(Updated 9/16/2026) What has always impressed me about the XJ Cherokee is how it manages to look so much bigger than it actually is. Measure for measure, it’s almost identical to the tiny Chevrolet Trax and only six-inches longer than the comical Ford Ecosport. I was actually convinced that its Liberty replacement was smaller until I looked at the specs. Of course this was accomplished using small front and rear doors and compromising passenger space, but I would prefer to be seen in one of these over any modern crossover in its size class.
Good design has its rewards, and not only was the Cherokee sold in the U.S. all the way until 2001, but versions of it were produced around the world until 2014. That’s one hell of a run.
The following review was written on April 18, 1999.
Despite the fact that it’s entering its seventeenth season, the Cherokee is still a good seller for Chrysler’s Jeep division (trivia: Chrysler paid only a little more money to purchase Jeep than it would have cost to develop an SUV of its own). Part of the reason is the Jeep mystique: There are Jeeps, and then there are girly-man SUVs, and the Cherokee’s ability to take a small family to the outer reaches of the Yukon is one of the primary factors of its longevity. The sharp-edge styling is nearly unchanged and unmistakably Jeep. Its age is betrayed by the flat windshield, recessed windows, and grooves in the side body panels, an old styling touch.
Stepping inside is like stepping back in time. While a 1997 update modernized the dash, console and most of the controls, it still feels totally Eighties. You open a small door and step into a cramped interior with limited glass area. Most adults will find their knees jammed up against the seat back in the rear. The square body lends nicely to the cargo area, but the vertically-mounted spare tire takes up a lot of space. While it’s technically classified as a mid-size SUV, its dimensions are actually closer to the compacts like the Suzuki Vitara.
But the compacts don’t have a big-mamma 4.0-liter in-line six. Although abrasive sounding, it accelerates the Cherokee with authority. They also don’t have the Cherokee’s Selec-Trac four-wheel drive system, which allows you to select two-wheel drive for better gas mileage, part-time four-wheel drive for foul weather and off-road conditions, or full-time four-wheel drive. However, the ride is extremely harsh and bouncy, and wind-noise as well as engine and road noise is commensurate with some airplanes.
All of this would be more acceptable if the price wasn’t over $27,000, which is the tally for our fully loaded, leather, power-everything Cherokee Limited. Please take my advice and get a base Grand Cherokee, which is still well equipped and a world-class modern SUV for about the same money. If you must have a Jeep and your budget is limited, the base SE with four-wheel drive starts at a more reasonable $18,600.
For more information contact 1-800-925-JEEP
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: Four-door Sport-Utility Vehicle
Engine: 190-horsepower, 4.0 liter inline-6
Transmission: Four-speed Automatic
EPA Mileage: 16 city/21 highway
Tested Price: $27,260
Note: Another in a series of my reviews that appeared in the online version of African Americans On Wheels, a now defunct automotive magazine that was included as an insert in the Sunday newspapers of major cities.
Your comment about the harsh and bouncy ride reminded me of my first time in an SUV. My car was in the shop and they loaned me a GMC Jimmy or Chev Blazer for a couple of days. It felt like driving a rubber ball, as a first impression. I got to like the jounce but at a hint that I would ever buy one, Mrs. Lee would have none of it.
A friend had one of these Cherokees for over fifteen years. I can’t say what the final reason for its demise was, other than fatigue after years of service. It did not succumb to rust here in the belt. I had a couple of rides in it when it was getting up there, and it felt and rode very solidly.
Thanks for this writeup. You sure did get a variety of cars to review back then.
” It did not succumb to rust here in the belt.”
Surprising to hear, as they do tend to rust fairly prolifically.
During the ‘Cash4Clunkers’ fiasco, there was a video of the ‘cocktail’ which killed the engine being poured down the carburetor of this era Jeep Cherokee. The old girl tried valiantly to stay alive and lasted quite a bit longer than most. For even the most casual car enthusiast, it was rather sad.
My inlaws had a 1990 or so Laredo version which was a wonderful SUV to drive back then, I thoroughly enjoyed the 4.0 and love these, after the Wrangler this for me is pretty much the definitive Jeep. Not sure why I never had one myself. $27k for this version though is a lot, doubtless it was loaded up with options and as you pointed out they started much more reasonably.
Had many of these in my company fleet. Nearly indestructible, but very uncomfortable and pigs on gas. Our sales people would buy them after the lease was up for their kids. One was famously known as the “Blue Dent” as it had seen many, many bumps and bruises but refused to die.
You’re not wrong about the misconceptions that timeless styling gave. I thought these still-handsome beasts were sizeable – until I once got a lift in one.
