Jeep channels its inner fancy-pants with the Cherokee Overland
Debuting at the New England Auto Show, the 2016 Cherokee Overland gives Jeep's mid-size ute a proper luxury trim level.
Detroit might carry with it plenty of glitz and glamour, but it's not the only auto show going on right now. And it's not the only auto show with a new car, either. Today, at the New England Auto Show, Jeep rolled out quite the fancy Cherokee, the Overland.
The 2016 Cherokee Overland rests atop the midsize crossover's lineup, with an MSRP of $34,695. Its goal is to be the most luxurious, comfortable variant, and it achieves that with a mix of nice materials, body-color cladding and some fancy technological kit.
Along with its one-color getup, the Overland also sports new polished aluminum wheels, standard bi-xenon headlights and slightly tweaked fasciae. Inside, the instrument panel gets wrapped in leather, the steering wheel gains some glossy wood and the floor mats are made from plush Berber carpeting.
Tech-wise, the Cherokee Overland comes standard with heated and ventilated leather seats, a power liftgate, blind spot monitoring and a backup camera. The car also packs a standard Alpine audio system connected to FCA's Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system.
The interior is pretty, but I would have liked to see the new wood trim on more than just the steering wheel.
It wouldn't make sense to call this trim Overland without some off-road equipment. Thus, the ute also contains Jeep's four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case, a disconnecting rear axle (for fuel efficiency) and the ability to switch between different modes, depending on the terrain underneath the wheels.
The vehicle comes standard with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine, but that can be upgraded to a 3.2-liter, six-cylinder engine with 271 horsepower and stop-start capability. The Cherokee Overland goes on sale this spring.