The Jeep Cherokee is a line of sport utility vehicles (SUV) manufactured and marketed by Jeep over five generations. Marketed initially as a variant of the Jeep Wagoneer (SJ), the Cherokee has evolved from a full-size SUV to one of the first compact SUVs and into its last generation as a crossover SUV.
Production of the Cherokee ended in February 2023. The Cherokee nameplate was since only used by the Grand Cherokee and its longer version, the Grand Cherokee L.[1]
The Cherokee was a rebadged reintroduction of a two-door body style Jeep Wagoneer, with a redesigned greenhouse that eliminated the car's C-pillar. Instead, the Cherokee featured a much broader D-pillar and a single, long fixed rear side window with an optional flip-out section. Previously, a two-door version was available in the Jeep Wagoneer line (from 1963 through 1967). However, this had the same pillar and window configuration as the four-door Wagoneer. The Cherokee replaced the Jeepster Commando, whose sales had not met expectations despite an extensive 1972 revamp. The Cherokee appealed to a younger market than the Wagoneer, which was regarded more as a family SUV.[2]
The Cherokee was first revealed in late 1973 and it was marketed as the "sporty" two-door variant of Jeep's station wagon that went beyond the CJ-5 in interior space with off-road ability.[3] The term "sport(s) utility vehicle" appears for the first time in the 1974 Cherokee sales brochure.[4][5] A four-door was added to the lineup for the 1977 model year. In addition to the base model, the trim levels of the Cherokee included the S (Sport), Chief, Golden Eagle, Golden Hawk, Limited, Classic, Sport, Pioneer, and Laredo.
While the full-sized Wagoneer continued production for another eight years as the Grand Wagoneer, the Cherokee nameplate was moved to a new platform starting with the 1984 model year and continuing through 2001. Without a traditional body-on-frame chassis, the Cherokee instead featured a lightweight unibody design.[6]
This generation of Cherokee would eventually be well known as the innovator of the modern SUV, as it spawned competitors, and other automakers noticed that this Jeep design began replacing regular cars.[7] It also began to supplant the role of the station wagon and "transformed from truck to limousine in the eyes of countless suburban owners."[8] The XJ is a "significant link in the evolution of the 4x4."[9]
It would prove so popular that the second generation Cherokee's replacement was released as a separate vehicle, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, starting a successive line of Jeep flagship models.
The third generation, marketed as the"' Jeep Liberty'" in North America to differentiate it from the Grand Cherokee, was introduced in April 2001 for the 2002 model year. It was sold as the Jeep Cherokee in markets outside of North America.
The Cherokee was priced between the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. It remained the smallest of the four-door Jeep SUVs until the crossover-based four-door Compass and Patriot were introduced for the 2007 model year. The Cherokee featured unibody construction. It was assembled at the Toledo North Assembly Plant in the United States and other countries, including Egypt and Venezuela.
The KJ was the first Jeep vehicle to use rack and pinion steering.[10] It was also the first Jeep to feature the newly introduced "PowerTech" engines; the 150hp (112kW; 152PS) 2.4L I4, which was used until 2006, and the 210hp (157kW; 213PS) 3.7L V6. The KJ Cherokee was also the second Jeep vehicle to incorporate an independent front suspension, with the 1963 Wagoneer first to feature this as an option on four-wheel-drive.[11]
Continuing to be marketed as the Jeep Liberty in North America, the Cherokee was redesigned in 2008. For the first time, a rebadged fourth-generation Cherokee was marketed by Dodge as the Nitro. The Nitro was discontinued after 2011, and Sergio Marchionne wanted to avoid duplicate vehicles with Dodge and Jeep (as well as Chrysler) sharing the same sales network.
The four-cylinder engine was dropped from the Cherokee's models because the smaller Patriot and Compass offered greater fuel efficiency. The iron-block, aluminum-head V6 became the standard engine with the 2008 models. The towing capacity was 5,000 pounds (2,268kg). Jeep discontinued the Cherokee's CRD for the American market because it could not meet the more rigid 2007 emissions standards for diesel engines. Transmission choices were both carry-overs: a six-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Standard equipment included electronic stability control with roll mitigation, traction control, and anti-lock brakes with brake assist. New Features included standard side airbags. Optional features were rain-sensing wipers, Sirius Satellite Radio, Bluetooth, a navigation system, and the MyGig entertainment system with a 30GBhard drive.
