Jeep Touts Off-Road Capabilities of Stylish Cherokee

It's perhaps the most styling Jeep ever. But Chrysler Group LLC insists the new Cherokee midsize SUV is more rugged off road than the Liberty model it replaces.

The Cherokee also is about 45% more fuel efficient, offers a host of electronic features and delivers far superior on-road ride and handling, according to the company. Contributing technologies include new engines, electronic steering and a standard nine-speed automatic transmission.

Chrysler says the Cherokee's highly styled nose and sleek profile aim merge Jeep's history of blocklike vehicles with a global shift to more fluid designs. The SUV shares its Fiat-developed platform with the Dodge Dart small car.

The new model also introduces a host of safety and security features worthy of a luxury car. They include automatic park assist, adaptive cruise control that can bring the vehicle to a complete stop automatically, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, rear cross-path detection and a backup camera.

Among the passenger cabin refinements are a reconfigurable electronic instrument panel, 8.4-inch touchscreen, voice-activated controls and heated and ventilated seats.

The Cherokee's standard engine is a 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir unit that produces 184 hp and 171 lb-ft of torque. Chrysler says the four-banger will deliver a U.S. highway fuel economy rating as high as 31 mpg compared with 23 mpg for a 4x4 Patriot compact SUV.

Chrysler's 3.2-liter Pentastar V-6 engine is optional. The powerplant, which is 30% more efficient than the company's outgoing V-6, produces 271 hp and 239 lb-ft of torque. Cherokees equipped with the larger engine will have a towing capacity of 4,500 lbs.

The Cherokee offers customers three types of four-wheel drivetrains: an automatic system, a manual system with "4-Low" mode that locks the front and rear driveshafts and an iteration that adds a locking rear differential for severe off-road driving. All three drivetrains enable the driver to select among five custom settings.

The Cherokee, which will be produced at Chrysler's Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2013.