HERITAGE matters if you’re a motor manufacturer.

Nobody eulogises the Mark I Dyson vacuum cleaner or waxes lyrical over the Gillette Sensor disposable razor because they are just ‘things’ - one keeps your shag pile clean and the other removes unsightly whiskers.

But car buffs love reminiscing about great cars. They pour over old brochures, go to car shows to see them and dream about one day having enough money to own one.

Why? Because cars are about the heart as much as the head. They are emotional purchases.

Jeep knows this. Heritage is very evident in the new Cherokee.

The legend ‘Since 1941’ is debossed into one of the steering wheel spokes and there’s a silhouette of the original Willys Jeep at the base of the windscreen.

But the Cherokee is something of a fake.

It may be based on what Jeep calls the Compact US Wide Platform but that’s just marketing-speak for a long wheelbase version of the Fiat C-Evo platform which traces its ancestry back to the Fiat Stilo hatchback and currently underpins the Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback.

Jeep bosses say they made the switch because today’s SUV buyers want off-roaders with better on-road manners. Most of the Cherokee’s rivals platform share with a family hatch. No one is bothered that the Ford Kuga has Focus DNA or that the original Qashqai shared a platform with the Renault Scenic.

But none of the Cherokee’s rivals can boast Jeep’s unique off-road heritage - has the switch to an Italian job fatally diluted the formula?

The Northern Echo:

ON THE ROAD: ​ In Europe, the Cherokee also uses a Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel. There’s a gas guzzling V6 petrol, too, but Jeep won’t sell many of those in austerity era Britain.

The diesel is available in two stages of tune: 138bhp and 168bhp. The high power diesel can be had with Jeep’s excellent nine-speed ZF automatic transmission but the 138bhp test vehicle came with the six-speed manual which felt notchy with long throws between the ratios.

The diesel is a bit rattly and, with just 138bhp to haul the Cherokee’s portly 1950kg, it’s unfair to expect sprightly performance. Still, when it’s up to speed 320Nm of torque ensures it keeps rolling along without too many down-changes.

Handling-wise the Cherokee still feels stubbornly old-school despite the hatchback underpinnings. The electric power assisted steering has no feel and during cornering the Chezza feels like a big tall SUV teetering on soft suspension.

Although the cheapest Cherokees are two-wheel drive our Limited model had the full 4x4 system you’d expect of a car bearing the Jeep name. It also featured the Jeep Selec-Terrain feature which adjusts to the type of ground you’re driving on. As seen on the Grand Cherokee, Selec-Terrain optimises 12 vehicle systems including the driveline, brakes, stability control and engine speed control, to enhance grip off-road and during bad weather. The click wheel drive controller has settings for snow, sand/mud, rock and fully automatic.

The Northern Echo:

​ ON THE INSIDE: ​ There’s more Italian influence in the cabin. The disappointing plastic golf ball gear knob is the same as the one in the Alfa Giulietta as is some of the switchgear. The parts bin sharing policy isn’t all bad news. For instance, the 8.4-inch touchscreen will be familiar to anyone lucky enough to also own a Maserati Ghibli.

​Jeep interior quality always used to be disappointing. The second gen Cherokee (which was highly successful in the UK in the early 1990s) had a cliff-face dashboard that looked as though it was fashioned from Corn Flake packets.

The good news is that this cabin is the best yet for a mid-range Jeep. There are plenty of soft-feel plastics and (depending on the model) lashings of stitched leather.

The only downside is the rather generic feel to the cabin. Apart from the logos on the steering and the windscreen there’s nothing to say you’re sitting in a Jeep.

WHAT DO YOU GET: ​ Jeep turned to navigation specialist Garmin for its sat nav solution. The result is a system that’s easy to programme with clear maps and excellent spoken instructions.

There’s a CD player that’s hidden away in the centre console storage bin and aux inputs below the centre stack.

The 8.4-inch touch screen (5.0-inch on the Longitude model) is great for reversing and makes the interface easy to operate even for drivers with sausage fingers.

The 15-inch alloys are pretty but too small for those massive arches - larger wheels would fill the space better.

The Northern Echo:

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT? ​ The boot can swallow 591-litres or 714-litres if you slide the middle seats forward. Fold the seat backs down and there’s a hefty 1,267-litres of luggage space. Kudos to Jeep for making a passenger seat that folds forward making the Cherokee a handy device for carrying long items.

The test car had an electric boot opener that can be operated from the driver’s seat, the key fob and by press a switch on the hatch itself.

The boot has an annoying - and rather pointless - removable metal bracket on one side and three handy bag hooks on the other.

Of course, the 4x4 system ensures the Cherokee can cover ground that would leave lesser vehicles spinning their wheels in frustration - but it’s a shock to learn that this Jeep has inferior ground clearance to the defiantly on-road Nissan Qashqai.

​ RUNNING COSTS: ​ This may be the cleanest Cherokee to date but 147g/km of CO2 is still nothing to shout about these days.

The engine is frugal, however, and I had no problems stretching a gallon more than 40 miles even with vigorous use of the accelerator pedal.

It’s early days yet, but residual values may not be as strong as more mainstream SUVs like the Kuga and the Qashqai. One thing is certain: Cherokee will lose more money than a Range Rover Evoque or an Audi Q3.

​ VERDICT: ​ Previous Cherokees have had their charms but their ability to beguile was as much about their brash American feel as they way they drove. This is the most European Cherokee to date. The cabin is much improved and the slightly wacky styling (Juke-esque bi-level lights, saggy window line and squared off wheel arches) retains some of Jeep’s trademark style, most notably the seven bar grille (albeit folded over the leading edge of the bonnet). I suspect the Cherokee will remain something of a niche choice but I can see it developing a loyal following.

JEEP CHEROKEE 2.0 LIMITED 140.

Price: £33,195.

​ Spec:​ Engine: ​1956cc/four-cyl/turbodiesel Power: ​138bhp @ 3750rpm Torque: ​320Nm @ 1500rpm Top speed: ​117mph 0-62mph: ​12 seconds Fuel economy: ​50.4mpg (official combined figure) CO2 emissions: ​147g/km Equipment: ​brake stability control, hill start assist, traction control, roll mitigation, off-road suspension, Select-Terrain system, speed sensitive power locks, park assist, wireless phone charging pad, stop/start, cruise control, electronic parking brake, power adj seats, heated front leather buckets, autodimming rear view mirror, 8.4-inch touchscreen display, Garmin sat nav, DAB tuner.

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