As I approached said thing, I thought firstly, “Ooh, I’ve have had more to drink than I thought, it’s the same size here as it was from over there”. But next, as I folded myself into an approximation of a deflated and folded airbed just to get through the rear door, I realized it might even be smaller than a distance view had had it.
I don’t really know what happened thereafter, as my view was blocked by my knees in the yoga position I had bent into, but I did get home, and it took only ten minutes or so to extract me once there.
They were really nice folk, and even paid the chiropractic bills for several years after.
That photo could be of my buddy’s car that we take out on the beach in North Carolina every year. He has rebuilt everything except the engine at least once, but it still presents just like the photograph. Transmission, transfer case, axles, driveshafts, steering, and suspension have all been refreshed at least once in just the past five years. Sometimes we return at reduced speed because something is trying to shake itself apart, but we always make it home in this particular Jeep. That puts it ahead of every Wrangler I’ve ever been a passenger in off-road. He bought it new and is committed to keeping it going indefinitely.
I had a 96 Cherokee, 4WD with the 6 and a 5-speed. Got it to replace my 4 cyl 87 Mustang when my first son was born. (Even with the tiny back doors it was easier to put a car seat in that than the Mustang.) It was a lot of fun to drive and actually handled reasonably well. With the 4.0 and stick it would really jump when you put your foot down, and liked how smooth the inline 6 was. (I saw something about the possible reemergence of I6s and am hoping…)
It was quite reliable except for 2 water pumps (the second was a rebuild) and a steering damper (which was frightening). By the time I sold it with 120k the rear diff was howling, but I’m willing to blame that on myself for never servicing it, even after submerging it once. (The diff, not the Jeep!)
I’ve gone through 3 water pumps on my 96, even after multiple coolant flushes. One sounded like a rod knocking and the bearing was wobbling. The other two just locked up without warning. I thought perhaps I’d been setting the belt too tight, but after getting the proper tension gauge, I found that I had been setting it well under the recommended tension. As I only set it tight enough to stop any slipping or squealing. Must just be the cheap parts at the chain stores these days.
They say to limit the 4.0 with stick to 2000 lbs. I tow 3000-3500 lbs every year quite easily. Just barely bump it in first gear to get moving, no need to sit and burn the clutch. However I wouldn’t put the 5000 lb limit behind one of these, automatic or not.
The 1997 redesign took a lot of cost out of the XJ. It was updated but made substantially cheaper. The galvanized coating on the subframe and rockers disappeared, hastening rust. The fiberglass hatch was replaced with steel that also rusted. The complex padded and carpeted door panels were replaced with simple hard plastic moldings. The 2wd axle disconnect mechanism was deleted, reducing fuel efficiency.
Clearly the pre 97 XJs were better vehicles. Peak XJ was the early 90s when reliable Chrysler electronics replaced the funky Renix systems, and a Mopar rear axle replaced the weaker Dana 30, but before OBD II and the 97 redesign.
IMO 96 is the peak. It got the OBD, and an airbag, but not the redesign. You can recognize a 96 because it has one piece seatbacks in the front (no separate headrests) but the old body style. I assume the seatback was related to the addition of the airbag but I could be wrong.
I just wish they could have put headrests on the back seats – I would have kept it longer if I felt my kids were safe in the back.
My mail carrier drives an ex-JDM Cherokee from this era, I actually spotted it in traffic before I saw her delivering in it because of the turn signal repeaters above the front wheels (odd looking spot) and tall rear headrests. Very tall.
I agree, I think pre 97 was the best. But I thought that axle disconnect went away after 91. More trouble than it was worth IMO.
I realize there are only so many ways to design a boxy station wagon body, but I’ve always felt that the person who first drew the XJ body was staring at photos of a Volvo 145/245.
Don’t know about Volvo influence since boxy was the style fad, but any XJ enthusiast should know that the designer was Richard Teague, one of the more creative American stylists. The backseat is indeed tight, as I learned when I got a look at my coworker’s new one ca. 1990, unsurprising as it, like many SUVs since, needs a high floor for ground clearance. Although I’m not a Jeep enthusiast, this model has my respect.
Renault had a say in it, and they did well as they insisted on more Europe-friendly size and design, unusual for American-built cars.
My uncle glen had a sand brown one in the 90s right before he and my aunt divorced, and I can attest as a freakin 7 year old the back seat and door was tight! I wonder if the 2 door might actually have better ingress/egress for both front and rear passengers.
Back then I had actually thought the 1997 refresh was a actually a reintroduction of the model. I had thought thought the pre facelift ones were all made in the 80s, and that there was a hiatus in between. My uncles was an 88 I think, and I remember them being somewhat uncommon until 97 where it seemed like a brief surge of sales dotted the landscape with them again. Despite their faults I still think they’re the coolest Jeeps behind CJ/wranglers and the SJ. I’ve been tempted to buy one whenever I see one on Craigslist in my price range
The XJ has almost the same footprint as a PT Cruiser.