For the fifth generation, the Cherokee nameplate returned to North America as the vehicle was converted to a crossover and grew to midsize to make room for the Jeep Renegade below the Cherokee and Compass. It was introduced for the 2014 model year at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, with sales starting in November 2013.[12][13] The Cherokee is the first Jeep vehicle to be built on the Fiat Compact/Compact U.S. Wide platform, co-developed by Chrysler and Fiat.[14]
The Cherokee has a highway fuel economy rating of 31 miles per U.S. gallon (7.6L/100km; 37mpg‑imp)[14] and a 45% better fuel economy rating than the Liberty/Cherokee it replaced.[13][15]
The front end was updated for the 2018 model year,and a new 2.0L turbo engine became available, rated with 270hp (201kW; 274PS) and 295 pound force-feet (400N⋅m) of torque. The other engines included the 3.2L V6 and 2.4L inline-four.
For the 2021 model year, Jeep added more standard comfort and convenience features on each trim, as well as introduced the Latitude Lux and related 80th Anniversary trims.[16]
The vehicle was launched in 1973 for the 1974 model year, and the Cherokee Nation had not asked Jeep about the name, there is no copyright on the Cherokee name, and the tribe was not offered royalties for using the name.[17] At that time the names were "carefully chosen and nurtured over the years to honor and celebrate Native American people for their nobility, prowess, and pride."[18]
In February 2021, Chuck Hoskin, Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, called for Jeep to change the vehicle's name. "I think we're in a day and age in this country where it's time for both corporations and team sports to retire the use of Native American names, images and mascots from their products, team jerseys and sports in general." "I'm sure this comes from a place that is well-intended, but it does not honor us by having our name plastered on the side of a car." "The best way to honor us is to learn about our sovereign government, our role in this country, our history, culture, and language and have meaningful dialogue with federally recognized tribes on cultural appropriateness."[19][20] The use of Native-oriented names and brands "are particularly fraught, because they cannot be disentangled from the harrowing history of mistreatment and land dispossession in the United States."[21]
By March 2021, Carlos Tavares stated that Stellantis was open to dropping the Cherokee name from its vehicles, and "the company was in talks with the Cherokee Nation over the use of tribe's name on its SUVs."[18] Following the discussions, Jeep will continue the Cherokee name on some versions of the vehicles.[22] In 2023, the Cherokee was discontinued "after 49 years of serving as a staple in Jeep's lineup, as well as the foundation for many modern SUVs" but the larger Grand Cherokee model continued.[23][24]
Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from their previous owner American Motors Corporation (AMC).
The Jeep Wrangler is a series of compact and mid-size four-wheel drive off-road SUVs manufactured by Jeep since 1986, and currently in its fourth generation. The Wrangler JL, the most recent generation, was unveiled in late 2017 and is produced at Jeep's Toledo Complex.
The Dodge Durango is a mid-size SUV produced by Dodge starting with the 1998 model year. The first two generations were very similar in that both were based on the Dodge Dakota and Dodge Ram, both featured a body-on-frame construction and both were produced at the Newark Assembly Plant in Newark, Delaware through the 2009 model year.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a range of mid-size SUVs produced by the American manufacturer Jeep. At its introduction, while most SUVs were still manufactured with body-on-frame construction, the Grand Cherokee has used a unibody chassis from the start.
The Jeep Liberty is a four door unibody compact SUV manufactured and marketed by Jeep for model years 2002–2012 over two generations, internally designated the KJ (2002–2007) and KK (2008–2012), respectively. Both generations were marketed globally, including as the Jeep Cherokee outside North America.
The Jeep Wagoneer is a luxury 4×4 produced and marketed under the Jeep brand, which was owned by successive automakers from 1962 through 1991. Described when it was introduced as a station wagon body style, the innovative concept by industrial designer Brooks Stevens and Dave Nutting over time pioneered the luxury "sport utility vehicle" (SUV).
The Jeep Commander is a mid-size SUV that was manufactured from 2005 to 2010 by the Jeep division of the American manufacturer Chrysler.
