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Let's say you're looking for a vehicle that can do it all.
It's going to be comfortable on the way to work, have enough room for all the kids, and have the capabilities to get you to that off the grid cabin.
Well, if that's the case, come with me today with the 2017 Jeep Cherokee Overland.
Just be prepared because this Jack of all Trades car is kind of a master of none.
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We first saw this 5th generation Cherokee back in 2014.
Yeah, it still got those weird squinty headlights and that crazy Seven slot waterfall grill.
It's tough sell for Jeep purist in terms of design, but you gotta give those designers props, right?
Cuz they made a bold choice and it does a lot for differentiating the Cherokee from the rest of the Jeep line up.
Jeep introduced the Overland trim line in the mid 2016 as way to Kind of integrate more luxury into the 4x4 rugged platform.
And you can get this in just a front wheel drive and with that you'll have your option of a smaller four cylinder engine.
But this one, yeah, it's a 4x4 so it only comes with a 3.2 liter V6.
Which is good for 271 horsepower, and 239 pound feet of torque, and that is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
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[SOUND] This overland trim gets the same Active Drive II drivetrain as the more off-road focused Trailhawk model, but in this one you're gonna pay for it, about $1,200.
But when you're just huddling around, the car defaults to front wheel drive.
As soon as any kind of wheel slippage is detected, bang, four wheel drive kicks in and you are off to the races.
I've also got a select terrain system which allows me to choose between snow, sport, sand and mud and will give me the best grip on whatever surface I happen to be on.
Plus there's a low range which is gonna multiply my torque by 2.92 going out to all the wheels for even more off road grunt.
And if I wanna spend $500 extra, I can get all the underbody skid plates I can want, plus a full size spare.
And that, my friends, is worth it.
[SOUND] So how is it not a master of off road?
Well, it doesn't have as good of approach, departure and break over angles as the Trail Hawk.
First it's rolling on 18 inch wheels with three tires and there's no locking rear differential.
So will you make it?
Sure.
Will you make it easily?
Maybe not.
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On the pavement, the Cherokee is a pretty soft and subtle ride and the V6 has got plenty of power.
My only complain is that the transmission, well, still don't wanna downshift quickly enough, especially when on you're on the highway and you're trying to pass.
There's plenty of driver's aides with the optional technology package.
That includes lane departure warning and a Stop and Go Adaptive Cruise Control
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You can stop for maybe a count of one, maybe two.
And the system will still engage.
But anything longer than that.
You've just got to give yourself a little tap on the gas to get going again.
The top of the line Overland comes with the heated and cooled front seats.
Plenty of leather.
And the excellent UConnect system on a seven inch touchscreen.
Now we've gone through the U-Connect on a deep-dive in another video, so feel free to watch that.
But for here, I'll just say it's really easy to use, there's plenty of functionality, and it's got an excellent navigation system.
So where does the [INAUDIBLE] suffer on the pavement?
Well, this is a heavy, heavy beast.
It's weighing in about 4,000 pounds, so it just doesn't have some of the same really fun-to-drive kind of dynamic that some of the competition.
Like the [UNKNOWN] X5 or the Ford Escape.
Plus, 4,000 pounds, bigger V6 engine, yeah Kinda suffers on the gas mileage too.
This one's gonna get 18 miles per gallon in the city and 26 out on the highway.
You can look at the Honda CRV, which gets 32 on the highway, and most of the other competition is getting somewhere around 29 or 30 on the highway.
The Cherokee's got a fuel problem
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When it comes to cargo space, the Cherokee suffers quite a bit behind the second row, it's got about 25 cubic feet of space, and that expands to 55 when you fold those seats down.
But look at the competition, the CRV and the RAV4, they're bigger than about 20 cubic feet of space, and even the tightly compacted Mazda CX5 is 10 cubic feet bigger.
[SOUND] I don't know Cherokee.
Not a lot of room for my stuff.
So, the Overland is pretty good on the dirt and it's pretty good on the pavement.
It's just not stellar in either one.
But, I think that's okay.
Most of you are gonna be driving this just to work and back with a few little joy rides off to your cabin, or your dirt road, or what have you I think you're gonna do just fine.
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The 2017 Jeep Cherokee Overland starts at $37,695, but my test model here with all the driver's aids and the upgraded 4x4 system Well that comes in at just under 42 grand.
Now that's a fair price to pay, but just remember, this car does a lot of things, it just doesn't do a lot of things well.
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