Saw two new Jeep Cherokee's today.

[Kira]

Hello, I was a caregiver for 2 XJ's, an '88 and a '99, over a 15 year run. We all knew at least a little something about the XJ's. I'm certain that everyone's total lack of familiarity with this vehicle has to be unsettling. The absence of any flat surfaces make this vehicle foreign to our memories.

Could you imagine the shock if this vehicle rolled of the assembly line as the 2002 Cherokee?

The front end has grown on me a bit. This vehicle's back end is ... ehh

There have been some real automotive design shocks in my day.
The cute little Ford Falcon of my childhood became fierce in 1967; a "look shock"
The GM Chevy Novas became Toyota Corolla Novas in the '80's; a dropped line followed by a carry on car.
The Pontiac GTO became the Chevy Nova/Pontiac GTO; shameless as a Cimarron.
New 2014 Cherokee; a name reissue after a 10 year absence. Cherokee II? Kira

 

[UNC017]

Oh seriously!

Its no uglier than any RAV-4, new Escape, CR-V, or any of its other competition. They're all putrid to me and its no longer what many of us would call a real Cherokee, but it does answer what the market demands. The market isn't clamoring for vehicles like the old Cherokee. So much so that the FJ Cruiser is gone from the Canadian market and on life-support in the US market (granted, it tweren't no Cherokee either and its stylistic weirdness is part of the problem). I'm just glad the Wrangler is still around.

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
As someone who owns the below Cherokee, the new 'Cherokee' is an outright disgrace.


I for one embrace the archaic, lovable simplicity of the XJ. Saying it's a disgrace though is misguided fanatacism, at best.

Check out the stats for your Cherokee (with the 4.0L I-6):

In quite literally every single category (as well, the objective handling measurements missing in this comparison), the new Cherokee is superior.

Since I know where you're going...yes, your ride is going to excel when wheeling, but lets be honest -- the vast, overwhelming majority of vehicles aren't purchased for that purpose, especially when it comes to small SUV's (as 440Magnum just said). They're two different vehicles, designed for two different times, sharing nothing but a name.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam

Since I know where you're going...yes, your ride is going to excel when wheeling, but lets be honest -- the vast, overwhelming majority of vehicles aren't purchased for that purpose, especially when it comes to small SUV's. They're two different vehicles, designed for two different times, sharing nothing but a name.



That may not even be the case with the Trailhawk. Double the low range and a rear locker? A stock Upcountry XJ would be put to the test, IMO.

 

[Warstud]

The 90's Grand Cherokee was the best looking. Not to crazy about that one.

 

[97tbird]

Eww.

 

[Vikas]

The thing is the Grand Cherokee looks very nice. The downsizing effort just did not seem to have gone well at all. Unfortunately, my son still lusts after this thing.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Rand
that the new ford jeep escape?

looks like a minivan had babies with a ford escape.


Agreed. Escape minivan.

 

[GumbyJarvis]

Originally Posted By: salv
Awful looking vehicles. It rides the same Alfa Romeo/Fiat platform that the Dodge Dart does. The 3.2 V6 is a smaller bore version of the 3.6 Pentastar, which is an Alfa Romeo design.
It is a wimpy crossover that cannot hold a candle to the rugged XJ's and their full sized predecessors.
I bet it won't be any more reliable than a Fiat or Alfa, which isn't good.



Oh boohoo, saying Fiat isn't reliable based off their cars years ago is akin to still saying Quaker State / Pennzoil is full of wax and will sludge your engine.

 

[Number21]

As a long time XJ owner I was insulted the first commercial I saw about it. Disgusting. If you want to make those kind of cars for women, great, don't call it a Jeep Cherokee. Chrysler needs to retire the Jeep brand with dignity instead of pooping all over it. They haven't made Jeeps in a long time.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: Miller88
As someone who owns the below Cherokee, the new 'Cherokee' is an outright disgrace.


I for one embrace the archaic, lovable simplicity of the XJ. Saying it's a disgrace though is misguided fanatacism, at best.

Check out the stats for your Cherokee (with the 4.0L I-6):

In quite literally every single category (as well, the objective handling measurements missing in this comparison), the new Cherokee is superior.

Since I know where you're going...yes, your ride is going to excel when wheeling, but lets be honest -- the vast, overwhelming majority of vehicles aren't purchased for that purpose, especially when it comes to small SUV's (as 440Magnum just said). They're two different vehicles, designed for two different times, sharing nothing but a name.


And every single one of those tests is NOT what the XJ Cherokee was supieror in.

The XJ Cherokee was simple, reliable, rough and ready. We won't be hearing stories 20 years from now how this new ... thing ... can go 300K miles. We won't see people buying one for $500 out of someone's bad yard and beating the living daylights out of it on trails and having it drive home.

They just aren't as well built. They are a car.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Number21
As a long time XJ owner I was insulted the first commercial I saw about it. Disgusting. If you want to make those kind of cars for women, great, don't call it a Jeep Cherokee. Chrysler needs to retire the Jeep brand with dignity instead of pooping all over it. They haven't made Jeeps in a long time.


The Wrangler won't be solid axle much longer ...

 

[jeepman3071]

Considering the release of the new KL Cherokee was delayed 3 times due to transmission programming issues, I bet it will be real reliable.

I wouldn't mind so much about the name if it wasn't so ugly.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
The Wrangler won't be solid axle much longer ...



