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a vehicle that has proven to be immensely popular. While one might say that the Wrangler has a fan base that could be described as a "fanatical" base, it probably isn't just because of the angular shapes that form that vehicle, because one might argue that the Liberty was nothing if not the product of a design-with-a-T-square approach, and it didn't do particularly well in the market, a market segment that is populated with vehicles including the Toyota RAV4, the Honda CRV, and the Ford Escape. Mike Manley, president and CEO of Jeep Brand (and he is also COO, Asia Pacifc for Chrysler) points out that the mid-size SUV segment is the largest in that category of vehicle, accounting for approximately two-million units of sales in 2012*. So Jeep wanted to get a bigger portion of that, and to do so they decided that they needed to come up with a design that is clearly a Jeep, yet not a Jeep in the context of something that may be readily familiar. Allen's remark regarding being closer to the Grand Cherokee than the Wrangler is certainly true in one sense, but arguably the Grand Cherokee looks more like other full-size SUVs than the Cherokee resembles a traditional Jeep. And yet they made sure to pay attention to heritage, because while automotive people throw around the term "DNA" more frequently than Watson and Crick did, there is certainly a greater emphasis on using traits from past Jeeps in present ones than is the case for other types of vehicles. For example, there is the seven-slot grille. But in the case of the 2014 Cherokee, that grille is visually diferent than those of Jeeps gone by, as it is tighter and narrower. Each of the seven slots is individually formed in the front; "This is much more refned than having them hammered through a piece of plastic." There is a horizontal snap in the grille, which goes back to models including the SJ. On the DLO surround, Allen points out there is kink in the area of the front side windows; that, he says, is a tribute to the half-door Wrangler, and it also serves the function of providing better visibility, which is useful when driving of-road. There are the trapezoidal wheel arches. They go back to the very frst Jeep, the Willys, which, Allen jokes, "probably didn't spend a day in a design studio." "Our Objective with the cherOkee was tO visually cOnvey that this is an all-new jeep while still cOmmunicating legendary best-in-class capability." Allen: "Our objective with the Cherokee was to visually convey that this is an all-new Jeep while still communicating legendary best-in-class capability." There is a huge emphasis on aerodynamics, because the concern with fuel efciency is now one that afects the design of every vehicle. So things like the narrower front end form, large rear spoiler, integrated sill aero spats, tail lamps that kick the air of the side of the body, and t To maintain its "trail-cred," there is the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk that is not only mechanically capable as regards handling harsh terrain (i.e., it comes standard with Jeep Active Drive Lock, which includes a two-speed PTU with torque management and a low range as well as a locking rear diferential), but it has design diferences from the Sport, Latitude and Limited trim levels. For example, there are the tow hooks in front. Jeep Design head Mark Allen says that tow hooks are difcult to engineer, so many OEMs have given up on them. Jeep didn't. And painted them red so you won't notice. The front and rear fascias are diferent in order to accommodate approach, departure, and breakover angles: 29.8, 32.1 and 23.3 degrees, respectively. 27