2014 Jeep Cherokee: Car Seat Check

There’s been a lot of buzz about Jeep’s new crossover — especially how it looks — and chances are, more than a few small families will purchase one. How well did the new-for-2014 Cherokee handle our three child-safety seats? Two sets of easy-to-access Latch anchors as well as one additional anchor helped earn the Cherokee high marks.

How many car seats fit in the second row? Two

What We Like

• There are two sets of Latch anchors in the outboard seats along with an additional one located in the middle seat; all are easy to access. This setup allows parents to use the Latch system when installing a car seat in the middle position. However, parents should remember not to double up when installing car seats — only one car-seat connector can be used on each Latch anchor.
• The second-row seatback reclines and the seats slide forward and back for more room and comfort.
• The booster fit well, and stable buckle bases mean it’s easy for kids to buckle up independently.
• The convertible in both its rear- and forward-facing position was easy to install and had plenty of room.

What We Don’t

• Although the rear-facing infant seat was easy to install, room was an issue. We had to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate it; anyone taller than 5 feet 8 inches will not have a comfortable amount of knee space.

Grading Scale

A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.  

B: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.

C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row when available.

D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues.

F: Does not fit or is unsafe.

About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks

Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.

We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here.

Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat.

More Car Seat Checks