Front wheel drive by default? Yet one more reason this vehicle doesn't deserve the name Cherokee.

Yep. Front wheel drive on a Fiat car platform. Though, by all accounts it actually seems to be more capable than the RWD liberty

Nope. Front wheel drive on a Mercedes platform. Both the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chrysler 300 have their roots in the Mercedes M class.

Well, everyone else has that system, I guess it was just a matter of time before Jeep copied it…. BUT, the real test will be the actual gas mileage. Some of the others are pushing 30 and 35 MPG (some maybe even more) and Jeep is stuck at 18 MPG…. I won't EVER buy one til they get their mileage up over 40MPG…(It can be done easily, and they know it…)

Jeep re-invents the selectable transfer case. Gee, how exciting.
Whether the new Cherokee is off-road capable or not is beside the point. They eliminated too much cargo space in order to get their not-a-box crossover design, so it won't sell in the medium-size SUV market.

The grille looks like it was copied off an electric razor. I can picture a competitor doing a commercial with a giant grabbing one of these, rubbing it over his stubble, then a female giant voice says "Honey, that's not your electric razor!"
I saw a brand new one of these yesterday with only one headlight working. Looks like Chrysler better get ready for some early warranty claims, possibly a recall if this is going to be a problem.

It's the wrong kind of ugly Jeeps should not be styled by a swishy. The tech is overly complex but if works fine but how about bringing back headlight lenses that can be replaced with the money saved by skipping lunch for a couple days.

It's winning critics the world over (check Autoblog) and the initial ugliness of it is starting to wane the more I see it. At first glance I thought it was a new Pontiac Aztek or Nissan Juke . . .

Saves 3/4th of a horsepower?? I don't see any big jump in mpg likely. How about electrically declutching the entire drive line including the rear end all the way to the back wheels? A new little turbodiesel powerplant would also help. Of course the biggest puzzle to me has been the number of people who drive a 4WD vehicle and never, never use it or need it. My diesel 4WD only comes out of the barn to work and not just to tool around town. I look at gallons per hour rather than mpg.

Bubble, micro suv... You dare call this a CHEROKEE? I've seen this car in person, pictures are way better.