What Could the 2026 Jeep Cherokee Look Like?

A new Jeep Cherokee is on the way

Once upon a time, the Jeep Cherokee was a very different vehicle in form than the one you might be familiar with today, but its philosophical existence was quite similar. The Jeep Cherokee of the 80s and 90s was a boxy, body-on-frame, mid-size SUV that challenged the likes of Chevrolet’s S-10 Blazer, Nissan’s Pathfinder, and Ford’s Explorer. The Cherokee helped skyrocket Jeep’s reputation, alongside the iconic Wrangler and the popular Grand Cherokee, for robust reliability and rugged off-road capability, which set a foundation for how Jeep would continue its success into the 21st century, where SUVs have become more commonplace than regular cars.

As buyers the world over look to replace their cars with SUVs and crossovers, brands like Jeep benefit from well-established legacies, which guide consumers in their direction over brands that are more traditionally associated with standard passenger cars. At the same time that these buyers run to Jeep for their rugged SUVs–a fashion choice akin to buying a fleece sweater from Patagonia–many of them don’t actually need a vehicle as utilitarian as a Wrangler for their daily urban activities. Thus, Jeep decided to pivot the Cherokee nameplate away from its more rugged, tough-nutted roots and morphed the model into a more everyday-friendly, softened-up crossover that blends the friendliness of a passenger car with a hint of off-road sauce via its four-wheel drive system and beefy suspension.

Crossovers are becoming more rugged

Jeep’s decision to convert the Cherokee into a professional commuter that can role play as a rugged off-roader has resulted in one of the brand’s most popular-selling models. Set for a major refresh, which should debut sometime this year, the all-new Cherokee’s prospective success is a vital factor for Jeep’s future. The crossover segment that the Cherokee plays in has become one of the most popular segments in the North American market, and more recently, buyers within this segment have leaned into the rugged role play, with new, off-road-oriented packages that add chunkier tires, beefier springs, and plenty of graphic enhancements to help play the part.

Offerings such as the Ford Bronco Sport, Subaru Forester Wilderness, and Mazda CX-50 Meridian Edition have become like the Patagonia sweaters of the car world–durable, high-quality garments that are comfortable enough to wear to your office job every day but capable enough to keep you at ease on a week-long camping trip.

Thanks to the brand’s legendary heritage for rugged off-road excellence, Jeep has an incredible opportunity to shine even brighter in this segment by leaning into their heritage, as they often do with special editions of the Wrangler, and offering a versatile combination of off-road oriented and comfort-oriented trim packages throughout the Cherokee model range. Using generative text-to-image artificial intelligence, we imagine what the next-generation Jeep Cherokee could look like, incorporating current Jeep styling cues and imagining how it could successfully appeal to its target demographic. These images are for speculation purposes only and in no way depict any actual Stellantis products. 

The 2026 Jeep Cherokee is rumored to have boxier proportions and hybrid power

In a return to form for the Cherokee, recent spy shots of the upcoming 2026 Jeep Cherokee shared by Motor1 show off the refreshed, boxier shape of the next generation of one of Jeep’s top-selling models. Its styling cues will likely draw from its big brother, the Grand Cherokee, which received a major refresh of its own in 2022. Physical and aesthetic enhancements will accentuate the model’s tough, utilitarian heritage while simultaneously increasing its everyday practicality, thanks to enhanced cargo space and improved passenger headroom. Expect to see visual distinctions between different trim levels.

The most basic offering will likely don smaller diameter wheels with thicker tire sidewalls, will be absent of roof rails, and lack exposed towing eyes. In the mid-range, an off-road focused variant will likely add the aforementioned signature red-painted exposed tow hooks, exterior protective body cladding, roof rails, satin black hood graphics, and once again be branded as the Cherokee Trailhawk. At the upper end of the range, a more luxurious trim package branded as either a Limited or Summit will likely pair Nappa leather seating surfaces with larger-diameter wheels, road-oriented tires, and body-painted bumpers.

Under the hood, expect the all-new Jeep Cherokee to pack plenty more heat than its predecessor, likely drawing its powertrains from the similarly-sized Dodge Hornet. The Hornet’s available engines include a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that outputs a gutsy 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque and a plug-in hybridized, turbocharged 1.3-liter four-pot that offers 288 horsepower and a healthy serving of 383 lb-ft of torque.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the standard, front-wheel drive offering is dropped entirely, considering the substantial increase in power and the rugged marketability of the new Cherokee. Instead, all Cherokees will likely come equipped with standard four-wheel drive, paired with Jeep’s helpful Selec-Terrain system, which offers unique drive modes depending on terrain surface, such as snow, sport, sand/mud, and rock. A 4xe variant is likely as well, pairing the optional plug-in hybrid powertrain with the ruggedness of the Trailhawk trim.

Final thoughts

Many brands under the Stellantis brand umbrella are struggling to maintain relevance, as many of these brands’ most popular models faced neglect for many years before eventually being discontinued. Now, with a major overhaul and significant refresh, the all-new Jeep Cherokee will offer a glimpse into what’s to come from Stellantis brands in the near future, and its overall quality will be somewhat indicative of the brand’s potential future success–or failure. We’re optimistic that the all-new Cherokee will have a lot to offer, and hopefully, it will be solid enough to win over buyers who could otherwise opt for more proven and high-quality alternatives from Japan and Korea.