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JEEP CHEROKEE FROM £1500
Jeep's Cherokee is a willing, tough, mud-plugging tow car for sensible money. Kyle Fortune reports
With its ability to tackle California's legendary Rubicon Trail, Jeep's Cherokee should be unfazed by even the deepest of potholes on British roads. Introduced in 2001, this second Cherokee was Jeep's response to the growing demand for small off-road vehicles. Like Land Rover with the Freelander, Jeep couldn't bring itself to drop its off-road roots, yet for all its ability in the mire, the Cherokee proved itself able, if not outstanding, on the road.
"A lot of buyers use them off road," says Nick Peace, owner of Jeep and Chrysler specialist Ringroad Garage Oeepspedalists.co.uk, 01422 377190). Today, that legendary Jeep off-road ability has never been cheaper. The earliest, highest-mileage examples are in the classifieds for about £1500, and prices rise to about £9000 for the very last of the 2007 models. Jeep introduced the significantly revised second-generation 'KK' model - signified by its squarer lines and prominent chrome grille - for the 2008 model year.
The Cherokee that was introduced in 2001 is known as the KJ-series and was offered with a choice of four engines throughout its production run. The flagship is the auto-only 208bhp 3.7-litre petrol V6. Crippling real-world economy -Autocar's original test netted 18.9mpg - means that it's a relatively rare beast on these shores. Economy worries were salved a little by Jeep's offering of a 145bhp 2.4-litre petrol four, but this model wasn't noted for its parsimonious consumption, either, and Peace says he rarely sees them. Suiting UK fuel prices rather better are the two four-cylinder CRD turbodiesels of 2.5 and 2.8 litres in capacity, sourced from Italian engine firm VMMotori.
These two diesels were by far the biggest sellers in the UK. The manual-only 141bhp 2.5 CRD unit had a quoted 31mpg combined consumption figure and the 148bhp 2.8 CRD with the automatic gearbox 27mpg. The 2.5 dropped from the price lists in 2005, when the 2.8 CRD was also offered with a six-speed manual transmission alongside the auto.
Peace says the engines are typically robust, but the 2.5 CRD did suffer from cylinder heads cracking. If it has, it will require a new head, which is an expensive...