The modern, upscale SUV segment wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for vehicles like the first-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. We’ve covered the “GC” a fair amount in recent months. In January, at the Barrett-Jackson Future Collectibles Symposium, I discussed the one-year-only 1998 5.9 Limited for its merits as a collector-grade classic. And back in November, Derek taught us about the latest and greatest for the current (fifth-generation) Grand Cherokee.
The first Grand Cherokee, known as the “ZJ,” was introduced on January 7, 1992 for the 1993 model year. It had one of the oddest – and also most engaging – debuts in automotive history. Bob Lutz, then-leader of Chrysler’s Global Product Development team, drove up a flight of stairs at the Detroit Auto Show and crashed a Grand Cherokee through a window. Talk about making an entrance. It was silly, but memorable; after all, we’re still here talking about it three decades later. Skip to about 3:30 in the video below for the best part.
It’s important to mention that Jeep was experienced in comfort-oriented SUVs since even before the Grand Cherokee’s 1993 debut. Remember the SJ-series Grand Wagoneer? That vehicle was produced under Kaiser Jeep, American Motors, and later Chrysler, before being phased out after 1991.
My family had a special connection to Grand Cherokees. My great-aunt had a Deep Blue Metallic 1993 Limited with a gray perforated leather interior. She kept a promotional brochure in the seatback pocket that I’d thumb through while riding as a second-row passenger. Core memories! And yeah, that’s me pictured above at about age 15. The vehicle’s retail price was $30,636 when it was new — a hefty sum.
Power for the Limited version came from a 5.2-liter Magnum V-8 that was rated at 220 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. A four-speed automatic transmission and the Quadra-Trac full-time 4WD system channeled power to all four corners. The suspension, too, used “Quadra” nomenclature; it was dubbed Quadra-Coil, and it was engineered to strike a balance between off-road capability and on-road comfort. But let’s be honest: Most of the people headed to trails like Hell’s Revenge in Moab probably went with a Wrangler instead of a Grand Cherokee.
What the GC V-8 might have lacked in fuel economy (it only achieved about 12-17 mpg), it made up for in both capabilities and comfort. The cabin was loaded with niceties (especially by 1993 SUV standards) like heated leather seats, automatic climate control, and a cutting-edge audio system with a built-in equalizer. There was a trip computer including a compass at the bottom of the center stack – something reminiscent of the “digital dash” era that defined some Chrysler models of the 1980s. As a teenager, I loved it.
Years later, my mom acquired the Grand Cherokee, and my brother promptly modified it. All of the gold exterior trim was swapped out for silver, and he added a suspension lift, new wheels and tires, and aftermarket fog lamps. The Jeep stood out from its peers, but it didn’t stick around in the family much longer. According to the CARFAX report, it’s been off the road since July 2012. The most recent entry was a damage report “involving front or side impact.” Prior to that, the last recorded mileage was 178,985 miles. It was a sad fate for a vehicle that had been such a special member of our family.
The GC in Grand Cherokee might as well have stood for “Game-Changer.” Did a ZJ-generation Grand Cherokee play a role your family’s history back in the day?
