The Trailhawk trim, with its off-road tires and red-painted tow hooks, is the Jeep fan’s jewel of the 2020 Jeep Cherokee lineup. But it isn’t the most popular model—that’d be the mid-level Latitude trim. Now, those (many) who are looking for a Latitude but with a more premium feel have someplace to turn: The 2020 Cherokee Latitude Lux, a new trim level boasting leather seats and other upscale standard features for a pretty reasonable $31,395.
The new trim, first reported by MoparInsiders.com, builds on the ever-growing Latitude series (there is Latitude, Latitude Plus, and now this!). It adds a host of standard features above the $29,090 Latitude Plus, including heated front seats, leather seat upholstery, power lumbar for the passenger, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, remote start, rain-sensitive windshield wipers, and a windshield wiper de-icer. On the safety front, Jeep tosses in forward collision warning with automated emergency braking and a lane departure warning system. That’s a healthy dose of just-right equipment, all for less money than the next-level-up Limited trim, which starts at $33,095.
While the Latitude Plus comes standard with the Cherokee lineup’s entry-level 180-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, the Lux gets a 271-hp 3.2-liter V-6 from Fiat-Chrysler’s ubiquitous Pentastar engine family. The third Cherokee engine, an optional 2.0-liter turbo-four making 270 horsepower and more torque than the V-6, isn’t available even on the Lux. As with most Cherokees, buyers can select front- or all-wheel drive.
As you can see on Jeep’s live vehicle configurator (where you can virtually build your own Cherokee), the 2020 Jeep Cherokee Latitude Lux is available in multiple colors. If you’re not into white—the only no-cost color—shades of black, gray, silver, blue, red, brown, and olive green are available for $245.
The Cherokee might not be the most well-rounded small SUV on the market, particularly when it comes to cargo space and interior refinement and packaging (it’s a little tight in there, despite the Jeep’s external size). And we’d still spring for the Trailhawk model’s strong engines and off-road capability. But the Latitude Lux shows that Jeep isn’t forgetting about its customers—it’s giving them the latitude to choose, well, the Latitude that best fits their needs. Have they considered a new name, though, perhaps Longitude?
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