Jeep Lightly Restomods An Xj Cherokee To Be Nicer Instead Of Wilder

Jeep usually brings immoderate neat conception vehicles to nan Easter Jeep Safari, and this twelvemonth was nary exception. But what caught my oculus nan astir wasn't 1 of nan gonzo Wrangler concepts, nor nan Grand Wagoneer Commander built for off-roading successful style. It was nan humble two-door XJ Cherokee, sporting somewhat larger wheels and tires than stock, but different looking strikingly original. Jeep's press release has small to opportunity astir it beyond this 1 line: "The Jeep XJ Pioneer conception marks nan infinitesimal nan original 1984 Cherokee changed nan SUV landscape, tying that bequest to 85 years of Jeep practice and nan Cherokee nameplate's 2026 return."

But that severely understates what Jeep has done here. Road & Track sewage nan backmost communicative from Chris Piscatelli, the lead creation head for nan Wrangler and Gladiator.

"XJs, which is nan original Cherokees, which came retired successful Eighty-Four, are peculiarly adjacent and beloved to us. Myself included, being a kid of nan Eighties and anybody a procreation supra maine aliases beneath maine has a communicative that involves an XJ—whether it was somebody's sisters, mothers, brothers, champion friends, their ain first precocious schoolhouse car, their car successful college, thing they, you know, sewage that erstwhile they couldn't spend Wrangler to instrumentality pinch and turned it into their first existent off-road rig. Everybody's sewage that benignant of special, typical spot successful these cars."

Piscatelli is right. I learned to thrust successful my mom's 1987 Cherokee Laredo, and it was nan car I borrowed passim precocious schoolhouse until I got my first car. Minus nan beaded spot covers, this was my position from down nan instrumentality astatine nan opening of my driving career. I haven't seen an XJ interior that looked this bully since my mom had hers.

Jeep has nan intends to reconstruct moreover a worn-out XJ into this like-new condition, and that was nan original plan. However, erstwhile nan squad recovered a one-owner 1986 exemplary successful Nevada pinch conscionable 80,000 miles and a afloat work history, nan task turned into much of a preservation project. It would've made consciousness to driblet a hopped-up inline-6 nether nan hood, aliases moreover a modern V8. Instead, they kept nan 2.8-liter V6 it came with, a less-desirable General Motors motor that we erstwhile called "garbage," just to support this XJ's originality.

Bigger wheels and tires were required for Moab (the suspension is refreshed, but stock), and are 1 of nan fewer upgrades visible connected XJ Pioneer. Much little evident are nan carbon-fiber fenders surrounding nan enlarged instrumentality openings these tires required. The only measurement I could show they weren't original is that they transverse nan assemblage crease conscionable beneath nan doorway handles, while nan banal fenders extremity a fewer inches beneath it. They look great, a full batch amended than nan earthy cuts I usually spot connected lifted XJs.

The XJ is 1 of nan most important vehicles of nan past 50 years. Many of america person had them, driven them, and utilized and abused them. They haven't made them for 25 years, and location aren't galore examples near successful bully condition. I deliberation Stellantis made nan correct telephone to wantonness plans for a chaotic build connected this 1 and usage a ray restomod attack instead, preserving its fantabulous information arsenic good arsenic nan off-road capacity that made nan XJ a fable successful nan first place.