Jeep Cherokee Engine Specs Worthy of Your Time

Catrina C
Mar 6, 2021

Jeep Cherokee at Geneva Motor Show - Vehicle History

If you are interested in buying a Jeep Cherokee, then it’s a good idea to look at the Jeep Cherokee engine specs and make sure it’s strong enough for everything you want to do. The 2020 Jeep Cherokee has three engine options.

What should you know about the Jeep Cherokee engine specs?

The Jeep Cherokee has three possible engines. These include the:

  • 2.0-liter turbo engine
  • 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir 2 engine
  • 3.2-liter Pentastar V6 engine

Each one of these has benefits that you should consider when you’re selecting the right Jeep Cherokee trim for you. Each one has different fuel mileage, torque and horsepower that you should consider before you buy.

Why Do Engine Specs Matter?

Looking at the different options you have when you choose an engine for the Jeep Cherokee, it’s important to understand what those differences mean. Not everyone needs a vehicle with a lot of horsepower or torque; it just depends what you want to do with it.

According to Trucks Only Sales, torque, plainly put, is what helps put your vehicle into motion. It keeps it moving. It’s particularly important if you’re going to be towing anything behind you.

Horsepower, on the other hand, is about moving your vehicle and getting it up to speed. If you want a faster vehicle, then focusing on horsepower is the right option. The more horsepower you have, the fast your Jeep will be.

Jeep Cherokee Engine Specs

The Jeep Cherokee has three engines, as mentioned. These include the 2.0-liter, 2.4-liter and 3.2-liter engines. The 2.0-liter turbo engine has up to 270 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s one of the more efficient engines, getting up to 31 mpg on the highway. You can tow 2,000 pounds with the 2.0-liter engine.

The next engine is the 2.4-liter Tigershark MultiAir 2. This one has 180 horsepower and up to 175 lb.-ft. of torque. It also gets up to 31 mpg on the highway, making it an efficient engine as well. Tow up to 4,500 pounds with the 2.4-liter engine.

Finally, the third option that you can choose from is the 3.2-liter Pentastar V6 engine. This engine comes with Engine Stop/Start technology and gives you up to 239 lb.-ft. of torque with 271 horsepower. On the highway, you can get up to 29 mpg, so it’s slightly less efficient than the other two engines, but not by much. Beneficially, you can tow up to 4,500 pounds if you have this engine installed.

Customer Concerns About the Jeep Cherokee Engines

The good news is that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn’t have a significant number of complaints about the Jeep Cherokee’s engines. There are two current recalls, neither of which involve the engine.

Consumer complaints included one person who stated that their check engine light came on suddenly before losing significant power. The vehicle, at the time, had only 500 miles on it.

Another consumer had also recently purchased their Jeep when they received an O2 sensor light and engine light warning. They stated that they had to return the vehicle for repairs three times before 2,000 miles.

The third consumer complaint stated that the vehicle was burning through oil, requiring up to a quart every 1,500 miles. They also received a low oil pressure warning with the engine’s rpm stalling.

Buying a Jeep? Check the Jeep Cherokee Engine Specs at Vehicle History

At Vehicle History, we make it easy to find the Jeep Cherokee specs you need to investigate. Search for these and other specifications on the Jeep Cherokee page.

Owner Reviews

accountCircle Dave on February 3, 2023
Auto Start stop feature has nearly caused an accident twice
Having the engine shut off at the moment you take your foot off the brake, allowed the car to roll into the intersection while not under power. When there is cross traffic, the normal reaction when the car does not take off is to step on the throttle harder to get out of the way. When the car did start, it lurched forward unexpectedly. So much so, I ended up driving into the ditch on the other side of the road. The 9 speed transmission is also a lie. There is no condition under which the car will ever shift into 9th gear. There may be a condition programmed into the software, but it is impossible to meet that condition. As such advertising a 9 speed transmission that will never go into 9th gear is deceptive .marketing.
accountCircle Dan H on April 7, 2021
Review of 2020 jeep Cherokee limited.
The only thing I do not like about the vehicle is that the engine shuts off at every stop, and there is an option to turn that off in the car but you have to press that option each time the car is started.
accountCircle Andrew R on August 19, 2021
The comfort of the interior is great.
I have the 4 cylinder engine and do not have as much take off power as I would like. Sometimes the vehicle does not seem like it goes over bumps very smooth.
accountCircle Matthew C on April 6, 2021
2020 jeep Cherokee latitude plus.
Do not have any problems with the vehicle besides the lack of power from the 4 cylinder engine. It is slow to accelerate especially uphill.
accountCircle Jose U on September 6, 2021
Very reliable and good vehicle.
Performs really well, however going uphill is not the easiest thing and it strains the engine too much.
accountCircle Karla J on July 30, 2021
Jeep Cherokee altitude. Economical mid size SUV.
Wish I would have went with v6. The 2.4l engine just does not have the pick up when accelerating.
accountCircle Jarred G on April 21, 2021
Very good off-road and on trails.
V6 gives good acceleration feels very powerful. Average on gas consumption.
accountCircle Jonathan P on June 23, 2021
Jeep Cherokee is on point!
The v6 engine is a plus. Very smooth all around ride.
accountCircle Stephen S on July 4, 2021
Flash with no dash. The car looks good but is not going to win any race.
Should have got a bigger engine. No get up and go.
accountCircle Kristi T on March 7, 2021
New jeep-better on gas but lacking in other ways.
Does not have as much power as would like.
accountCircle Jessica S on September 16, 2021
Excellent midsize SUV with plenty of room for 5 adults and luggage in the back.
I upgraded to the v6 engine and love it.
avatar Catrina C
Catrina C. is a former auto auction block clerk and current freelance automotive industry writer. She enjoys writing, taking long trips in her Ford and providing solid automotive advice.
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