Jeep Cherokee

	The Cherokee shares its underpinnings with the Dodge Nitro, but will provide greater luxury and genuine off-road ability

We're not meant to see the next-generation Chero­kee until the spring. But our spy photographers captured the 'secret' Jeep testing... just as the wind whipped its protective cover off!

As our picture reveals, the new 4x4 has a more angular and aggressive finish than the existing car, which it's parked next to. The profile is dominated by bold wheel­arches, while a lower roofline completes the new design. At the front, Jeep's trademark vertical grille bars are expected to be flanked by squared off headlights. The Cherokee shares its underpinnings with the Dodge Nitro, but will provide greater luxury and genuine off-road ability thanks to a low-range gearbox and all-wheel-drive system. It also has a different suspension system.

Buyers get a choice of petrol or diesel power, but the best-seller is expected to be a new 2.8-litre four-cylinder oil-burning engine. The Cherokee will make its world debut at the New York Motor Show in April, before arriving in dealers here in 2008.

For more spy images of the Cherokee, revealing its biggest surprise, see the images in the spy gallery. Link below.