Ed's Driveway: 2020 Jeep Cherokee

By Ed Curran

CHICAGO (CBS) -- I'll admit it: I'm a homer. I love talking about vehicles built right here in Illinois. There's the Ford Explorer, the Ford Police Interceptor and the outstanding Lincoln Aviator. But we also have an SUV with a long history. Jeep's Belvidere Assembly Plant is where they build the 2020 Jeep Cherokee.

This is a stylish SUV with a nice look. It's a good size, has beefy construction like you'd expect in a Jeep and can handle an off-road environment. On the highway our Cherokee felt a little light, however, I like a heavier steering feel at highway speeds. The interior in our model looked great, and I have always liked Jeep, Chrysler, Fiat's infotainment system and controls.

Our Cherokee Limited was powered by a 2.4 liter four cylinder turbo, but a six is also available. It's coupled to a nine speed automatic. The four was nice and didn't seem underpowered but exhibited a bit of turbo lag. I'd go for the six in a car this size.

The Jeep Cherokee starts at $27,000. Our Limited version, with options, had a sticker of $42,000.

If you're in the market for an SUV like the Mazda CX-5, Chevy Equinox or Toyota Rav4, you should really take the Jeep Cherokee for a test drive.