2026 Jeep Cherokee

A new Jeep Cherokee is on the horizon. Jeep confirmed the resurrection of its midsize SUV today, and it's expected to arrive before the end of the year.

The Cherokee should be sized to compete in the heart of the compact SUV market, against key rivals like the Chevy Equinox, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4. In a statement, Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf said the new Cherokee "sits perfectly between the Jeep Compass and Jeep Grand Cherokee" in the company's lineup.

As you can see in these initial photos, the new Cherokee certainly looks the part of a Jeep, with upright dimensions and squared-off styling. We expect a full range of models to be offered, and Jeep would definitely be smart to bring back the Cherokee Trailhawk trim to take on similarly rugged offerings like the Honda CR-V TrailSport, Subaru Forester Wilderness and Toyota RAV4 Woodland.

As for what's under the hood, Jeep says the Cherokee will use "a new, efficient and powerful hybrid propulsion option," which certainly makes sense, considering many other small SUVs are either hybrid-heavy or — in the case of the new RAV4 — hybrid-only. Of course, we won't rule out a gas-only option, and a Cherokee EV could be in the works, too.

Further details — including pricing — won't be available for several months. But if Jeep's timeline stays on track, we'll see the 2026 Cherokee on the road before 2025 comes to a close.