The Jeep Compass is a compact crossover SUV introduced for the 2007 model year, and is currently in its second generation. The first generation Compass and Patriot, its rebadged variant, were among Jeep's first crossover SUVs. The second-generation Compass debuted in September 2016 in Brazil and at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November 2016, sharing a modified platform with the Renegade. It is positioned between the smaller Renegade and the larger Cherokee globally or the Commander in South America.
The Toledo Assembly Complex is a 3,640,000 sq ft (338,000 m2) automotive factory complex in Toledo, Ohio. Now owned by Stellantis North America, sections of the facility have operated as an automobile assembly plant since 1910, initially for Willys-Overland. The Toledo complex has assembled Jeeps since the 1940s and comprises two factories, Toledo North and Toledo South. The latter includes the Stickney Plant and the Parkway Annex.
The Belvidere Assembly Plant (BVAP) is an idled automobile production facility owned and operated by Stellantis North America. The factory opened in 1965 in Belvidere, Illinois, United States, and last assembled the Jeep Cherokee.
The SJ series Jeep Cherokee is a full-size SUV that was produced from 1974 through 1983 by Jeep. It was based on the Wagoneer that was originally designed by Brooks Stevens in 1963.
The Jeep Cherokee (XJ) is a sport utility vehicle manufactured and marketed across a single generation by Jeep in the United States from 1983 through 2001 — and globally through 2014. It was available in two- or four-door, five-passenger, front-engine, rear- or four-wheel drive configurations.
The Jeep Cherokee(KL) is a compact crossover SUV that was manufactured and marketed by the Jeep marque of Stellantis North America. Introduced for model year 2014 at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, sales began in November 2013. It occupied a position between the smaller Compass and the larger Grand Cherokee in Jeep's global lineup.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee (ZJ) is the first generation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle. Introduced in 1992 for the 1993 model year, development of the ZJ Grand Cherokee started under American Motors Corporation (AMC) as a mid-sized successor to the compact Jeep Cherokee (XJ) intended to replace both it and the aging Jeep Wagoneer (SJ) and was continued after the company was acquired by Chrysler in 1987.
The Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer is a sport utility vehicle (SUV) nameplate of Jeep vehicles, with several models marketed for the 1963 through 1993 model years and again since the 2022 model year.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA), now part of Stellantis, was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, commercial vehicles, auto parts and production systems. The corporation was established by January 2012, when Fiat acquired a 58.5% stake of the Chrysler Group and thus became the at the time 7th largest automaker. Its corporate headquarters were domiciled in Amsterdam and its financial headquarters were in London. The holding company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Milan's Borsa Italiana. Exor, an Italian investment group controlled by the Agnelli family, owned 29% of FCA and controlled 44% through a loyalty voting mechanism, the largest block of shares.
The fourth-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee (WK2) is a mid-size SUV produced by the American marque Jeep from mid-2010 to 2022. It was introduced in 2010 for the 2011 model year by Jeep. The unveiling took place at the 2009 New York Auto Show, where it received 30 awards.
The Jeep Wagoneer and the Jeep Grand Wagoneer are full-size SUVs produced by the Jeep division of Stellantis North America. Both vehicles were released in March 2021 and were initially branded as "Wagoneer by Jeep" without the Jeep badge on vehicles. The models are described as the "premium extension" of the Jeep brand in marketing copy. Production of the 2022 Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer commenced in the first half of 2021 at Warren Truck Assembly.
The FCA Giorgio Platform is an automobile platform made by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles since 2015 debuting in the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Although following the merger with Groupe PSA to form Stellantis in 2021 the future of the Giorgio platform became uncertain, the platform is currently being modified to better accommodate both plug-in hybrid, and electric power plants, with not only the hybrid Jeep Grand Cherokee and fully electric Maserati Gran Turismo using the Giorgio platform, but also the future Maserati Levante, and future Giorgio platform cars using the company's V6 engine. Some models however, will transition to the STLA Large EV platform.
↑ Cumberford, Robert (15 March 2006). "20 Greatest Cars - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee price starts at $27,415". Automobile. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2024. Great designs never grow old, a truth no better confirmed than by designer Dick Teague's masterpiece, the Jeep Cherokee. Possibly the best SUV shape of all time, it is the paradigmatic model to which other designers have since aspired.
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