The Story of Jeep’s Retro Cherokee Is Even Radder Than the Rig Itself

Last week, Jeep unveiled a grip of eye-catching off-road concepts as part of its annual Easter Jeep Safari. The lineup spanned everything from an overland-focused Wrangler to a stealthy Grand Wagoneer, so it’s safe to say the brand didn’t hold back for the event’s 60th installment.

However, as cool as the range of rigs turned out to be, there’s one in particular that happened to have an especially heartfelt origin. Moreover, when you consider that this year marks Jeep’s 85th anniversary, I’d even go so far as to say that makes for a much more thoughtful celebration of brand history than anything you’ll find from the Twelve 4 Twelve or Convoy initiatives.

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Playing into the era

I’m referring, of course, to the brand’s XJ Pioneer Concept. Based on a 1984 Cherokee XJ, it’s a build that features subtle but impactful modifications like a two-inch lift, reshaped fender flares, retro wheels wrapped in 33-inch tires and some body-colored rock rails.

Suffice to say, it’s a restrained treatment compared to the other Easter Safari vehicles. While the XJ does benefit from fresh suspension, extra tire clearance, a quick disconnecting swaybar and lower gears for crawling, the 2.8-liter V6 engine remains stock, as do many other components.

It’s an approach that also extends inside the cabin, as you won’t find much that’s different from the factory. Rather, Jeep has played into the Cherokee’s Radwood-worthy character, keeping things the same but adding touches like “era-specific ergonomy seat enhancements” (beaded covers) and various other period-correct accessories (i.e., a Rubik’s cube and a magazine).

Some of which aren’t just visual props. In the trunk, the Jeep team designed a custom cooler that resembles a Mac PC case from back in the day, and you’ll also find a Labyrinth lunchbox stuffed with the XJ’s trail recovery kit.

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A preservation of history

In any case, while it’s easy to discount this Cherokee overhaul as a half-hearted attempt to round out the Easter Safari lineup, that would be doing the Pioneer a disservice. If anything, it’s the best of the bunch, and the most faithful to the brand’s heritage celebration this year.

Namely because of its preservation of history. Having scoured Craiglist, Facebook Marketplace and other online platforms for an ideal donor candidate, the Jeep team stumbled upon an XJ that was remarkably well-preserved.

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So much so that Jeep Lead Design Manager Chris Piscitelli says it did “give us a little pause as far as cutting it up.” 

After all, in addition being a single-owner vehicle, the Cherokee also contained a journal in the glovebox documenting every gas station fill-up from 0 to 80,000 miles. Making the build too transformative would only serve to ignore this kind of loyalty to a vehicle.

For this, Jeep even went so far as to retain the original gold paint, only touching up areas that needed to be revisited. Toward that end, while the brand could have gone with a vibrant neon 80s hue, instead, it maintained the period-correct charm with a rootbeer brown roof.

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Less is more

While Jeep transformed this XJ as part of a one-off project, a quick scroll through the comments section on the video confirms its objective was a success.

With a lengthy production run that lasted 17 years, the Cherokee serves as a touchpoint for millions of motoring fans, and the originality of this build makes that connection all the more felt.

It’s certainly something that’s much more authentic to the history of the seven-slot grille than a two-tone appearance package or some new plaid seats.

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