Episode 786 – End of the Cherokee
This Week in Jeep
Well …I called it
At first, I thought it was more or less a patriotic slap in the face for Stellantis to close down the Belvidere assembly plant, and move production of the KL Cherokee down to Mexico. At least that’s what we were told was going to happen. And at the time I predicted that there was more to this than meets the eye. At first, we were told that production would just go idle temporarily. Then we were told that production was being moved, and the plant would go idle indefinitely. Well, this week it has become official news, and now it’s going viral, that the Jeep Cherokee is finally being laid to rest, and maybe for good. After nearly half a century in production, Jeep official has confirmed that the end of an era is here. Some can argue that the Cherokee is what made Jeep the brand it is today, as one of the most recognizable SUV brands on the market.
It can also be argued that the Jeep Cherokee XJ changed automobiles forever, by creating the now extremely popular midsize SUV segment.
-Started in 1974 – original Cherokee based off the Wagoneer
-1984 first unibody SUV – one of the last vehicles AMC would produce
-Hugely successful – they made some 3 million of them between 84 and 01.
-Very long production run for a new vehicle at the time
-Served as the template for the modern unibody SUV
Jeep says they won’t be abandoning the midsize SUV segment, even though the Cherokee is the badge that put Jeep at the top of the market in this segment.
With all that history and heritage, it raises the touchy question of how Jeep will proceed in what is the most competitive auto segment on the market.
In the last 10 years, sales of the KL Cherokee have plummeted, and some would argue it was because the design team in charge of bringing back the iconic name badge royally dropped the ball.
Nobody wants to buy a Jeep that looks like a car, no matter how much you promote the Trailhawk aspects.
So as we predicted, the dynasty of the Cherokee has come to an end.
A spokesperson for Stellantis was unable to confirm how or when the automaker plans to fill the void now that this particular Jeep name badge is gone and the automaker has one less vehicle to sell in this segment.
But they also did not confirm if the Cherokee badge may return at some point in the future or what the long-term plan is for the Grand Cherokee name badge….?
The Grand Cherokee just got a refresh in 2022, and the model seems to be fitting in well with Jeep’s plan of electrification.
So a drastic change right now probably wouldn’t make sense.
But if you remember… The heads of the Cherokee Nation asked Jeep to retire the Cherokee name badge back in 2021.
Would this then also apply to the Grand Cherokee?
Speaking of Cherokees… Newer Model Jeep KL Falls Through Ice In Colorado
Colorado is known for its cold winters. I know I know, I hear you smirking over there.
Ok, Colorado isn’t known to have the most severe of winters, but if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, mother nature has been known to just reach out and say hello. For this Jeep Cherokee KL owner, that’s exactly what happened, in the form of the Jeep falling through the ice of the Yampa River. But how did it get there in the first place? That’s where things get interesting. It was March 18th, and the weather was sunny and dry. The temps were plenty cold in this part of the state on County Road 16 toward the junction with Routt County Road 14. We don’t know too many details about this particular Jeeper, but what we do know about the accident is pretty spectacular.
We know the Jeep left the roadway of County Road 16 …at speed,
We know the Jeep didn’t brake or skid, as there was no evidence of this at the scene.
We know the Cherokee KL then hit a snow embankment and went airborne.
We know this because it somehow managed a perfect Dukes-of-Hazard-like trajectory, We know THIS because from the point where the tracks left the snow, and from where the Jeep landed was 65 feet of open, snow-covered terrain with a good 12 to 16 feet of elevation change. That’s one hell of a jump for any Jeep. Let alone a KL Trailhawk.
But the Cherokee didn’t nose dive and landed squarely on the icy surface of the river, which authorities say is likely the only reason the occupants of the Jeep are still alive.
I would argue that perhaps the added armor and suspension of the Trackhawk may have contributed to this as well…. Albeit a small contribution.
The first responder oddly enough was a snow plow driver, and he was able to make a path for the wrecker to get in position for an easy recovery.
The impact did rupture the oil pan of the Jeep which caused an oil slick, and contaminated ice and soil all of which had to be contained.
As far as we know was successful, as there have been no reports that the reservoir downstream was contaminated.
Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
Hey, Forest Service OPEN our trails! NOW
Well, the bureaucratic machine at the Forest Service has in its infinite wisdom decided to CLOSE down all our trails in the mountains here in So. Calif. – ALL of them!! For no logical reason – other than to take away our right to access and to keep ALL of us off our PUBLIC lands.
Yes, I said OUR public lands!!
That includes hiking, camping, bicycling, driving (jeeps, 4x4s, etc.), and equestrians.
They are closed till – get this…. JUNE 30! WTF
Is pure Bullshit!!! The Forest Supervisor in charge of our area is hell-bent on closing all trails forever! She wants NO ONE on any mountain trail!! PERIOD
Government bureaucrats
So that’s where we come in. Any listeners who wheel in So Calif mountains who want to keep them open need to write or call everyone on the list and ask them to OPEN the trails. Heck anyone can call. It’s what we do, support each other on any off-road closure.
Corva (Calif organization) is helping along with others. We have personally reached out to the Forest Service to get a better understanding as to why- as of the show’s recording we have not heard back – no surprise.
So let’s send as many messages as we can.
This impacts businesses up here in Big Bear and the mountain communities for hikers & bicyclists and all the jeepers and 4x4ers’ that travel up here to wheel. Plus the businesses that get support from breaking things (tire companies, repair shops, etc).
It’s absolutely ridiculous with no logical reason.
