From the July 1999 issue of Car and Driver.
Long before the invention of the automobile, French journalist Alphonse Karr noted that the more things change, the more they stay the same—an observation that does seem applicable to this twosome. On the one hand, we have a brand-new sport-utility, the Nissan Xterra, that returns to the fundamentals of its class: a body-on-frame design with mildly macho styling and—a pleasant surprise in an age of high prices—a bargain price. On the other hand, we have the Jeep Cherokee, which hasn’t undergone any major changes since it began altering the appearance of suburban carports some 15 years ago.
Obviously, there’s a major difference in design philosophies here. Even so, we still perceive some striking similarities. Both vehicles compete on the border of the subcompact- and compact-SUV classes, which is increasingly well-populated territory with lots of choices. Both vehicles are relatively free of frills, and both have the right stuff for fairly rugged off-road duty, which can’t be said of the Honda CR-V, the Toyota RAV4, or the Subaru Forester.
Since off-road capability is a defining trait here, we decided to shovel a higher-than-normal proportion of dirt into our test regimen. Accordingly, we shaped a course for the west coast—the west coast of Michigan, that is—and the mammoth sand dunes of Silver Lake State Park about 35 miles north of Muskegon. The park is open to recreational vehicles, and for a modest fee—$20.25 each—visitors can take their dirt bikes, ATVs, and sport-utes out there and churn sand to their hearts’ content. Understand, we do this sort of thing strictly in the interest of thorough testing.
2nd Place: Jeep Cherokee Sport
Automotive historians cite the Jeep Wrangler’s military ancestors as the progenitors of the modern species sportus utilitus, but the real father of the SUV boom is the vehicle you’re looking at right here. Introduced in 1983 as an ’84 model, the Cherokee was the first unit-bodied sport-utility, an innovation that yielded benefits in curb weight—note the 545-pound difference between our Cherokee tester and the Xterra—and chassis stiffness, the basic ingredients for good handling. With its handy size and four doors, the Cherokee caught the attention of fashionable suburban moms from Scarsdale to Pasadena.
HIGHS: Brisk performance, off-road competence, surprisingly smooth ride.
LOWS: Growly old engine, balky transfer-case shifter, indifferent build quality.
VERDICT: Distinctly dated, but still one of the best when it’s time to play dirty.
Jeep has invested modestly in various updates, most recently in 1997, but the current Cherokee still looks very much like the two-box original, right down to the irregular seams and gaps between its body panels, a perennial weakness that doesn’t seem to retard this little wagon’s persistent popularity. Although the ’97 update gave the Cherokee a more modern instrument panel (shared with the Wrangler), there’s no disguising the age of the design, and that goes double for its propulsion systems. Our tester—a Sport model with Jeep’s basic Command-Trac part-time four-wheel-drive system and Up Country off-road suspension package—was powered by the optional 4.0-liter pushrod inline six. This aging powerplant generates gratifying torque—225 pound-feet—but its noise and vibration belong to a more primitive era, traits that were magnified by a driveshaft vibration during startup acceleration. Interior noise, most of it related to the industrial sounds coming from the powertrain, was substantially higher than what you’ll hear inside the Xterra at all speeds.
To be fair, though, the Cherokee’s low-end snort and low curb weight combined to give it good getaway—0 to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds—even with the handicap of a four-speed automatic transmission. That’s 1.5 seconds quicker than the Xterra, which had a five-speed manual transmission. It’s possible to buy a six-cylinder Cherokee with a manual transmission, but try as they might, the folks at Jeep couldn’t find one for us.
The Cherokee’s cabin didn’t get much respect from our test crew. The otherwise respectable comfort of the front seats was diminished by short bottom cushions, rear-seat legroom was cramped, rear shoulder room was inadequate for three, the rear-door openings were far too narrow, something that dates to the original, and cargo space was compromised by the spare tire.
Other comfort-and-convenience niggles included comments chiding Jeep for the absence of a driver’s foot rest, the absence of map pockets in the front doors, and the absence of cruise control, which, seems to us, ought to be part of the deal for $23,570.
However, the Cherokee’s dynamics made a more positive story. True, we were underwhelmed by the Jeep’s erratic braking performance, which was marred by the absence of anti-lock brakes and a right-front caliper that didn’t seem to be working properly. And shifting the transfer case into four-wheel low range invariably resulted in a wrestling match. But the Cherokee got good marks for its smooth ride quality and its brisk transient responses on serpentine roads. It was also distinctly quicker than the Xterra in our emergency-lane-change maneuver: 53.9 mph vs. 52.7 mph.
As you might expect, it got even better when we left the pavement behind. The Cherokee chuffed fearlessly up steep sand hills, snaked around tight-banked berms, and snorted through deep sand without a trace of hesitation or even the slightest hint that it might be in danger of sinking up to its live axles.
Schroeder’s logbook comment summed up the ongoing appeal of this gritty little off-road warrior. “Seems like an excellent starter vehicle for beginning off-roaders,” he wrote. “I like it out here.”
1st Place: Nissan Xterra SE
It’s a new product with a trendy name, but there’s nothing new about the idea—an SUV body on a pickup-truck chassis. That describes the genetic history of most mid-size sport-utilities, including the original Nissan Pathfinder. However, the Pathfinder has since become a unit body, and an expensive one at that. Its pricing starts right about where the Xterra’s leaves off—at about $25,000—and some at Nissan are worried that this newcomer will steal sales from the more expensive veteran. Sort of like being eaten by your own children.
