turbocharger lag and the ‘computer brain’ deciding which gear is appropriate manifests itself in a tangible acceleration delay that proves frustrating with time… and can be a little unsafe where firm acceleration is required. This is curious, for you can feel the transmission smoothly gearing down under braking. Transfer to the ‘manual’ mode and it’s apparent that the gear you select is merely the highest ratio available. Being in sixth, for example, still allows automatic shifting of the gears below it.

Impressively, you don’t actually feel the transition between two- and four-wheel drive, but the same cannot be said of the idle stop-start system, standard on the diesel. For the record, the Cherokee consumed 7.9L/100km on test.

On the road, the thick a- and b-pillars make natural vision difficult, despite the impressive height of the driver’s seat. There’s also a beep for every situation, from parking and proximity sensors as well as the lane departure warning (all optional equipment, fitted to the test vehicle as part of a Technology Group which also includes adaptive cruise, advanced brake assist, auto high beam, blind-spot and cross-path detection, forward collision mitigation and park assist).

The Cherokee’s ride is acceptable, and it corners with reasonable composure given its off-road ability. As ever with Fiat Chrysler product, the electric steering is light around the straight-ahead but weights up appreciably after some lock is applied.

On gravel roads the Cherokee remains composed and capable, and on narrower tracks its relatively taut dimensions allow it access where larger vehicles dare not pass.

Jeep offers the Cherokee Limited Diesel with a three-year, 100,000km warranty. Jeep roadside assist is free of charge for the warranty period’s duration, and can be extended at cost.

Although appealing to those seeking more off- than soft-road, overall the Cherokee falls short of the class leaders overall, such as the Mazda CX-5, particularly in diesel form.

2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited Diesel pricing and specifications:
Price: $49,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 125kW/350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.8L/100km (claimed, combined)
CO2: 154g/km
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)