Jeep Cherokee (1984–2001)
In the early 1980s, manufacturers realized they needed smaller and more fuel-efficient trucks to sell to young families. Jeep designed its new XJ Cherokee with lightweight unit-body construction (in which frame and body are one unit, like most cars), but retained its solid axle suspension for tremendous off-road capability. Better still, the Cherokee didn't wear smooth, rounded sheet metal like some small SUVs. This was a Jeep, after all, So XJs looked angular and tough.
The popular XJ was just as capable in the dirt as it was on a twisty slab of blacktop—the perfect blend of both sport and utility. The Cherokee was innovative, too, because while most competitors offered only two-door models, the XJ came with two or four doors. It was so beloved that Jeep kept the rig in production for 17 years.