But aside from general size and powertrains, there’s not really much similarity between the two. The Xterra has a more rough-and-ready persona, with fewer fancy creature comforts such as automatic climate control and leather upholstery. And of course, it costs considerably less. The basic two-wheel-drive Xterra, with a four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission, starts at about $18,000.
HIGHS: Capable off-road performer, excellent ride quality, first-rate fit and finish.
LOWS: Short on power, peculiar roof-rack design, Peterbilt-style shift lever.
VERDICT: An impressive update on the traditional SUV, and an excellent value.
Our tester was an upscale SE model, with Nissan’s 3.3-liter SOHC 24-valve V-6, four-wheel drive, and a five-speed manual transmission. SE models get aluminum alloy wheels, fog lamps, a front tow hook, and a limited-slip differential and start at an estimated base price of $23,100—pretty tough to beat for value. This particular Xterra was more expensive than that, thanks to a $1200 Power package—cruise control; keyless remote entry; power windows, mirrors, and locks-and a $100 set of splash guards.
But we’d skip the $1000 Utility package, which includes a tubular aluminum roof rack, a rear washer and wiper, P265/70R-15 tires, and steel step rails. That roof rack looks way butch, and the basket integrated into its forward portion would be a clever piece of design—if it didn’t generate a lot of wind noise and interfere with the operation of the sunroof. But it does. If the owner wants to use the sunroof, the basket must first be unclipped, which is accomplished easily enough by undoing four fasteners. Not a big deal, but it’s inconvenient. As for the step rails, we regard them as basically useless and a potential handicap in deep sand or mud.
But we’re beginning to sound a little negative here, and that’s not the case. Okay, it wouldn’t hurt to have some extra torque. Quite a lot of extra torque, actually. With 170 smooth horsepower, the V-6 generates respectable—and quiet—highway performance, but 200 pound-feet of torque just doesn’t get this rig out of the blocks with any kind of urgency. However, the Xterra’s blend of ride and handling is very pleasant indeed. Nissan uses a control-arm front suspension and a live rear axle with plenty of travel at both ends. The spring and damping rates were selected for supple all-around ride, making the Xterra a little less handy than the Jeep in quick maneuvers and a little more prone to tire yowl in hard cornering, but it’s more comfortable in lumpy going, with less noise coming up through the suspension.
Like its responses, the Xterra’s steering is a tad deliberate at 3.4 turns lock-to-lock, but we were impressed with its sense of on-center engagement and accuracy. Similarly, the long shift lever, reminiscent of ’40s trucks’, inspired some waggish commentary. Winter suggested it was designed to allow people in the back seat to do the shifting, but it yielded surprisingly positive operation.
Given its dimensions, we weren’t surprised that the Xterra’s interior was more people-friendly than that of the smaller Cherokee. The cup holders at the rear of the center console limit footroom in the rear center-seat area, but there’s plenty of space for four adults inside, a comfort factor enhanced by upholstery materials that suggest durability and quality. In fact, quality is a word that’s easy to associate with the Xterra. Our pilot-production tester did suffer an electronic hiccup—the hand-brake, air-bag, and alternator warning lights kept going on and off—but the door closures were worthy of a Rolls-Royce, and overall fit and finish was of an exceptionally high order.
As noted earlier, the Cherokee was more nimble in the sand, but the Xterra was far from unhappy in this environment. The function of the very traditional part-time four-wheel-drive system was straightforward, transfer-case engagements were crisp, and the system performed without any drama. The only off-road drawback that can be attributed to the design is the underbody spare-tire mount, which is likely to drag a bit in transitions from level ground to steep uphills.
We found the Xterra to be an eye-catcher during our travels, something not easily achieved in the realm of tall, boxy designs, and all hands agreed that this is one of Nissan’s better truck-design efforts in recent memory. When you stir in the value factor, it may be one of Nissan’s best vehicle concepts in a long time.
Specifications
Specifications
1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear/4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $21,845/$23,570
ENGINE
pushrod 12-valve inline-6, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 242 in3, 3964 cm3
Power: 190 hp @ 4600 rpm
Torque: 225 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
4-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: rigid axle/rigid axle
Brakes, F/R: vented disc/drum
Tires: Goodyear Wrangler RT/S
225/75SR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 101.4 in
Length: 167.5 in
Width: 69.4 in
Height: 64.0 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 50/40 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 33/69 ft3
Curb Weight: 3606 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
30 mph: 2.8 sec
60 mph: 8.9 sec
1/4-Mile: 16.9 sec @ 80 mph
90 mph: 23.7 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 9.7 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.4 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.2 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 113 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 206 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.73 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 16 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/Highway: 15/21 mpg
—
1999 Nissan Xterra SE
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear/4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE (EST)
Base/As Tested: $23,100/$24,200
ENGINE
SOHC 12-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 200 in3, 3275 cm3
Power: 170 hp @ 4800 rpm
Torque: 200 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/rigid axle
Brakes, F/R: vented disc/drum
Tires: BFGoodrich Radial Long Trail T/A
P265/70SR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 104.3 in
Length: 178.0 in
Width: 70.4 in
Height: 73.4 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 50/39 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 45/66 ft3
Curb Weight: 4151 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
30 mph: 3.2 sec
60 mph: 10.4 sec
1/4-Mile: 17.8 sec @ 76 mph
90 mph: 28.8 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 11.4 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 11.2 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 12.8 sec
Top Speed (mfr’s claim): 103 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 199 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.70 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 15 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/Highway: 16/18 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
He loved cars, car people, and words… but most of all, he loved racing. The Car and Driver writer, editor, and racer passed away in 2018 at age 78.
Remembering Tony