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Last night I watched the unveiling of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee and read through the literature on Jeep's website. I’m glad they dropped the Liberty moniker because the new car is so different. Jeep, with the help of Chrysler, Daimler and Fiat, squandered whatever equity there was in the Liberty name. The Liberty as we knew and loved it is now dead and gone. The new Cherokee seems to be better than I cynically expected. Still, I can't be sure until I see more detailed specs and have had a chance to drive one. Until then, I’ve taken a look at the successes and failures of the Liberty and how the Cherokee might fit in.
The Loss of Our Liberty
During the unveiling, the Brit who now runs Jeep marginalized the Liberty as a “niche” model. That’s an interesting take on the vehicle that was the best-selling small SUV/crossover in 2002 and 2003, sold more units in the category than any other competitor except the Ford Escape in 2004, and sold more than 100,000 every year through 2006. In its heyday, which is not ancient history, Liberty’s sales numbers destroy the sales of more recent “mainstream” attempts of the Compass and Patriot.
In 2009 – a scant year after the second generation Liberty was introduced – U.S. sales fell to a low of 43,503, one-third of the 2006 sales. To understand why Liberty sales fell so hard, you have to understand what made her a success. For starters, Liberty was cheap. In the early years, 4-cylinder stripper models could be had for less than $20K, and for $25K you could have the V6 mated to a real 4WD drive train with a premium stereo system, power everything and a sunroof. Jeep stopped advertising on price after it discontinued the I4 gasser engines that nobody really wanted and stopped competing on price altogether with the 2008 (KK) redesign.
Liberty was successful because it was a rugged and off-road capable SUV with four permanently attached doors and a real roof. Not everyone who wants legitimate off-road capability for occasional forays beyond the end of the pavement want to be punished for it the rest of the year. They want their families to be comfortable when they drop kids off at school, drive to the grocery store and commute to work. In 2002, Wranglers were only available with two doors and the long wheelbase Unlimited models were still two years out. Today I see more four door Wranglers than two door models and more hard tops than soft tops. With each refinement Jeep has made to the Wrangler, they have taken away a reason for the adventurous soul with a family to buy a Liberty.
Liberty’s other ace in the hole advantage was that it was – like it or not – cute. To hoards of high school and college age girls, it was the cutest of the cute-utes. That allure even afflicted my wife, who doesn’t like our KJ nearly as well since I “butched it up” with bigger all-terrain tires and a roof rack. Liberty sales didn’t fall off a cliff until after Jeep introduced the decidedly un-cute KK.
Finally, Liberty was successful despite getting crappy gas mileage. In the early days of the KJ, gas prices were cheap and gas guzzling SUVs reigned supreme. Hardcore jeepers may scoff at mileage complaints regarding the Liberty, but it began to matter to the masses – the people who made Liberty a best-selling success - once the speculative oil prices began to bubble in 2004 and hit record highs before popping in 2008. And then the mortgage meltdown crisis hit. Caught flat footed, Daimler-Chrysler had no answer that included Liberty for high oil prices and an economic recession. They failed to capitalize on the short success of the CRD. Instead, they ignored the Liberty and put their hopes behind the ill-fated Compass and Patriot v1.0.
The [New] Cherokee
Clearly there is no need for Jeep to produce another hardtop four-door off-road monster. The Wrangler fills that niche quite nicely. Without needing to satisfy serious off-road enthusiasts, Jeep is free to aggressively pursue customers that buy for cute and those who want a practical small station wagon. I can’t decide if the new front end is cutting-edge good or if it is just plain ugly. Time will tell. The rest of the body looks stronger than the photos of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta (aka the donor body) that I’ve seen.
Of course, I look right past the Sport, Latitude and Limited to the Trailhawk. The approach angle (29.8 degrees), breakover angle (23.3 degrees), departure angle (32.1 degrees), water fording depth (20”) and ground clearance (8.7”) are pretty close to existing norms of the outgoing KK (approach angle is worse, departure is the same and breakover and ground clearance are improvements). The 4WD system looks impressive and I’m glad to see that they are including skids with the Trailhawk model.
The transmission and choices of engine, along with four wheel independent suspension, are CUV modernizations that help the Cherokee compete with other successful small CUVs – on paper, anyway.
The biggest departure for off-road aficionados will likely be the availability of performance parts and accessories. This vehicle isn't really intended to be modified and I don’t expect aftermarket manufacturers will be any more interested in making parts for the new Cherokee than they are for a Honda CR-V. That’s what the Wrangler is for. However if you want a decent 4WD vehicle but, like most car owners, like to keep your vehicle stock, this might be attractive to you.
Last Thoughts
Jeep marketers, who always seem to think the grass is greener in vintage photographs, couldn't resist re-invoking “Cherokee.” I guess it is as good as any. Whatever they call it, the Cherokee Trailhawk looks is impressive, so that is good. I hope the new model does well, but I don’t foresee myself ever wanting one. I’ll hang on to my ’05 as long as she holds together and take long hard look at a four-door hardtop Wrangler when she finally gives up the ghost.
_________________ William C Montgomery The Truth About CarsThe Truth About Guns'05 Sport 4X4, 3.7L - Black | Frankenlift II Premium, JBA KJ Lifted A-Arms 4.5 | Cooper Discoverer A/T3 - LT245/75R16, Load C
Last edited by Black_Dog on Fri Mar 29, 2013 10:22 am, edited 2 times in total.
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