Jeep updates Cherokee compact SUV to compete in hot market

Fiat Chrysler's Jeep brand is giving the Cherokee compact SUV a major facelift so it can better compete in one of the hottest parts of the U.S. automotive market.

The 2019 Cherokee, to be unveiled Tuesday at the Detroit auto show, will get styling tweaks, a new engine, suspension improvements and engineering changes that save 200 pounds and improve gas mileage.

The updated version gets a new 2-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 270 horsepower and technology that shuts it down at stoplights to save fuel. A polymer tailgate is among the changes that help save 200 pounds.

Fiat Chrysler wouldn't say the exact on-sale date for the revised Cherokee. Fuel mileage and pricing also will be released later.