Chrysler shows off the 2014 Jeep Cherokee in action ahead of NY debut (Video)

The Chrysler Group has issued a short video showing the 2014 Jeep Cherokee in action in some fairly serious offroad settings – clearly showing that this Dodge Dart-based midsized SUV will be every bit as worthy of the “Trail Rated” tag as the rest of the current Jeep lineup.

While the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Wrangler have long been known as true masters of the sport utility vehicle segment both on the road and off, the brand’s smaller vehicles have earned a reputation for being less capable than their larger, more expensive counterparts. Take that negative reputation for the newer, smaller Jeep SUVs and add to it the fact that the 2014 Cherokee is based on the same platform as the new Dodge Dart and there are a great many people who question that the new Cherokee will be able to hold up to the Cherokee of old.

This new video of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee should serve to squash any rumors that this new midsized SUV will be anything but truly trail rated. Even though the video is only one minute and twenty four seconds long – and there are very few angles showing the new Cherokee in action with almost the entire piece shot from a point of view perspective – what we can see is very impressive. The video starts off simply enough, showing the new Cherokee Trailhawk rolling along a mild dirt trail, climbing over some smaller rocks and splashing through what might be a small creek or a big puddle.

Where the new POV video of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk really gets exciting is when the new ute approaches what appears to be a near flat vertical rock wall around the 24 second mark in the video. As you watch, you might find yourself thinking “there is no way that the Cherokee is going to climb that” but as the video switches quickly to an undercarriage view, the Cherokee begins the steep ascent. As the Cherokee climbs the rock wall, the new SUV even pauses for a second…killing its momentum before continuing up the hill and by the smoothness of the camera view it looks as though the Cherokee climbs the hill almost effortlessly. The video ends with the Cherokee finishing along the top of the ridge over some uneven and possibly sandy terrain.

When the 2014 Jeep Cherokee arrives, it will be built at Chrysler’s Toledo Assembly Plant in Ohio. As the first vehicle fully designed by the Chrysler Group under the leaderships of Fiat SpA, the Cherokee will look to show the world that an SUV can be efficient on the road and near unstoppable offroad with a powertrain that is expected to include the new 3.2L Pentastar V6 and the first 9-speed automatic transmission in the US market.

The 2014 Jeep Cherokee is expected to debut at the 2013 New York International Auto Show next Wednesday March 27th – at which point we should have all of the details on the newest entry to the popular Jeep brand lineup.