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Cherokee This Summer Copley News Service When Jeep introduced the Grand Cherokee in the spring of 1992, it was supposed to be the more-evolved replacement for Cherokee. The grander Cherokee had a grander price, but the good-old Cherokee also had a strong following. The company recognized a good sales opportunity and kept both models. History will overlap with the introduction of Liberty, the next replacement for Cherokee due out this summer. Cherokee will be phased out, company officials insist, by about midyear. Liberty is a modern re-creation of Jeep's durable rock crawler, and the company also claims Liberty has passed the Rubicon Trail test for off-road ability. The front end is now supported by an independent suspension that allows eight inches of wheel travel. Styling comes from two recent concept Jeeps, the Dakar and Jeepster. The shape picks up the short front and rear overhangs for maximum off-highway capability, an externally mounted spare tire and 16-inch wheels. Of course, there's the familiar Jeep face in the 7-slot grille. The 65/35-split folding seat back has one-handed folding operation, and the rear cargo area features Jeep cargo tie-downs and grocery bag hooks. Base models come with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine, and there is a new 210 hp, single overhead cam, 3.7-liter V-6 for uplevel models. Safety features include multistage driver and passenger air bags designed to deploy at different levels depending on the severity of the crash and whether the occupant is buckled in. The five seats have 3-point belts, and the driver and front passenger get seat-belt pretensioners and force limiters. There also are optional side curtain air bags for additional head protection for both front and rear outboard occupants. News Index | Features Index |
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