[King T]

Chrysler lets 2014 Jeep Cherokee details fly ahead of New York auto show debut

James Fenimore Cooper's famous novel, The Last of the Mohicans, was set in 1757, on the Hudson River around Glens Falls, NY, during the French and Indian War. If you travel the Hudson River Valley today, you'll see the last remnants of an entirely different "tribe" thriving even today—the very rectangular XJ model Jeep Cherokee built between 1984-2001.

Anywhere snow or off reading happens, the vehicle that arguably started the modern SUV era can still be found in surprising numbers. By the time that then-Daimler-Chrysler chief executive Wolfgang Bernhard killed the evergreen Cherokee, 2.88 million had been made in America alone. The model lived on another four years being made for domestic consumption in China.

Apparently, Mr. Bernhard came to America and killed a golden goose. Aside from its introductory year, the old boxy Cherokee sold as many as 286,000 units and never sold fewer than 120,000. The Jeep Liberty only exceeded 120,000 units sold in five of its twelve model years, has never come close to 200,000 sold, and has moved as few as 43,500 units in 2009. The Liberty retained the Cherokee name in export markets, but the Chrysler executives at the home office knew better than to use that nameplate here because the rig named the Liberty was an unworthy heir.

For 2014, the new Jeep Cherokee is supposed to debut at the New York International Auto Show in late March. Apparently, Chrysler's new owner, FIAT, couldn't wait that long. Though exact engine and transmission specifications and pricing remain to be announced, the Cherokee is officially back in America come this fall and official photos of the exterior have been released. The 2014 Cherokee is rumored to be built upon a variant of the chassis underpinning the Dodge Dart II, itself a project that shares commonality with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The speculation is that the Cherokee will be powered by a 3.2L V6 mated to a nine speed ZF sourced transmission.

Between the photos, what is known about the chassis, and the rumored power train combinations, one thing is abundantly clear—the new Cherokee is not going to be as rough and ready as was its forefather. The photos portray not a "Trail Rated" machine, but something like a crossover, more spiritually related to the Jeep Patriot or Compass than the Cherokees of old, a model that still tackles rally races from Baja to Macedonia.

Even if the new Cherokee comes with all wheel drive, or somehow a hardcore 4WD version is announced on paper, it's difficult to imagine this version capturing the hearts and minds of Jeep enthusiasts. Just look at the front air dam. There is too much overhang of bodywork to take this vehicle seriously as an off road capable machine once its loan is paid off. The look of the new Cherokee and the use of a front wheel driven chassis strongly suggests that this version will forever be a "soft roader," a competitor to every AWD crossover on the market.

Strategically, there's nothing wrong with that approach. The question is this: Is the new Cherokee still a Jeep? Judge for yourself at the New York International Auto Show in March.