That would be a crying shame. Although open up opportunity to offer solid axle conversions.

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: Number21
As a long time XJ owner I was insulted the first commercial I saw about it. Disgusting. If you want to make those kind of cars for women, great, don't call it a Jeep Cherokee. Chrysler needs to retire the Jeep brand with dignity instead of pooping all over it. They haven't made Jeeps in a long time.


The Wrangler won't be solid axle much longer ...


I bet you're wrong on that. Jeep is on-record as saying that the Wrangler (if nothing else in the lineup) will always be offroad-first.

Now, if they manage to solve all the problems of IRS/IFS for wheeling at a cost that is sellable, more power to them. I'm not pro solid axle for solid axle's sake. A military Hummvee is fully independently sprung and seems to crawl just fine. But the tech used (geared hubs, just to name one aspect) doesn't make it worthwhile for a civvy vehicle when solid axles perform just as well for a fraction of the cost and maintenance.

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
And every single one of those tests is NOT what the XJ Cherokee was supieror in.

The XJ Cherokee was simple, reliable, rough and ready. We won't be hearing stories 20 years from now how this new ... thing ... can go 300K miles. We won't see people buying one for $500 out of someone's bad yard and beating the living daylights out of it on trails and having it drive home.


Ah, yes...the junkyard quotient. Wonderful reasoning to dismiss the new model, Miller.

Originally Posted By: Miller88
They just aren't as well built. They are a car.


Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies.

 

[UNC017]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: Miller88
As someone who owns the below Cherokee, the new 'Cherokee' is an outright disgrace.


I for one embrace the archaic, lovable simplicity of the XJ. Saying it's a disgrace though is misguided fanatacism, at best.

Check out the stats for your Cherokee (with the 4.0L I-6):

In quite literally every single category (as well, the objective handling measurements missing in this comparison), the new Cherokee is superior.
.


You know what surprises me about that table, having not looked at anything like that in 15 years or so? How soundly the XJ HAMMERED most everything else on that list except the Esca/bute! People today whine about the 4.0 XJ being "underpowered" and "having a tractor engine." But God's honest truth: when Chrysler stripped the Renix fuel management off and created the 4.0 "HO", the automotive press let out a collective gasp at how fast the thing was, especially in the lightweight XJ. And it wasn't exactly pokey in '84 with Renix injection, either. There was even a police version in the early 90s.

And don't dismiss the on-road handling of the XJ out-of-hand, either. People forget that solid axles generally turn in excellent skidpad numbers on smooth pavement, and need less stabilizer bar to minimize weight transfer than independent suspension often does. No camber change with body roll, after all. Their downfall is how badly they degrade when one wheel bounces over a rough spot and reduces traction on the other wheel. In most driving, the XJ Cherokee actually handles pretty well, even though the ride is rough and the steering center feel is sloppy. There's a reason they didn't have the high rollover rates that some other "more modern" SUVs of their era had.

Time passes, things change, and tech evolves. Independent suspension still isn't where solid axles are for offroading, but it may get there. Some people still love manually engaging/disengaging part-time 4x4 transfer cases (me included!) just like some people enjoy shifting fully manual transmissions (not just closet automatics with dry clutches and paddle shifters). But OBJECTIVELY, fully automatic 4x4 systems like the new Cherokee has are closing the gap and may even be better for the once-a-year offroader and snow driving, just like automatics are better for most drivers nowdays. That's even more true for the Grand Cherokee with its longitudinal engine and rear-bias driveline- that's a problem vehicles like the new Cherokee, sideways-engine Explorer, RAV-4, CRV, etc. will never get away from. But most buyers can live with it.

I spent a lot of years thinking "every Jeep offered should follow the Wrangler drivetrain template." But I'm gradually seeing that they need to be more diverse to compete... as long as they still DO offer a Wrangler with a two-stick drivetrain option for the purists.

 

[SteveSRT8]

No one here knows much of anything about the new Cherokee.

No one knows how reliable it will be. Delaying it's intro to fine tune the trans programming was a good thing, the trans is yet another in a line of nearly flawless units from ZF. Used by everyone from Bentley to Jaguar to BMW, etc.

Also, no one knows how long it will last. It's entirely possible that it is a HUGE step forward in durability and may outlast even the (Gasp!) old model!

And finally, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Somewhere somebody just LOVES the new look. Let's see how it sells.

I am of the opinion Jeep needed to do something radical to insure their continued success...

 

[demarpaint]

I got to see one up close the other day, I'm not in love with the look, it's not really that bad either. When I compare it to the CRV, Escape, or RAV4, I like it more.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. I'm going to go out on a limb and say I think it is going to sell very well. IMO it would look a lot better if they did something with those cheesy headlights. As with all first year new vehicles I'd pass and let others do the final product testing.

 

[Zaedock]

Off road is my hobby. I am immersed in it and have my YJ and buggy built to tackle terrain you can't walk on. That said, Jeep needs to keep up with the times. Fuel, comfort, safety, etc. are needed to stay competitive and in business. Our '89 Cherokee has been awesome, but take away the 33's and rear locker and stock for stock, the new Trailhawk could kick some serious tail.

It looks freak'n wacked out, but the inside is pretty nice and I'd love to try a Trailhawk on some of the mild trails here.

IMO, the aftermarket will respond and I think at some point we'll see some lifted KL's running around the weekend trails and getting groceries during the week, just like what the XJ was made for.

Jeep'n is about keeping an open mind.