Jeep Cherokee Overview

When Chrysler Corporation introduced the Jeep Grand Cherokee in 1992, popular wisdom dictated it would simply replace the existing Cherokee and the lovable but boxy and long-in-the-tooth sport utility would disappear. Not so. The Grand Cherokee is grand, but for a price. Chrysler had the sense to realize a niche remained in the segment for the older, less expensive Cherokee. They were, and are, right. The older Cherokee continues to sell at a brisk, perhaps even surprising, rate. Enough so to keep the manufacturing plant in Toledo going strong.

The major reason for the continued success of the Jeep Cherokee Sport is price. The four-door model we tested, with Command-Trac shift-on-the-fly 4WD system, air conditioning, a four-speed automatic transmission and a reasonable amount of optional equipment, came to a manufacturer's suggested retail price total of $20,768. This was the lowest of any midsize 4WD sport utility we tested. It impressed us-a lot.

You can do even better. Get a base model two-door with the 2.5-liter four and you can dial back to under $15,000. This puts you down in the company of the Geo Tracker and Suzuki Sidekick. Cherokee is available in three levels of trim and equipment-SE, Sport and Country. You also have two engine choices-the 2.5-liter, 130-horsepower four (standard on the SE) or the 4.0-liter 190-hp six (optional on SE and standard on Sport and Country). Command-Trac is a part-time 4WD system standard on all three models. The Select-Trac full-time 4WD system is optional on the Sport and Country models.