Jeep Grand Cherokee: AMC's last wish
Vložit
- čas přidán 10. 07. 2024
- Welcome to Auto Chatter. Todays episode will cover the first three generations of Jeep Grand Cherokee. Join me for a short tale of its creation starting in the 80's, all the way up to some seriously quick and luxurious SUV's by the first decade of the 21st Century. I hope you enjoy this one, so please dont hesitate to like and comment to let me know! Thanks for watching!
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
"Just empty every pocket" but for a different reason 🤣 Iacocca had the business savvy to see what was good with his newly-acquired AMC and keep that, while letting the rest fade into oblivion. Since it's inception Americans have loved Jeep and probably always will, as even in these luxury-biased models Jeep symbolizes our rugged, independent spirit 🤠 Perhaps the best part he got was the 4L inline 6, a legendary engine for rugged longevity, easy servicing, and enough torque to climb a tree if you could get enough traction. When they began cheapening things they didn't have the sense to leave this engine alone, so new plastic parts like valve covers began failing and the need to meet ever-tightening emissions and mileage standards meant more frequent and more expensive repairs were needed. Eventually it simply couldn't go on- the government wouldn't let it ☹
And a new America was emerging where the wealthier folks eschewed the Cadillacs and Lincolns previously seen as a sign of success for something with more leanness and less fat. European cars were making their mark, but many people here still wanted to buy American, and this gave them that opportunity with style and class. It was also creating a permanent rift between hardcore Jeep off-roaders and those seeking Jeep's luxury and image instead. I can introduce you to dozens of folks who will tell you "That ain't a real Jeep" and bore you to tears explaining why. I'm prone to side with them regardless of how successful these cars were for they were cars, not anything like traditional Jeeps. The people who bought these wanted the image, not the lifestyle. I'll bet you can think of where something like that happened to an even larger degree with two less wheels involved 😛
Once again another well-done episode with enough depth to satisfy all but the purists and fanbois, and I'm looking forward to the sequel even if they ain't real Jeeps 🙃
Thank you! And I appreciate again the thoughtful and interesting comment!
this does not excuse a $90,000 Jeep. Or however the hell much they cost now
@raymond_sycamore The higher trim Grand Wagoneers are over 110k nowdays!
Everyone who had the misfortune of owning later a 4.0L with a cracked head or a broken piston will disagree about that engine. It was good early on but by the time the WJ came out mopar had turned the old inline six into an unreliable under-powered turd.
@TheRetarp Thats a shame.
If you were not alive at the time i dont think you can appreciate what it was like when this suv was new. It was crazy to be in a Jeep this fancy. The rich kids at my school had them. When i sat in one i knew why. They were awesome. Suburbans didnt feel as special inside. This was a Jeep that made you feel like a king.
Yeah they were competing in a market of basically Pickup trucks with extra doors and no bed. Had alot of innovations.
The GC and Wrangler are the only two bright spots in the last 3 decades of Jeep.
What? You didn't find the Compass groundbreaking? 😅
@@autochatter Only found them breaking.
@@doug6191 🤣
ZJ's and WJ's in particular don't get enough love from today's Jeep community. I've owned 3 ZJ's and still have one. They're great rigs. Yeah, the transmissions are "meh," but everything else about them is just as good or better than the XJ's.
The 1st generation Jeep Grand Cherokee is still my favorite. The Grand Cherokee(along with the 1st generation Ford Explorer) were groundbreaking because they started the SUV boom, which still exists today, whether car enthusiasts like it or not. I was a 90's teen, and the Grand Cherokee was everywhere. It wasn't just popular with outdoor enthusiasts, it was popular with everyone, including single women, upper middle class families, and yuppies. You should do a video on the 1st three generations of the Ford Explorer as well, because, like I said, that vehicle, along with the Grand Cherokee, pretty much made SUV's popular with the masses.
Oh yes...The Explorers time is coming. They were even more everywhere than the Grand Cherokees LOL. Both came out at the perfect time to take advantage of the 90s SUV boom.
My Aunt loved the ZJ. She had four, an Orvis edition, TSI, a Grand Wagoneer, and a Limited. She daily drove the Limited and kept the others in storage but occasionally drove them. I remember those cars fondly. My Dad bought a new 2002 WJ, a Limited with the v8. According to him it was a money pit and he traded it in after a year on a Mercedes ML320 which he kept until last year when it was totaled in a hail storm
Wow. She was quite the fan!
I wanted the orvis edt. was av in green or char gold V8 or inline I-6 lot of 1995-96s went out on a short 24 mo lease
Three quarters of the world is covered by water... the rest is covered by Jeep!! Looking forward to the next video!!
