Used Jeep Cherokee Buying Guide

• The ideal years for a used Jeep Cherokee encompass the entire fifth generation, this is because it has a lot of trims to pick from as well as a ton of versatility.
• The Jeep Cherokee can be a reliable family vehicle or a nice vehicle for off-road enthusiasts.
• There’s two anniversary editions to pick from if you want something a bit more unique.

Hitting the roads in 2014, this one returned the Cherokee nameplate to the North American market. When this generation hit the market, the models came with one of three four-wheel-drive systems. These are the Active Drive I, Active Drive II, and Active Drive Lock. Active Drive I is your tried and true 4WD system, not needing any input from you. Active Drive II adds a low gear range. While Active Drive Lock adds a “rock” mode to this the 4WD system.

This generation also saw a few different trims. Going down the line, the Sport, Latitude, and Limited were first introduced to the lineup. Of these, the Sport was the base trim, the Latitude was the middle of the line, while the Limited was the best you could get.

When the Sport hit the market, it came with a 5.0-inch touch screen radio, six speakers, and cloth seating surfaces. The Latitude takes it up a notch, and comes with an 8.4-inch Uconnect and premium sound option as standard. While the Limited boasts bright-finished alloy wheels, and leather seating surfaces.

Some new trims joined the lineup over the years: the Trailhawk, Altitude, Overland, and X. Jeep also added some Cherokee anniversary editions: the 75th and 80th. The most unique trim is the Trailhawk, it comes with a unique hood graphic, different bumpers for better approach and departure angles, wider fender flares, offroad skid plates and a full-size spare wheel.

The Altitude also brought some pretty great features, such as USB input jacks, a 3.5-millimeter auxiliary audio input jack, hands-free calling, 9-1-1 Assist, Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless Internet access in the vehicle, wireless audio streaming, voice command, a full color touch-screen display, optional Garmin GPS navigation, and an optional single-disc player, a fun option for those who enjoy physical media.

While there were two anniversary editions, they added unique badging for the respective years, as well as some unique paints to go with it, but there wasn’t much change aside from that.

There’s a few engines that were on this generation, with these being the 2.4L I4, 3.2L V6, and the 2.0L I4. Of these engines, the one that you’ll want to keep an eye out for if you value the most efficiency is the 2.0L I4, as it comes with an EPA rated 26 MPG combined.

When it comes to which is the best option, then that really depends on what you need it to do. If you’re looking for a nice family vehicle, then you’ll want one of the more laidback trims, like the first trims to hit the lineup. But if you’re wanting something a bit more exciting, then there’s something for you too. No matter what you want, you can come on down to an Alan Jay location to see what we have in stock!