Trim levels are a tricky thing when it comes to looking at a new car. One the one hand, they can be very important and have a huge impact on everything from the engine, transmission, and tires to the interior details and even safety features. On the other hand, sometimes the differences between two trims are so minimal that you wonder why they even exist at all. With something like the 2020 Jeep Cherokee, the trim levels are pretty significant, and their differences are certainly noteworthy.
I thought it would be fun to take a moment and check out the different trim levels available for the Jeep Cherokee and see what each one has to offer. If you’re in the market for a new SUV, then this can certainly be helpful––and even if you’re just a Jeep fan and not really shopping for one right now, it’s always a good idea to know what’s out there. Jeep does a great job of establishing some strong delineation between their trims, with each one really having its own presence and purpose.
Without further ado, here are the trims for the 2020 Jeep Cherokee:
The Latitude
Let’s start off with the base level for the 2020 Jeep Cherokee, which is the Latitude. This gives us a good idea of the basic design and function of the Cherokee, and we’ll go from there. The Latitude comes with a 2.4L I-4 engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. It’s worth noting, however, that a 3.2L Pentastar V6 engine is also available for the Latitude, just not standard. It comes with LED headlamps and taillamps, and 17-inch silver aluminum wheels.
The Latitude has cloth seat inserts, a 3-inch cluster display, power 8-way driver’s seat, and second-row bench seating. It also comes with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, with speed and audio controls on the wheel, along with a 7-inch infotainment display. In terms of safety, the Latitude has electronic stability control, brake assist, and numerous airbags. It has hill start assist and trailer sway control, but not a lot in the way of other safety features.
The Latitude Plus
I said that Jeep is good at creating distinct trims that don’t have much overlap, and that’s mostly true––unfortunately, the Latitude Plus is kind of the exception to that. There’s nothing wrong with this trim, it just really doesn’t have much personality of its own and just sort of builds ever so slightly on what the Latitude has. It’s still a fine example of the 2020 Jeep Cherokee, just not especially “wow” worthy.
The Latitude Plus starts with the same engine and has the same optional 3.2L engine, though a 2.0L I-4 Turbo engine is also available on this trim. It has a similar chrome grille surround and other exterior features to the Latitude, including 17-inch aluminum wheels, which are painted silver. From the outside, to be honest, you could easily mistake the Latitude Plus for the standard Latitude model.
Most of the differences come inside the Plus, where you get a few comfort features that don’t come on the baseline Latitude. These include keyless enter and go, ambient lighting, and available leather-trimmed seats if you prefer a richer touch of sophistication. The Latitude Plus also comes with blind-spot monitoring, rear cross path detection, and rear park assist, which does set it apart from the standard model.
The Trailhawk
While the differences between the Latitude and Latitude Plus are somewhat minimal, the 2020 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk certainly sets itself apart. The Trailhawk comes with the more powerful 3.2L V6 engine standard, with a 2.0L Turbo engine available, and it includes an off-road suspension and 2-speed 4×4 system. It has a dual rear exhaust, off-road accent color fascia skid plates, and other exterior details that really set it apart.
Inside, the Trailhawk features dual-zone automatic temperature control, with a humidity sensor and air filters, fabric and leather-trimmed seats with ruby red accent stitching, and an 8-inch infotainment display. The Trailhawk has keyless entry with a panic button and a large selection of available features and packages, including a cold-weather package that offers a remote start system, heated steering wheel, and heated front seats.
The Trailhawk Elite upgrade includes leather-trimmed and heated seats, an 8-way power front passenger seat, and a heated steering wheel all standard. You also get a 9-speaker Alpine premium sound system with the Trailhawk Elite and additional options like more advanced safety features. While the Trailhawk Elite might not quite qualify as its own trim, it still sets itself apart quite nicely.
The Limited
Finally, there is the 2020 Jeep Cherokee Limited, which really gives you everything you could want in an off-road capable SUV. The Limited has all three engines available for you to choose from, along with all of the other great performance features from other trims. You get Nappa leather-trimmed heated front seats in the Limited, along with a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and speed controls, and dual-zone automatic temperature control.
The Limited has 8-way power-adjustable driver and front passenger seats, along with the 9-speaker Alpine premium sound system, standard. It has an 8-inch infotainment display, and a 7-inch full-color driver information display, plus support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Many of the safety features you’ll find in other trims come standard on the Limited, including rear park assist and blind-spot monitoring.
Additional features are available on the Limited, of course, including a full-speed forward collision warning with active braking, a lane departure warning with lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control. You can also choose a trailer tow package for the 2020 Jeep Cherokee Limited, which includes improved heavy-duty engine cooling, trailer tow wiring, and a hitch receiver that makes towing much simpler. Overall, the Limited is generally as good as the Cherokee gets, though there are a few interesting Special Editions to consider.
Special Editions
For the most part, I don’t include Special Editions of vehicles when I’m looking at their different trim levels. To me, when I look at a vehicle, I want to see what I know I can get––not what I can get if I’m lucky or they happen to have some weird editions available. However, to get a complete picture of what’s offered on the 2020 Jeep Cherokee, I thought it would be interesting to briefly look at the three Special Editions available.
First, there is the Altitude, which features 18-inch gloss black wheels and a number of gloss black exterior accents, including the roof rails, badging, and grille surround. The Altitude also has piano-black accents on the interior, which gives it a fairly unique overall look. These differences might not be mind-blowing, but you’ll know them when you see them.
Then there’s the Upland, which features 17-inch black noise aluminum wheels and black noise exterior accents, including the grille surround. The Upland also has matte black tow hooks and a black interior with viper blue accent stitching and silver anodized accents throughout. It has off-road wheel flares, and front LED fog lamps, plus some other Upland details here and there.
Finally, the High Altitude features 19-inch granite crystal aluminum wheels that certainly look impressive. It features granite crystal exterior accents and badging, with a crystal and black grille that really sets it apart. Tungsten interior accent stitching, anodized metal and piano black interior accents, and similar details all make the High Altitude a creature all its own.
