Cherokee_Laredo

I was woundering if the boxy Cherokee XJ would ever come back sold next to the Cherokee KL sold as the old name a 2015 Jeep Cherokee Classic / Limited. The last XJ up to date was sadly last made in 2007 "China only" known as the Jeep 2500 after acquiring the XJ manufacturing parts. Not sure if those are gone now. But now since Fiat took over the Jeep brand from chrysler, what I have heard It dont sound possible that a XJ return will come back. I also read a Fiat 500 Jeep Renagad is to be released from last update I read. Im also into my Chevy/Cadillac brand truck Avalanche/Escalade EXT that is now discontinued 2002-2013. Has any car manufacutuer brought back a excacted same model not just the name badge. So far havent seen the return of the Chevy Blazer or Ford Broncos. I watch car tech videos and tech in vehicles keep getting more and more electronic, even so close to public full self driving cars and already out all battery electric cars. I think what makes it more tough to keep the old style body cars is the laws the goverment makes, dont feel like going into the list. So what are your thoughts on the Cherokee XJ, will it come back or not and anyother vehicle you miss that you would want brought back in its classic model. I consider the Cherokee XJ a classic and fixing mine back up to new or atleast trying.

andrewmp6

I think the xj is long gone and never coming back.Look at all the new cars on the market everything is built for max mpg now.I have read they are thinking of making the wrangler independent suspension front and rear some time in the next few years.Most pickups on the market but for a ford super duty and dodge 1 ton are ifs and have been for a long time.All the rwd cars on the market are unibody,The crown vic was the last frame car made.Most of the last good stuff died in the 80s to me.The g body died gm truck went ifs in 88.

F1Addict

If a boxy XJ were produced today that met minimum government regulations for crashworthiness, emissions, and fuel economy it would look exactly like the Patriot. They are virtually identical in length, width, height, wheelbase, and weight. The Patriot has round headlights, though.

Morat

How good are the Patriots? Will they be the next XJ when the time comes?

no rdplz

They're a good DD/ very light offroad (provided you do the small 2.5" lift that's available for them) vehicle. Personally I would avoid the CVT and go with a 5-spd to avoid future maintenance hassles. Will they be the next XJ? Nope. Here's a good article on the Patriot by TheXJGuys: http://thexjguys.com/?p=378

95Cherokee

The Patriot in the pic above looks great with those 30 inch mud tires, but most have no lift and little street tires which detracts from that good looking square body. I think that Patriot looks better than both body styles of the Liberty.

Cherokee_Laredo

I always said the Patriot should of been the new Cherokee and the KL a new Compass since it looks like a compass.

http://media.caranddriver.com/images...-s-429x262.jpg

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/images/co...t_cherokee.jpg

I always thought the Jeep Commander was the Cherokees replacement only bigger. I didnt think the Liberty was, even the 1st gen one.

sandaddik2

It might be time to switch to a new toyota when that time comes...

At least they have decent rear axles and a frame as of recent years.

Barndoor

Drop a pentastar in an xj. Coil spring rear suspension. Done

Barndoor

Really it's not a big deal though. It's not like xj's are rare or anything. Just find one that's nice and straight

thatXJguy

Sure, that's what we say now.

Remember back in the day when Chevrolet Caprices like this one were easy to find everywhere:



These were a police package vehicle as well, as were a dime a dozen back in the day. Now, you hardly ever see them. It only took 10 or 20 years. Soon, our XJ will be in the same shoes.

McCaffrey

I predict 25 years from now all the non-mainstream people will be running "built" 2015 Cherokees as their hardcore rigs.

F1Addict

I have some thoughts...

There is a paradox that occurs when this topic comes up. It seems that what current XJ owners want is for Jeep to reintroduce a 30-year-old concept with very few concessions to the technological, safety and efficiency advances that have been made (and are now required) over the past three decades. What manufacturer in their right mind would do that? There have been plenty of attempts at recreating the past and most have ended in failure from the perspective of the purist. I know several 1st gen T-bird owners who got suckered into buying Ford's nostalgic attempt at adapting 1950s styling to a modern car. The styling worked okay but the spirit of the original car was completely lost. Same with the new Beetle, it's not a bad car as far as cars go but it's nothing like the rear engined, air-cooled original beyond a weakly interpreted homage to the silhouette.

I'm not saying it's impossible; there have been success stories. The Ford GT comes to mind. The Hemi Charger and Camaro Z/28 (both reintroduced after a long absence from the market) have done okay and aren't nearly as polarizing to enthusiasts as say... the new KL.

Why do we need a spiritual successor to the XJ? There are millions of original XJs out there that will keep us happy for decades to come. Jeep/Fiat will never make another XJ, accept that and move on.

F1Addict

While I somewhat agree, I think your analogy is a little flawed. The Caprice wasn't a particularly reliable car to begin with and folks certainly weren't as enthusiastic about them as they are about the XJ. Manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers stop supporting a model when demand falls below profitability. The aftermarket support for our XJs continues to grow.

uber

how about we demand cadillac bring the 73 coupe deville back into production because I liked mine.. or a brand new nintendo nes..