After we exclusively revealed shots of the new Jeep Cherokee rolling off the assembly line, Chrysler released the official shots of the vehicle a few hours later and ahead of schedule. The reaction to the car -- particularly its nose and headlights -- hasn't been as positive as the Mopar folks probably wanted. But the curious thing is that Chrysler seemed to expect this.
Let's start with a post on Chrysler Communications' Facebook page, which was up last night but appears to have been taken down this morning. I grabbed this screenshot around 9 p.m. last evening. The gist of it? "Don't judge a book by its cover," which is kind of an odd sentiment to make in a statement to the public.
Most of the comments on that post were pretty negative. The word "ugly" got tossed around a whole lot. More curiously, there's no mention of the Cherokee at all on the Jeep Facebook page, which seems strange considering what an important model this is for them.
Chrysler made similar comments on their Twitter account last night that remain up.
Chrysler
THX for all the 1st impressions on 2014 #Jeep Cherokee. Remember: More than any other vehicle, Jeep SUVs are more than exterior looks
Chrysler
More than anything else, Jeep SUVs are defined by how they do on- & off-road. #Moparchat