Thank you!
More like Toyotas lol
Had the Grand wagoneer woody 318
Was awesome. Have a 98 GC now. Super clean.
I have a 95 GC Limited V8 in mint condition. Love it. Only drive it on weekends.
@@Gudi102 sweet,
@@Gudi102 should do a video
My dad used to have a 2002 Grand Cherokee Limited 4.7 V8 when I was a kid, as a replacement for his old Vauxhall Frontera. It had possibly the most comfortable seats of any car I've ever sat in - however, I use the term 'car' loosely here, since it was actually closer to a giant sofa with a big engine and four wheels attached to it.
I remember the day we went to pick it up back in July 2010, and from the moment 10-year-old me sat in it for the first time, I was in heaven as the seats were just oh-so-comfy, and I felt myself almost sinking into them with just how soft and comfortable they were, they were more like comfy armchairs than actual seats! 👌
We even went on a caravan holiday to Great Yarmouth in it the following month in August 2010, and it made light work of hauling our caravan and all our luggage to our campsite, even if it was a tremendous gas hog and went though petrol like there was nowt tomorrow, though it did make a nice noise which we called the 'V8 roar'.
Oh, they were known to pass anything but a gas station! I'm guessing a V8 Grand Cherokee in the UK had to be rare then!
Doubled the subscribers! Congratulations to you. Manual Ford Aerostar guy here. Had to comment. The entire 90's line of Grand Cherokees were hot garbage, and so awesome. My friend's rich mom refused to drive anything other than Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 versions for a decade. The Mr. drove 911's and Merc S500s and the like, he thought these Jeeps were trash and hated them. BUT, Mrs. won every time. The compromise was that Mr. would trade them in every 3-6 months for a new color or better engine, etc. I absolutely loved the Orvis Edition they had for almost an entire year! Her mom drove us home from school in middle school and I looked forward to riding in it every day. I loved this generation of Jeeps. Sad it's over.
Thanks! Yeah...its still growing! Grand Wagoneers often shared a garage with sonthing expensive from Europe too.
Love these series. Maybe do a series on international Harvester, travelall, travelettee, or scout?
Thank you! Interesting ideas!
What I have read is that AMC had enough money to develop a new vehicle platform or a new engine. Not both at the same time. They chose to develop the XJ Cherokee first and buy engines from GM. Later after merging with Renault, the 4.0L was developed which was really just a modernization of the old 232/258 inline six adapted to use Renault electronic fuel injection (there was never a carburated 4.0L). Emissions, fuel economy, and safety regulations ended the viability of the old pushrod inline six. (longitudinally mounted inline motors are a hinderance for passing the offset left IIHS crash test)
Hindsight is 20/20 but if AMC would have abandoned their car line in 1980 and instead spent that money to develop a fuel injected 4.0L and release it with the launch of the XJ & YJ, AMC [Jeep] may have survived into the 90's. They would have three solid models: XJ (Cherokee), ZJ (Grand Cherokee), YJ (Wrangler). The XJ being unibody could have also been used to introduce a new car model. Imagine instead of the old Hornet based AMC Eagle that they had produced a modern XJ based independent front suspension AWD car with fuel injection!
edit: If AMC would have dumped all the legacy 60's garbage this revamped AMC/Jeep lineup would have been world class in 1990:
- YJ Wrangler 2.5L/4.0L
- XJ 2 door Cherokee 2.5L/4.0L
- XJ 4 door Cherokee 4.0L
- XJ Based 2 door hatchback car 2.5L/4.0L (name it Jeepster?)
- XJ Based 4 door hatchback car 2.5L/4.0L
- XJ Based AMX 4.7L
- MJ Comanche 4.0L/4.7L
- ZJ Grand Cherokee 4.0L/4.7L
(The 4.7L OHC would have been possible this early. Ford released their modular 4.6L in 1990 and the DOHC version in 1993)
@@TheRetarp What could have been! Great read!
Buddy had a Gen 1 that led me to buy a Gen 2. I convinced a friend to buy a Gen 3 and the daughter bought a Gen 4. And We currently have a Gen 5 Summit 4XE so you can say we love them.
I would assume you guys have some love for those yes!
