1986 Jeep Cherokee XJ - Family Truckster

Good, Bad, and What's It For
A V-8 in a Cherokee is always a good time. Forty inch tires under a Jeep are always fun too. All in all, this Jeep is a blast and very capable both at wheeling and at navigating the occasional paved road too. As shot, it was 49 inches to the bottom of the door handle - compare that to the next XJ you see. One thing that we'd like to see would be a full cage. With all that drivetrain hanging under a unitbody, a roll-over would likely crumple the sheetmetal over the driver's head like an old Coke can.

Why I Wrote This Feature This
Jeep fixes many of the issues I have with the XJ platform in one fell swoop. Randy proved that a V-8 is not only possible, but can be reliable in an XJ. He also shows how to fit big rubber without having to lift the XJ to the moon. We parked his Jeep next to another XJ that had 33's and about 41/2 inches of lift, and his was about an inch shorter overall. Most of all, this isn't a Jeep with compromises. The thing is short, but it still flexes great with the tires fitting perfectly up in those monster wheelwells; it rides great, and from inside the cab, you'd never know that was a big-block under the hood until Randy stabs the go-pedal. -Pete Trasborg