JEEPCherokee 1997 - 2001

　　The Cherokee XJ was already an old vehicle but still sold in high numbers, so Chrysler decided to give it a facelift in 1997.

　　Born in 1983, the Cherokee was the result of a troubled love affair between American Motor Corporation and Renault. Its light, unibody construction was unique on the market and marked the end of heavy off-road vehicles. By 1997, Chrysler already integrated the Jeep brand and the French carmaker was gone. Chrysler was not ready to drop the compact 4x4 vehicle from the assembly lines, so it gave it a well-deserved facelift.

　　There was not much to do about the car's exterior. Still, Chrysler's designers revised the front fascia with its seven vertical slats. The metallic bumpers stayed, but they sported body-color with plastic ends. Its door-handles remained black with big push-buttons so they could be used with a gloved hand. In the back, there was a new, metallic liftgate.

　　Inside, Chrysler refreshed the dashboard that featured an extended cluster that covered the instrument panel and the center stack. The low-mounted seats offered a car-like driving position. Due to the short greenhouse, it was impossible to install higher seats. Its tall center console hid the tall transmission tunnel.

　　Under the hood, Jeep offered a 2.5-liter inline-four engine as the base model, but only for selected markets. In the U.S., the Cherokee featured only the 4.0-liter inline-six unit paired either to a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. The 4x4 versions featured a transfer case with low-range gear.