Jeep, other brands continue shifting to fuel-saving hybrid power

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- In case you hadn't noticed, hybrids are hot right now, elevated from niche status not all that long ago.

The gas-electric drive systems are offered in many more vehicles today, like the redesigned 2026 Hyundai Palisade. Hybrid power for the brand's biggest family hauler, for a starting price of $44,160. Other than what's under the hood and the floor, it's just like any other Palisade, but the payoff is fuel economy. This three-row isn't small, but the EPA rates the all-wheel-drive hybrid version at 29 mpg overall. That's a nearly 50% improvement over the non-hybrid equivalent.

But probably the biggest hybrid news this year comes from Jeep. After a brief hiatus, the Cherokee is back, and now with hybrid power standard.

Definitely an icon of the Jeep line, the Cherokee really blossomed back in the '80s, when Jeep's tough new smaller model rode the initial wave of buyers switching to SUVs.

Today, the newest Cherokee has the Jeep look, and the Jeep capability to take you, in theory, to the ends of the earth. But the electrified powertrain is a little more earth-friendly compared to the previous Cherokee. Bonus: driving it, you might never know it's a hybrid. The new Cherokee starts at $36,995.

Hybrid power is a growing trend in the auto industry, and it was a bold move of Jeep to make the 2026 Cherokee hybrid-only. But at the same time, the larger 2026 Grand Cherokee is no longer available as a hybrid. The 4xe model, a plug-in hybrid, has been dropped, along with the Wrangler using the same drivetrain.

For the Grand Cherokee, the new fuel efficiency option is the four-cylinder addition to the Hurricane engine family. Turbocharged, it produces impressive power numbers: 324 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque This new engine is the strong type, it's just not the strong silent type. The Hurricane is a little on the noisy side during mild and hard acceleration.

But for the smaller Cherokee, Jeep has decided there's a market for hybrid power in a vehicle meant to hit the dirt. And they're not the only ones. Later this year, Subaru will bring hybrid power to its Wilderness trim package on the Forester. The pairing is a first for the brand.

"Lower emissions and better fuel economy is great from a practicality standpoint, and it obviously is something for that customer that cares about the environment. Wants to go out and enjoy the wilderness but also wants to protect it at the same time," said Bill Stokes with Subaru of America.

So yes, hybrid power is gaining traction across the automotive space. Quite noticeably, in the SUV space.