Jeep Cherokee (XJ) 4.0l Limited

[911T1971]

I’ve recently got a 1992 Jeep Cherokee 4.0l Limited for winter driving over here in snowy Switzerland.
Always fond of its design and history, I since discovered there is already a large community with a cult-like following. Mine is a one owner car, owned new by an older gentleman until a few weeks ago...Stock original and never taken offroad, paperwork all complete and w 110k kil.

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First trip was....Stuttgart Porsche factory. Here the parking lot underneath the museum.
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[Jim Garfield]

I have a '99. I too always liked the design and think that it has aged well. I looked for a nice one for a couple of years, all of them in the Northeast seemed to have rust issues. I found mine in the south, it had been towed behind a large RV to use as transportation at their destinations. The underside looked brand new so I immediately had it Waxoyled. They are a little crude compared to new SUVs, but the 4.0 will run forever, and the crudeness has a charm similar to old Defenders.

It doesn't hurt that it was chosen by Bob Cumberford as one of the 20 greatest auto designs: http://www.automobilemag.com/news/jeep-cherokee-2/

"Great designs never grow old, a truth no better confirmed than by designer Dick Teague’s masterpiece, the Jeep Cherokee. Possibly the best SUV shape of all time, it is the paradigmatic model to which other designers have since aspired. Its face unmistakably says Jeep, even in the slightly overwrought face-lifts that appeared during its seventeen-year production life. The simplicity and directness of its boxy lines are perfect for what the car was-and is, as tens of thousands are still on the road-and the practicality of the shape is self-evident. Today’s ubiquitous tall 4×4 station wagons all owe their existence to the Cherokee and its resounding commercial success. Without the Cherokee, there would have been no Toyota RAV-4 or Honda CR-V. Like all Jeeps of its era, the ’80s Cherokee was extremely capable off-road; it was actually better in the bad stuff than on the highway. Nonetheless, it was much sought after as a particularly handsome urban vehicle when a striking all-black-with-gold-stripe livery transformed it from truck to limousine in the eyes of countless suburban owners. Renault owned American Motors when the Cherokee was developed, and starting in 1985, its own 2.1-liter diesel engine was an option. So equipped, the Cherokee sold extremely well outside the States, which was unusual for an American vehicle. Initially available with a General Motors 2.8-liter V-6 and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine derived from an AMC in-line six designed by Franois Castaing (the brilliant Renault engineer who introduced turbochargers to Formula 1), the Cherokee eventually had a 190-hp, 4.0-liter straight six. Its successor, the rounder, “cute-ute” Liberty, has never captured the Cherokee’s market share, despite being roomier, smoother riding, and just as capable off-road. Better styling equals better sales; it’s a lesson DaimlerChrysler should take to heart.


Robert Cumberford,
Automotive Design Editor"


Or that it's on the list of 15 cars that you can drive forever: https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/...die/index.html

From Kiplinger: "Model years: 1987-2001*

We're going to make an exception to our “no-trucks” rule for the Jeep Cherokee. For one thing, it's not really a truck. As the first small crossover in the U.S., it did not have traditional body-on-frame construction of a traditional SUV.

Despite that, and despite being the last gasp of the dying American Motors Corporation, it did have Jeep toughness in its DNA, excellent off-road abilities and a well-proven, durable, straight-6 engine. Many Cherokees are still roaming America's secondary roads—and Europe as well, in a turbodiesel variant. That comes with a caveat, notes Edmunds’ Drury. “It will drive,” he says, “but is everything working? Probably not. A window might not go down, or a speaker might be out.”

For owners willing to put up with those sorts of niggling problems (or fix them themselves), the Jeep Cherokee can be an interesting combination of a vehicle that will go just about anywhere—and keep doing so for a long time.

*The Cherokee, known in-house as the XJ, was produced beginning in 1984, but we’re starting with 1987, the first year the straight-6 engine was offered."

[911T1971]

Yeah, discovered all this above since I bought it. Its bigger brother Wagoneer SJ is already a collection item, looks like the XJ will follow.
Indeed, design line-up w Land Rover Defender and Range Rover is obvious. (I learned that actually it was the other way around: The original 1948 Land Rover was modelled closely after the Willis Jeep and the 1970 Range Rover took close inspiration from the luxury equipped 1962 Kaiser Jeep Wagoneer).

The XJ was a huge sales success and with its powerful engine and luxury equipment, laid the base for today‘s SUV market, being it Volvo, Jaguar or Porsche.
I kind of knew but at the same time, didnt realise it.

[beh911]

The historical roots of the engines on these go way back.

My brother had one in college (early 90s) and it threw a rod out of seemingly nowhere (it was perfectly maintained, mint, relatively low mileage), burning to the ground on the side of the highway in a matter of minutes.

My other brother had a two door Cherokee, mid 90s, that traveled twice a year for many years, from Raleigh North Carolina to Anchorage, Alaska, "taking the scenic route". Never missed a beat. He lost it over a guardrail-less steep grade gravely iced over mess on the outskirts of Anchorage one dark February night. It may still be at the bottom of that ravine.

My late father bought a brand new one in 2000 for pulling a large center console boat (a Parker for your boat folks) all over Eastern NC. That example still exists in the mountains of western North Carolina, seeing heavy duty, with hundreds of thousands of miles on the clock. Same Alaska brother at the wheel.

Enjoy yours!

[911T1971]

In the nineties while living in the US, I drove a AMC Eagle. Always missed that car, XJ is now its spiritual successor.