Did Jeep accidentally build one of the best hot hatches of the last 40 years? It's is smaller than a Mk8 GTI and could be had with a bulletproof 4.0L inline-six and 5-speed transmission. Can it possibly give the quintessential VW hot-hatch a run for its money? We’ll talk Jeep XJ Cherokee, its origins, and all 8 generations of GTI – from the 16v 2.0L, to the 8v 2-point-slow, the soulless 1.8T, the venerable VR6, and the electric e-Golf!
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Welcome to the hot hatch episode! We’ll touch on some real oddballs in this one – like the Dodge Omni GLHS, Suzuki Swift, Chevrolet Sprint, and Mitsubishi Mirage. Plus some allegedly fabulous but forbidden fruit: the Peugeot 205 GTi Rally and Renault Clio Williams.
Then we’ll dive into the Jeep XJ Cherokee which Jason just did a Revelations episode on. It began as the unibody successor to the giant and inefficient Jeep Wagoneer – a honking SUV with CJ Wrangler guts inside – which, incidentally, was a recipe being emulating across the globe as Toyota and Land Rover (to name a few) were also building more comfortable and luxurious SUVs using drivetrain bits from their more serious off-roaders like the BJ/FJ and Series II/III. The Cherokee followed the Range Rover away from the body-on-frame chassis and adopted unitary construction methods resulting in genuine handling prowess – even out-gripping a W201 Mercedes-Benz 190E. In fact, the chassis bones are so good you can find XJs competing amongst much sportier cars in 24 Hours of Lemons races across the country. Jason even deems the XJ one of his best back road drives ever. Sadly, early cars were excruciatingly slow thanks to an anemic Renault-built AMC engine. But that didn’t stop Jason from getting one of his very first speeding tickets in one. The little XJ made a lasting impression on nearly everyone who had the pleasure of experiencing one – including Derek, whose experiences in his mom’s are literally his earliest datable memories. The little Jeep was so popular that when the Grand Cherokee came along to replace it, so many people were still clamoring for the original Cherokee that Jeep decided they would just build both.
After the Jeep, we jump into VW’s perennial hatchback hit: the GTI. All 8 generations have their pros and cons: Jason proclaims the VR6 to be one of the best sounding engines ever produced, and the 1.8T the worst VW ever made. The MQB platform underpinning the latest cars is declared spectacular. The Mk4 is a chubby baby Audi/Mercedes. The Mk6 fixes a lot of the hamster-styling of the Mk5, but the Mk5 has the better steering, just beware understeer. The Mk7 is a delight, especially if you can find yourself a Rabbit or Sport edition in Great Falls Green or Cornflower Blue. But even with a fancy color scheme, the humble e-Golf makes the better city car.
Of note: Derek finally goes large-barging with a crew made up of a 560SEC, F-Type SVR, F-Pace SVR, a pair of R129s (one dogleg), and A4 2.8 Avant 5-speed, with his Mk5 GTI track car as a palette cleanser.
Lastly, Jim Carrey, Mike Myers and Leslie Nielsen are national treasures, and their comedy blockbusters from the 80s, 90s and 2000s are exquisite. But do they hold up as well today as a Jeep XJ?
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