After owning a 50th Anniversary 91 XJ Cherokee Laredo, a 98 Xj Cherokee SE, an 05 Liberty and a 17 Compass. The Grand Cherokee is one I love to own but it still illudes me and can't afford the house payment for a Wrangler. I like Jeeps despite what is going on currently. But the ZJ is my favorite bodystyle of Grand Cherokee. 😊
Yeah the ZJ looked good. I always liked the XJs simple lines. It's aged well I think.
the grand Cherokees (ESPECIALLY the first gen) always just reeked of Dodge styling. They kept telling me that Jeep was the daddy but every time I looked at it, I knew in my heart it was the bastard child of the Dodge Caravan.
I'm not sure how far along AMC got with the overall styling, but I'm under the impression the basic shape they did before the acquisition.
I had no idea the SRT-8 was so quick.
I think it was good for like 15 MPG highway, but it was fast!
Once the everyman attainable SUV, now the unobtainable They Live status consumable. I'm all out of bubblegum...
Great point....and movie!
Can't wait for the next Jeep chatter!
Thank you! Going into this one, I thought .....Yeah I can knock out all gens of these in under 30 minutes....Nope...Too much info LOL.
loved my 1995 ZJ 4x4 I put 215k miles on it still have it if a deer would of went the other way only. Issue was the heater core and I Never rolled the back windows down so the switchs would not work didn't pass emission
Sucks when Bambi crosses at the wrong time.
@@autochatter friend was driving so I didn't have to us see it
The worst feature of these are cataract headlights
There are still some around here in New Jersey and I don't know how they can be driven at night as the lenses are yellowed over
LOL.Seen alot of that with these!
The excitement level of this guys voice is mind numbing. Talk about monotoned. YAWN
@@fgrau7376 At least it's not A.I.
My first SUV was a 2000 Jeep Cherokee. Great fun to drive, until the AC went out. It never ran right after that.
I've driven several 2nd gens and I liked how they drove too.
I had numerous family members whom owned the 99-04 Grand Cherokee both I6 and V8 versions. I liked these the best with the plush seats, Rounded styling, soft to the touch dashboard, while still feeling like a Jeep. The 05-10 is my least favorite to date. I drove a Commander for a rental (which had the same interior plus an extra row of seats). By the end of the trip, the appeal was gone forever with hard seats, hard dash, designed for the street, underpowered 3.7l v6. Sad.
Yeah the Commander flopped!
18:14 - One of the many vehicles ruined by the Mercedes era. With this generation, what comes to mind first is apalling interiors (like everything Chrysler sold in that era) and troubled mechanicals. The 2011 model was *vastly* better.
I preferred the XJs myself. They were simple LOL.
29.000$ is 3.000 today
I thank you for this video. This was interesting as I recall this and you did your homework on this video. Grand Wagoneer lives in 2024. You mentioned this as well. this one a popular vehicle. AMC does indeed live on through Jeep. Only in a Jeep indeed. They sell these Jeeps globally and they seem to do well. The sad point is the quality on the interior dropped. This vehicle competed against Oldsmobile Bravada. I do not know if I shared this with you, but I thought you might find it interesting: czcams.com/video/YhDjh38daIQ/video.html
Thank you Olds! Yeah, I don't know why Chrysler didn't make a Ram based Suburban competitor decades ago. I haven't done the Bravada,S10 Blazer,and Jimmy yet, but I willl definately check this out..I love the material originally aimed for sales staff.
@@autochatter I do not know why they did not until now, but they have one in Grand Wagoneer. Have you seen the prices of them and the Lincoln Navigator and GMC Denali and Cadillac Escalade and the High Country trim of the Chevrolet Suburban? Thank you for checking the video out. I think you will appreciate and have an understanding of what they were trying to do at Oldsmobile which did not succeed. You will understand the things I have been saying in the past too.
@OLDS98 Those old training videos are my jam! Thank you again. The fancy trim Grand Wagoneer is like 116k? Heard they have had some reliabilty issues too.
@@autochatter You are welcome. I look forward to your thoughts. It might even inspire a video from you. I heard there were issues too. That is not good especially when you are trying to keep your momentum. I know the Lincoln and Cadillac versions and Jeep versions are as much as houses in some parts of the country. How did cars become so costly. I know that AMC was working on the Grand Cherokee before got bought by Chrysler. I recall seeing those concepts back in the day too. Was there was supposed to be a Dodge version of another Jeep also? Chrysler has been sold so many times too.
@OLDS98 I posted a picture of the concept Dodge version of the Grand Cherokee. Eventually the Grand Cherokee and Durango become mechnical cousins.
Did the dry eyes guy start a CZcams channel?? Jfc
Bueller,Bueller,Bueller.
22:09 - I've never met a driver of one of these SRTs who has good grammar. Come to think of it, that's true of all SRT models. Weird.
🤣
4.7 = POS