The Wrangler has long been the iconic Jeep. It’s the reason the Jeep brand exists; the Wrangler and its ancestors helped the Allies win the war and established the brand’s off-road credibility. But the Wrangler is not Jeep’s most influential vehicle. That honor goes to the more humble, not-always-Jeep Wave-worthy XJ-generation Cherokee, built from 1984 to 2001.
Jeep sold nearly three million XJ Cherokees. If you grew up outside wintry Detroit like I did, the XJ was ubiquitous. My parents had a Wagoneer model; my younger brother drove a Cherokee Sport; too many of my high school friends had them to bother enumerating. The XJ Cherokee was everywhere — even in Father of the Bride, as the practical companion to Steve Martin’s pristine Austin-Healey 3000.
One reason the XJ Cherokee become so popular was that it was ahead of its time. It was one of the first modern, compact sport utility vehicles that fused all-terrain capability, practicality and less-than-ogreish on-road manners. Thanks to successors/imitators like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Nissan Rogue, that template would become America’s default car. Upset that wagons have all but died in the American market? Blame the XJ Cherokee. After all, it was initially marketed as the “sportwagon.“
Another reason was the XJ Cherokee was brilliantly designed. Jeep gave it a simple, boxy design, and a strong and exceedingly durable engine (among a couple of less-notable powertrains). Despite not using a truck-based body-on-frame platform, the unibody Cherokee was also a capable and well-proportioned off-roader.
How awesome was the XJ Cherokee formula? When Chrysler bought Jeep in 1987, they inherited the XJ Cherokee…and kept it in the lineup for another 14 years.