Long-Term 2014 Jeep Cherokee: Life With the Uconnect System

It’s been nearly a year since Cars.com bought a long-term 2014 Jeep Cherokee, which gave us plenty of time to pit the vehicle against other small SUVs, observe real-world gas mileage and document long-term maintenance.

Related: Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee’s Nine-Speed Transmission

We also logged plenty of time with the Cherokee’s 8.4-inch Uconnect touch-screen — specifically, the Uconnect 8.4AN. We came away generally impressed, though we had a few issues with the system too.

After 11 months, what’s our verdict on Uconnect? Read on.

Editors gave Uconnect high marks for its speedy response time and intuitive menus.

“Uconnect always worked well for me in the Cherokee,” Road Test Editor Joe Bruzek said. “The multimedia screen is still one of the easiest to use and performs just as well know as it did brand new. [It was] better, in fact, after an update apparently smoothed out the backup camera’s digital glitches.”

“I like how it handles music and switching between media/radio and all the large ‘buttons’ on the touch-screen for adjustments,” Managing Editor David Thomas said. “I’m still not a fan of any climate controls being in it, but you get used to that over time.”

Still, some editors found mishaps, even after we reflashed the system via a USB drive in September 2014. The same month, a dealership performed the reflash again alongside a transmission update. Specifically, it updated Uconnect from version 14.25.5 to version 14.35.0 — a change that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles spokeswoman Wendy Orthman told us should improve overall system performance, including communication, navigation and entertainment systems. (Jeep is one of FCA’s six U.S. brands.)

Still, Bruzek noted “a random glitch here and there” over the course of ownership. Consumer Affairs Editor Kelsey Mays elaborated: “The heated steering wheel once failed to start, requiring me to re-access the menu screen. I’d call it a one-time hitch, except I’ve experienced the same thing in other Uconnect systems.”

Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen observed “random dropping of traffic info” on the navigation map. He also noted that “on occasion, the satellite radio would cut out without warning, and would not come back until the car had been shut off for some time.”

It wasn’t the only bug. Olsen encountered a few reboots: “More than a few times, including a couple of times within the same long trip, the whole system rebooted itself without warning,” he said. “Very frustrating.”

Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder called Uconnect “still a good system, but it could be quicker. They all could. The stuttering backup camera image really bothered me. The update fixed it, or perhaps just improved it. It’s currently not perfect, and I don’t know if that’s degradation or that it was never 100 percent.”

The navigation system itself proved a source of recurring complaints.

“I find the navigation really subpar compared to what’s out there,” Thomas noted. “I understand what they’re trying to do with it, but it just looks and feels outdated.”

“The destination entry takes too long to narrow your choices,” Mays added. “And FCA needs to embrace pinch-and-swipe map scrolling already. Other automakers have climbed aboard, and smartphones have been there for years.”

Still, the complaints didn’t detract from our overall sentiments. Compared to Honda’s recent foray into capacitive-touch controls and earlier versions of Ford’s MyFord Touch — a textbook example of why capacitive dashboard controls are a bad idea — FCA’s Uconnect is an exercise in common sense.

“The Uconnect is simple and responsive overall, with handy — and not capacitive — volume/tuning knobs and intuitive logic,” Mays said.

“When it works, it works great,” Olsen said. “I like the Cherokee’s relatively high-resolution screen. Commands to change things on nav or [the] heated steering wheel or seats are very easy.”

Wiesenfelder lauded the system’s seamless Bluetooth connectivity, while copy editor Jen Burklow praised Uconnect for being “among the easiest and most intuitive systems to use.”

Assistant Managing Editor Jennifer Geiger summed up the system as “one of the easiest I’ve used.”

“There’s no learning curve thanks to its intuitive menu structure,” Geiger said. “The large screen has clear graphics with big touch buttons and response time is good.”

Cars.com photos by Evan Sears