What was the point of the Cherokee ?

[candymancan]

Just curious. What was the ppint of the Cherokee and Chief and laredos etc. Was it to make the wagoneer platform more sporty rugged offroady. 2 door like a blazer type of truck ? Why not wide track the wagoneer ? Getting in and out of the back of those things must be a pita

Or did it lower the price . And why 4 door cherokees ?

Just curious

[Stuka]

2dr's were still very much a 'cool thing' in the 70's (unlike today where everything needs 4+ doors). The marketing materials sold it as the sporty option. Often todays single or a family without kids for fishing and hunting and the like.

The Wagoneer was never wide tracked due to the tooling costs most likely. It would require entirely new doors to fit the flares correctly, and AMC did not have enough of a reason to dump that kind of money into it. And the Wagoneer was marketed as the upscale option with lots of luxury items, as well as the option for families.

The 4dr Cherokee was offered later in the Cherokee's life as a bare bones version of the Wagoneer. By then there wasn't a "base" model Wagoneer. So the 4dr Cherokee fit the role for families that could not afford the Wagoneer. It was also sold heavily for fleets. The forest service and fish and game used a lot of 4dr Cherokees.

[candymancan]

I guess tjats what i like about it. The wide trac and two door has a good offroady look to it.

[tgreese]

My understanding - the updated Commando was a flop. '73 was the last year for that line, and the Cherokee was introduced in '74 to fill the gap between the too-spartan and too small CJ and the "full size" Wagoneer. Jeep made the 2-door Wagoneer in the 60s, so tooling for the Cherokee was straightforward. I'd guess it was influenced by and meant to compete with the successful K5 Blazer. Ford made a similar move in '78 making the 2nd gen Bronco as a similar sporty abbreviated pickup - both 2-door like the Cherokee.

[rocklaurence]

IMO, the WT Cherokee is the best looking SUV ever built. It was a wagon but could be fitted with 33" tires without a lift. One of the coolest Mod's I've seen was a guy in Biloxi MS had two short wheel based Cherokee WTs. Approximately 12" cut from the rear door jam and rear tire. Totally Badass--its been 42 years and I still remember them.

[will e]

I really like how they kept the wagoneer dimensions for the cherokee. The Bronco and Blazer look a little bit 'stubbier'. The longer roof line and window are a winner in my opinion.