RV FEATURE
LOVE AT FIRT SIGHT
When I started my motoring journalism career , the XJ Jeep Cherokee had just been released in Australia . It was 1994 , a good 10 years after the vehicle had been released on its own turf , and the magazine I worked for had an XJ Cherokee for 12 months as a long-term tester .
I loved that Jeep . For a 4WD of its time , it went like stink , handled well , was compact for the city and could be knocked around offroad with the best of them . Sure , even back then it was very 1980s retro , the 4L six was agricultural and the coolant got hot working hard on sand . But it was also a good medium-duty tow vehicle .
By 2013 , I was looking for a good 4WD tow vehicle on a budget , and found a black 2001 XJ Cherokee Classic on eBay . It had done 125,000km , was just out of rego , needed tyres and had a rusty roof . It was just $ 750 .
Sure , its 2250kg towing capacity meant it was never going to be the go-to tow vehicle for an offroad family ensuite tandem van . But for my then 1600kg Windsor on-road tandem van , and a few light vans I reviewed at the time , it was perfect .
The XJ Cherokee , like many vehicles built in the USA , was pumped out like sausages and not to a particularly high standard . But it wasn ’ t as crook as later Jeeps got a reputation for , and the fact they made millions of the things meant that later , when buying a second-hand one , parts were plentiful – and if you knew where to look – cheap .
The XJ was very popular here when it first arrived . In its first full year on sale ( 1995 ) it sold nearly 5000 units . Sure , the Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series cracked 12,000 sales the same year , but the Cherokee was certainly more than just a bit player . Sales tapered off from until 2001 , its last year on sale in Oz .
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