PS it’s a $5,000 fine if you are caught. BTW there are no signs on any of the trails and they don’t have staff to patrol. There is literally 1 person to cover 600 miles of trails up here.
Closure Letter from the Forest Service:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1095216.pdf
Whom to Contact:
There are two email addresses for each person. Don wasn’t sure if the ones he had still worked and whether the new @usda.gov are better. Use both to be certain.
Forest Supervisor:
Danelle Harrison
dharrison@fs.fed.us
dannelle.harrison@usda.gov
Deputy Forest Supervisor:
Kay Wiand
kwiand@fs.fed.us
kay.wiand@usda.gov
Director of Public Service (Acting):
David Anderson
danderson@fs.fed.us
david.anderson@usda.gov
Public Affairs Officer (Acting):
Adrian Escobedo
aescobedo@fs.fed.us
Joe Rechsteiner, District Ranger
jrechsteiner@fs.fed.us
joe.rechsteiner@usda.gov
Freddie W. Duncan, District Ranger
Fduncan@fs.fed.us
Freddie.duncan@usda.gov
Here are the politicians that need to be contacted as well:
23rd Senate District
Rosilicie Ochoa
Redlands, CA 92374
Phone: (909) 335-0271
Fax: (909) 335-0282
Capitol:
(916) 651-4023
Fax: (916) 651-4923
Twitter @rosilicie
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=rosilicie%20ochoa%20bogh
8Th Congressional District
Jay Obernolte
Hesperia, CA 92345
Phone: (760) 247-1815
@JayObernolte
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=congressman%20jay%20obernolte
Assembly District 34
Tom Lackey
Palmdale CA 93551
(661) 267-7636
https://www.facebook.com/AssemblymanLackey/
Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update
Poo Powder and Tactical Body Wipes
Godora 30 packs ECO-Friendly Poo Powder
Rapidly Biodegradable Eco Gel for Portable Toilets, Outdoor Portable Bedpans & Emergencies
Body Wipes by Bravo Sierra
Biodegradable Shower Wipes with Benzalkonium Chloride & Aloe Vera
RightLine Tent Bed. 110765
It is NOT for the Jeep Gladiator but it was $109 so I’m making her fit!
Air mattress and camping pillows.
Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!
Action Camera – Just Get One Already!
If you’ve spent any amount of time poking around off-road-related forums or Jeeping-related pages on social media, there is one phrase that gets typed a lot when someone is bragging about something they did with their Jeeps. And that is….
“PICS OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN!”
There’s not much worse than leaving the house and realizing your phone is still on the counter. I …hate that feeling. Our phones have become our lives, and it sucks even worse when you realize that a single device is the only means you have of recording your adventures. It used to be if you wanted those cool below-the-Jeep shots as you crawl over an obstacle or those wide sweeping views of the trail as you roar over some rocks… you either had to have a professional camera crew with you, or you spent hundreds of dollars on action cameras like a GoPro. Those cute but extremely powerful cube cameras have become very popular over the years and now that they’ve been out for a while, the prices have come way down and there is plenty of competition. Oh sure, you could easily drop $3k in an offroad camera rig, with a 3-axis active stabilizing gimbal and enough frames per second to choke a supercomputer in processing. But it’s really not needed. Now you can get top of line GoPro performance for a fraction of the price and have a dozen varieties to choose from. So this week I’m not going to give you one specific brand or model of thing to go after. Instead, I want you to make a commitment to yourself and the rest of the Jeep world that you are going to make the summer of 2023 the year you finally get an action camera for you and your Jeep adventures. Get a mount for the dash, get one for the bumper, get a suction cup mount for the side of the door, and a big clamp mount for the roll bar. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get good footage, but it does help to have a few handy accessories. Although I’m not giving you one particular camera brand or model to go buy… I’m not going to leave you high and dry either… I’ll get you pointed in the right direction, and we’ll talk about a few features that will help set things apart for you and get the most out of your Jeeping video-making. First, and this is arguably one of the most important pieces of advice in this category… get an extra battery, no matter what, you are going to use it, I guarantee it. Besides, it’s better to have an extra battery and not need it, than to need one, and not have it. Second, make sure the camera you’re getting has an app that is compatible with your phone. This is critical. Being able to mount the camera in a remote location and then start, stop, and monitor your footage is incredibly useful. Take it from me, when my GoPro Hero 3 first lost support on my android I was pissed! I can’t tell you how freaking cool it is to have a virtually live look at what is going on under your Jeep as you crawl through an obstacle.
“I don’t need no spotter! I can see what I’m doing!”
Also, you don’t necessarily need 4k, but make sure that it can at least do a full 1080p with 120 frames per second. That’s going to be the mark to reach for clarity of shot, and the ability to have some good smooth slow motion shots if it came down to it.
But honestly, you can get a 4k action camera with a waterproof case for under $50 on Amazon and have it here in two days if you want, so why not right? And that’s about it, if you can’t find a decent accessory package to go along with the camera you’re looking at, move on to another one. You’ll want one with at least a little bit of support behind it to make your offroad video making a little easier and more enjoyable. When you get home there are a ton of free, very easy-to-learn and use video editing programs out there to put the final touches on your latest Jeeping adventure, edit out the boring spots where you were just sitting there, or the embarrassing ones like where you slipped and fell in the mud puddle or had to pull cable. Regardless, the software should make it easy for you to make a clean edit and get it posted on youtube or your social media accounts at the very least. It’s never been easier or cheaper to get great Jeeping videos without having to rely on your cell phone or a hired camera crew from the history channel. So do it today, and if someone gives you grief, just tell them:
“Jeep Talk Show made me do it!”
