1997 Jeep Cherokee Sport Utility Vehicle Review & Performance

face. The Jeep designers made very modest tweaks to the front end, but

it's difficult to see the distinctions unless the '96 and '97 are standing

side by side.

Aside from the revised grille, this is very much the same Cherokee hundreds

of thousands of buyers have come to know and respect in the U.S. and in

international markets, as well. Square, tough and durable.

The Cherokee was the first unitbody sport-utility vehicle, as distinct

from the traditional body-on-frame approach. The advantages are much higher

rigidity and much lower weight, which both contribute to the Cherokee's

hot rod performance and good handling.

Although the basic Cherokee is available with rear-drive only, it wouldn't

really be a Jeep without four-wheel drive, and our Sport edition was so

equipped. There are two levels of 4WD available for the Cherokee--a basic

part-time system, and Jeep's more sophisticated Command-Trac system.

an area where the age of the design shows, and as a result, the vehicle

comes up a little short in the comfort department, particularly for the

driver.

When this vehicle was introduced, shortly after Chevy's S-10 Blazer,

it was something new--an SUV that combined mid-size handiness with the

convenience of four doors. It was hard to perceive its interior as cramped

or awkward, because by the standards of the day they weren't.

But the Cherokee has never had a major redesign, and in the intervening

years newer entries have come along, as well as a couple successive updates

of the Blazer and GMC Jimmy.

Compared to its contemporaries, the Cherokee measures up as pretty snug,

particularly in the rear seat.

Even though the wheel doesn't seem to extend as far from the dashboard

as it did in the original version, a design that always made us expect

to emerge with wheel hub abrasions on our sternums, the Cherokee's limited

front seat travel still left us sitting a little closer than we wanted

to be.

There's also no place for the driver to rest his or her left foot, a

small convenience that you miss when it's not there.

On the plus side, Jeep did a very nice job of refurbishing the Cherokee's

dated dashboard. Although the design is still rectilinear and blocky, the

dashboard has lost the cheap appearance of earlier Cherokees, and if the

primary instruments are a bit small, the secondary array is a little more

comprehensive than average, including an ammeter and oil pressure gauge.

Our tester's interior was also loaded with just about every comfort

and convenience feature in the Cherokee inventory--which for 27 grand you'd

expect--including a very good sound system with cassette and CD players,

air conditioning, power driver's seat, an overhead digital info center

and two digital clocks.

All of this stuff makes the going more pleasant, of course, but we'd

trade most of it for better seats.

Our Cherokee's sport buckets felt snug, with better-than-average side

support, but after a couple of hours snug gives way to confined, and the

length of the bottom cushion measures up as too short.

doesn't feel like the right rig for long cruises. In fact, we suspect some

people would dismiss the Cherokee as choppy on this score, and mark it

down to a relatively short wheelbase.

And that would be true--as far as it goes. However, this isn't an Explorer,

a sport-utility vehicle designed for people who see this breed as trendy

station wagons. It's a Jeep, which means an implicit promise of off-road

superiority versus competing vehicles.

This particular Cherokee was equipped with the stiffer Up-Country suspension

package and four-wheel drive, making it even firmer than two-wheel drive

versions.

So yes, the Cherokee will pogo a little bit on uneven pavement--certain

stretches of I-80 in Pennsylvania, for example, stretches that cause big

rig drivers to cruise in the left lane for slightly smoother going.

But on rutty dirt roads in the Pennsylvanis outback, the Cherokee showed

its true colors. The combination of good ground clearance, short wheelbase

and favorable power-to-weight ratio make this boxy little veteran a tiger

in the woods, and the four-wheel drive system--Jeep's middle system, which

can be used full-time--came in handy during a mini-blizzard that choked

part of central Pennsylvania during this particular excursion.

Thanks to its relatively low curb weight, the Cherokee is also something

of an athlete among its peers.

Even though its on-center steering feel leaves a little to be desired,

the Cherokee will smoke almost any other compact sport-utility on a slalom

course, and it's handier than most when it's time to dodge traffic and

potholes.

As always, we'd prefer a manual transmission, but the Cherokee's optional

four-speed automatic is a smooth operator, and there's enough torque in

the venerable inline six-cylinder engine to generate excellent stoplight

getaway, automatic or not.

Power notwithstanding, the Cherokee's optional six feels a little primitive

compared to most of the V6 engines offered by Jeep's competitors.

An inline six is supposed to be an ideal design for smooth operation,

but Jeep's version generates nominal vibration through most of its operating

range. On the other hand, it's a far better choice than the Cherokee's

basic 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which is distinctly short on power.