Stellantis gave a preview of the upcoming 2026 Jeep Cherokee on May 29th, showcasing a new design and giving some hints about the crossover’s powertrain. Slotted between the Compass and the Grand Cherokee, the closest GM rival to the all-new Jeep Cherokee will likely be the ICE-powered Chevy Blazer, which is hanging on through the 2026 model year.
A more thorough unveiling of the 2026 Jeep Cherokee is coming later this year. For now, all we get is a few photos and confirmation that it will have a hybrid powertrain. It’s unclear whether the hybrid will be optional, like in the Honda CR-V, or if the new Cherokee will be hybrid-only, like the Toyota RAV4.
“The all-new Jeep Cherokee headlines our efforts to deliver more product, innovation, choice, and standard content to customers than ever before,” Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf said. “Jeep Cherokee will boast competitive pricing that strikes at the core of the largest vehicle segment and sits perfectly between Jeep Compass and Jeep Grand Cherokee to bolster our winning mainstream lineup.”
The design of the new 2026 Jeep Cherokee draws some inspiration from the bigger Grand Cherokee. The side profile appears to be similar. It’s available with a black contrast roof, and its front fascia has a wide, horizontal interpretation of Jeep’s iconic seven-slat grille. Its angular light signature is similar to that of the Jeep Recon, an EV that Jeep says is coming in late 2025.
With the introduction of a conventional hybrid, the Jeep lineup will offer ICE, HEV, PHEV, and BEV options within its lineup. This gives the Jeep brand a wide range of diversity in powertrain choices as hybrids grow in popularity and interest in EVs seems to plateau.
Although the 2026 Jeep Cherokee will have no direct hybrid rivals from GM in the North American market, a patent recently obtained by GM for a hybrid powertrain hints that that could change soon.
Comments
Stellantis is still up to its normal tricks, trying to upsell its models a size class. It’ll be sized like an Equinox, not a Blazer. Grand Cherokee 2-row is the Blazer’s foe.
That may have been true in the past but not here. This Cherokee (vehicle code KM) is based on STLA Large, which is also what the Grand Cherokee (vehicle code WL74 (five passenger) and WL75 (seven passenger)) is based on.
If you really want to get technical, the Grand Cherokee that launched in late 2021 is a proto-STLA Large platform that is kind of on its own thing/has no sibling – Grand Cherokee will officially migrate to STLA Large by the end of the decade).
It will be an inch or two of the Grand Cherokee from a length and width standpoint.
I can guarantee a Blazer will be on the road longer than a Cherokee. The latter has an engine that’s not very reliable. A Chevy engine on the other hand, will still be running long after the body rusts out. 😂
“Classic for a reason”- they just forgot what the reason was