I had a 97, my wife had an 86. Mine was a 4.0/auto/NP231 Sport…pretty basic with crank windows and no ABS. (Had A/C and cruise, though.) I sold mine with 210,000 miles, still on the original A/C compressor, radiator, water pump, fuel pump, and master cylinder.
Hers was a 2.8/auto/NP228 Pioneer, bought with a bad engine (they run better with coolant) and 290,000+miles. It got a 3.4 GM crate motor, and she drove it…and drove it…and drove it…and drove it. 230,000+ miles later, the transmission was slipping (astoundingly, it looked to never have been rebuilt!). That we could fix…but not the serious cracking in the unit body. It was retired with 523,000 total miles.
Bought my 98
Cherokee Classic with 8 miles on her right outta HS and only parted with her last year with 509k trouble free hard awesome miles. They’ll never be another tractor engined shoebox tank like that. Jeeps today are for soccer moms wanting to be higher up to pay for their mocha lattes at Starbucks. I was the last guy in my subdivision with a working tape player, cigarette lighter and actual torque. Sadly I own a Land cruiser today only because I’ve read the may go the distance my original girl did but after 22 years together there’s no amount of money I’d spend all over again just to hear and feel that good old straight 6 start up again.
I bought two new Cherokee’s. The first was a 1989 4 door Laredo 4×4, 4.0, 231 transfer case, towing package. Then I bought a 2001 4 door Limited, 4×4, 4.0, 242 transfer case, towing package. XJ Cherokee’s were my daily driver for 35 years.
Did they have a less than smooth ride? Yes, but it was short and narrow and built to have off road capabilities. But I never found the ride to be wearing. I could drive hundreds of miles in a day and not feel worn out. In fact a former Jeep engineer once posted on Allpar that the suspension was tuned in such a way that the vehicle movement wouldn’t fatigue drivers in spite of the ride.
I definitely miss the superior maneuverability of the XJ around town. Quick steering, tight turning radius, excellent outward visibility with all the glass area.
Petersen’s 4 Wheel & Off Road magazine in its 4×4 of the year competitions said the XJ was like a sports car on road (MG, Spitfire, that sort of sports car).
A friend owned of these in the late 90’s/early naughts, an early model equipped with a 2.5, 4 cylinder turbodiesel (quite common in Europe) with Selec-Trac.
Fully agree on the ’80s look and regarding the dimensions: it looked bulky but was no larger than medium sedan. We had some long trips with it and it did not feel tiring as a passenger, although it was very noisy. It was quite unpleasant to drive, the engine was underpowered and he had a lot of overheating issue.
Most of the faults of the vehicle were simply due to the fact that it was used for things a normal car could have done more economically and with more comfort; the problem in such cases is the owner, not the Jeep
The diesel engine however was just a bad choice
As a kid we had a 85, 2 door, 2.5, 4 speed. Kept it for about 10 years, by then the carb kept loosening and it burned oil, but the 4WD always worked. Living on a hill in the Michigan sticks, something like that was a necessity.
Later on in 2015, I got my own. 96, 4 door, 4.0, 5 speed. I use it for winter, and to tow things. It developed a big rust hole in the floor, so I pulled the carpet and found most of the floor and part of the uniframe was rotted. So I bought 4 sheets of steel from work for about $250, and spent a whole summer rebuilding everything. It’s nice and solid now. I still have to do the outer rockers but that’s mostly cosmetic.
To me it’s always worth keeping these going. There is practically no end to the amount of replacement parts out there at any level, stock, beefed up, modified. And built so simple, easy to work on. Still a huge following and knowledge base.
I’m not too fond of the 97-00 models. Additional computer controlled things. And I believe around 99 or 2000 they changed the rock solid 4.0 to an aluminum head that was finicky, especially a certain group of serial numbers.
These are definitely on the small side, of course so is almost everything from back then compared to now. Especially noticeable in my parking lot at work. But even still, I dated someone once who literally could not fit in my Jeep front seat. But she could fit in my Geo Tracker, which has wider doors and seats. I’m a small guy and can fit into any car. I don’t even like driving (or working on) full size cars and trucks, way too much open space around me and a long reach to everything.
Well I guess it doesn’t matter what I do, my Jeep will remain rolled over. Need one of those no problem/problem tire covers.
Back in the day my AMC service rep came down and let me drive one before the release date. That 6 was tremendous.
We took on CPD couple of years later and I the same rep came down to let me drive a 2.2 Turbo prototype.