New Jeep Cherokee 2.2 Diesel

By Tim Barnes-Clay, Motoring Journalist

Discover more from Tim at www.carwriteups.co.uk / Twitter @carwriteups

Jeep is celebrating its most successful year in the UK ever, and it aims to repeat that achievement in 2016. But how’s the company going to do that? Well, one way is to give its popular Cherokee range more clout.

The handsome Cherokee is now available with 185hp and 200hp outputs, and it offers a significantly wider spread of torque from low revs, giving greater power, improved performance and better fuel economy than the out-going two-litre 170hp automatic engine.

Available only with Jeep’s excellent nine-speed automatic gearbox, and matched to the Active-Drive four-wheel-drive systems, all new Cherokee 2.2 versions are packed with kit. The range now has additional spec as standard, including an electric tailgate, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, and an automatic anti-dazzle rear-view mirror with built-in microphone. Perhaps more importantly, though, the Cherokee also has a top 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

But back to the new lump under the bonnet; it’s made in the Pratola Serra plant, near Avellino, Italy, and delivers 200hp at 3500rpm and has a torque of 440Nm at 2500rpm.

In the real world, this means that, equipped with the 4×4 Jeep Active Drive I, the Cherokee 2.2 MultiJet II 200hp reaches a top speed of 127mph. It accelerates from zero to 62mph in 8.5 seconds, has an average combined fuel consumption figure of 49.6mpg and CO2 emissions of 150g/km.

The Cherokee 2.2 MultiJet II 200hp with Active Drive II and low-range has a top speed of 126mph, 0-62mph time of 8.7 seconds, and combined fuel consumption of 46.3mpg, with 160g/km of CO2 emissions.

Finally, Longitude and Longitude+ trim levels are provided with a 2.2 MultiJet II 185hp variant, in combination with 4×4 Jeep Active Drive I and the nine-speed automatic transmission. Equipped in this way, the Cherokee reaches a top speed of 125mph and accelerates from zero to 62mph in 8.8 seconds. Combined fuel economy and emissions are 49.5mpg and 150g/km.

The new 2.2 MultiJet II engine, certainly places Jeep Cherokee towards the top of the mid-size SUV class for performance, refinement and true efficiency – and is sure to put the legendary auto maker on track for even more success in Britain next year.

The Jeep Cherokee range starts at £26,095 for the 2.0 MultiJet II 140hp Longitude FWD manual, rising to £37,995 for the 2.2 MultiJet II 200hp Limited 4WD automatic.