The bad news is that there are no intentions to bring this model to the U.S, where the most efficient Cherokee currently utilizes a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine. Boo!
The new diesel model instead slots a 2.0-liter, 'Multijet II' turbodiesel engine under the hood, with 140 or 170-horsepower outputs and 258 pounds-feet of torque.
A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the lower-power variant, while the stronger model sends its power through Jeep's now-familiar nine-speed automatic transmission--and both models get stop-start fuel-saving technology as standard.
Fuel economy figures aren't currently known, but they're likely to be higher than the two gasoline Cherokees currently offered.
MORE: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel: Diesel SUV Fuel Economy Tested
The smallest of these is the aforementioned 2.4 'Tigershark' four, which manages 25 mpg in two-wheel drive setup in EPA testing. There's also a 3.2-liter Pentastar V-6, rated at 22 mpg combined and 23-24 mpg when we tested it last month.
For comparison, Jeep's larger 2014 Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel achieved 24 mpg in our hands, illustrating the mileage benefits of the diesel unit. A smaller 2-liter unit like that found in the Cherokee should be better still.
Gas mileage should be boosted further by standard rear axle disconnect on four-wheel drive models, minimizing friction and energy loss whenever the four-wheel drive system isn't required.
Now all we need to do is convince Jeep to bring the engine Stateside, to give the Cherokee range a real economy boost--customers would no doubt appreciate that healthy torque figure, too.
For more news from the Geneva Motor Show, head over to our dedicated hub page.
_________________________________________