Land-Rover and Jeep are the two L oldest names in off-roading, yet they have rarely competed directly, especially not in the UK. That all changed in 1993, when the XJ-generation Jeep Cherokee gave the marque its British debut in Chrysler showrooms. Sales were ferocious, too: within five years, and with the help of the Grand Cherokee joining the line-up in 1995, Jeep had sold 44,000 vehicles, with the UK quickly becoming the brand's largest export market.
Put aside such ugly American things as quantities, however, and it's the Range Rover that holds the adoration of British enthusiasts today. Both were remarkably long in the tooth when they came up against each other in the early '90s, but how do these boxy, capable 4-litre off-roaders compare today?
'Soccer moms' are who we need to thank for the Cherokee's arrival in the UK market. Jeeps had been unofficially imported to these shores on a small scale prior to that by a failed thirdparty venture, but in 1993 Chrysler began a proper British export drive. The new Ford. Explorer was eating away at the Cherokee's home market, the road-biased Ford having found a voracious following among America's middle-class families. The Jeep had been on sale in Europe long before that, with Renault and AMC having been in partnership during the 1980s, but it was in the face of that fresh domestic competition that the decision was made to stump up the development costs of a right-hand-drive conversion. A curious sideeffect of that resolution was the Cherokee joining a long history of right-hooker Jeeps sold to the US Postal Service - a handful still deliver mail in particularly rural areas to this day.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2023 من Classic & Sports Car.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2023 من Classic & Sports Car.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
RAY HILLIER
Double-chevron oddity proves a break from the norm for this Crewe specialist
SHORT BACK & GLIDES
Eccentric enthusiast Captain RG McLeod's series of Manx-tailed Bentley Specials reached its zenith with this unique S2 Continental.
People's choice
The diminutive but multi-million-selling Fiat 850 packed a remarkable diversity of form and function into its compact footprint
PLASTIC BREAKS FROM THE NORM
Glassfibre revolutionised niche car-body production, but just occasionally strayed into the mainstream.
A SENSIBLE SUPERCAR
The cleverly conceived four-seater Elite secured Lotus a place at the big players' table, but has it been unfairly maligned since then?
"I had a habit of grabbing second place from the jaws of victory"
From dreams of yachting glory to the Le Mans podium, via a stint at the top of the motorsport tree, Howden Ganley had quite the career
Still going strong
Herbert Engineering staked its reputation on the five-year warranty that came with its cars. A century on, this Two Litre hasn't made a claim
One for the kids
General Motors was aiming squarely at the youth market with the launch of the Pontiac GTO 60 years ago, and its runaway success popularised the muscle-car movement
A NEW BREED OF HERO
Launched at the turn of the millennium, the GT3 badge has already earned a place alongside RS, CS and turbo in Porsche lore.
Brits with SIX appeal
The straight-six engine is synonymous with a decades-long legacy of great British sports cars. Six variations on the sextet theme convene for comparison