Wow, I've been here 6 years and didn't realized everyone on here was some kind of big hulking behemoth.

Eat up guys!

 

People talk about the XJ being "cramped," but I look at it differently. The first time I sat in the XJ, it seemed a little close until I realized that it is designed so that the driver can put a hand on almost every button, **** or control input without having to reach or lean. That's one of the things that has made it a pleasure to drive for the last 14.5 years. If you're not leaning or reaching, you're not weaving around on the road as much, and you're not distracted by the controls on your machine.

So many other cars, even small ones, have a lot of wasted dead space in them because they were designed to be "roomy" or "cavernous." They're designed for passengers, one of whom also might be operating the vehicle. The XJ was designed for control, with the driver in mind.

 

There used to be an XJ around here on tons, 40s and about 9" of lift. The roof line was lower than that of a stock mid 2000s 2500 Duramax. Most stock half tons dwarf my XJ on 33s.
I also drive a Miata. Once I parked next to a Subaru Forester not really paying attention to what it was, looked over and swore it was a Ford Expedition. I like small vehicles, modern cars and trucks are wayy bloated and look ridiculous.

extrashaky, I agree with that. I can roll down my passenger windows in the XJ and the Miata (both manual windows) while driving safely. I don't even have to fully extend my right arm to adjust my stereo or heater in the Miata, all of those controls are maybe 4" forward of the shifter. In the XJ I have to reach a bit to mess with the stereo, but I also have my seat back almost all the way since I have long legs. For that same reason, I can't drive the Miata in boots.

 

I'm not saying it's bad but my XJs turning radius is not as good as my TJ which is understandable.

 

I looked up the dimensions online and the XJ is actually about nine inches shorter than our Chevy HHR and only 1/4" wider. But the XJ is more of a box so I think there is a lot more room inside. The small size of the XJ is an advantage not only for trails but also for city driving and parking (a full size pickup just about needs four parking spaces these days ) and fitting nicely in a tight garage.

If I wanted a big vehicle I would buy another big vehicle. I already have three full size Chevy/GMC's, two of which are 4x4. The newer ones are even bigger.

We looked at a Chevy Traverse a while back, and on the outside it is actually bigger than a Tahoe. But it has metal/plastic hanging out in all directions and the interior while fairly roomy is not very big in comparison to the road footprint. Sitting in the driver seat you can't see the sloping hood at all so you have no idea where all that flimsy body ends and a post or another car begins.

 

Love how small the XJ is. I kinda ruined it with big tires and a lift but oh well!

 

But on the bright side you now have the best of both worlds...Big tires and lift helps with ground clearance and looks mean, but the body panels won't be scraping every tree on the trails, and the length is still relatively short compared to most trucks and SUVs (well crossovers are small but they aren't true 4x4s)

 

Well, yeah - especially if the tires stick out two feet beyond the fenders

 

We have been getting a bit of snow up here and I have found another plus for the XJ. with it being so square you can clear the snow off the sides just by opening and shutting a door on each side

 

XJ fits me like a glove at 6' 175lbs. An ya it is shorter than a lot of newer trucks but the ground clearance is where i measure. A lot of my buddies drive tacomas an they sit a good bit higher but ive got them beat on body to ground clearance

 

Just got home from a 4 hour round trip in the XJ, fuel mileage wasn't great, but it was acceptable considering that the road had a lot of steep ups and down. All said and done I averaged 18.27 mpg, yes that is US mpg and not imperial.

I had it confirmed that the Cherokee does seem to have a narrow interior if you are not use to it. My brother came with me for the drive today and on the way home he asked me how I managed to drive it while pressed up against the door. I told him you get use to it and after a few days it feels as spacious as any other vehicle we had to drive.