Boxy brilliance

It’s a sobering thought that this year marks the 25th anniversary of Jeep’s official return to the UK, initially via right-hand-drive versions of the Wrangler and XJ-generation Cherokee. The timing was perfect, of course, with sales of 4x4s on the increase. And in the Cherokee in particular, Jeep had the perfect offering with which to steal sales away from the competition. As a relatively compact (by American standards) family-friendly off-roader at a sensible price, the Cherokee was indeed a tempting proposition.

Power initially came from a 4.0-litre straight-six petrol engine (with automatic transmission as standard), which was joined in 1994 by a 2.5-litre four-pot. The following year’s arrival of a turbo-diesel unit (supplied by VM of Italy) dramatically expanded the Cherokee’s British