Jeep Cherokee earns IIHS top safety pick rating

The 2019 Jeep Cherokee has earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The rating applies to 2019 Jeep Cherokees produced after April of this year, when equipped with Jeep's available Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) technology, Forward Collision Warning-Plus, and LED projector headlamps with optional automatic high-beam control.

These are among more than 80 available safety and security features that carry over to model year 2020.

High-strength-steel upgrades to the 2019 Jeep Cherokee's A-pillar and hinge-pillar are among the key engineering changes that contribute to its Top Safety Pick rating. These factor into the improved performance in the IIHS small-overlap tests, which simulate certain frontal impacts.

The Jeep Cherokee recorded 'good' results - the highest possible crashworthiness rating - in all six crashworthiness tests, three of which simulate frontal impacts. The remaining tests inflict damage consistent with a side impact, rear impact and a rollover.

The Top Safety Pick rating is also enabled by the Jeep Cherokee's standard-equipment LED projector headlamps with optional automatic high-beam control. The available feature switches headlamp modes between high and low-beam function, depending on traffic conditions, without driver intervention.

The launch of the 2019 Jeep Cherokee also marked the debut of a premium design language and the model line's introduction of a 2.0-litre direct-injected inline four-cylinder engine that enhances performance and fuel efficiency.