1984 XJ Pioneer Concept Celebrates the Cherokee’s Lineage

The XJ Lives – For The Easter Jeep Safari

DETROIT – For those of us of a certain age, the XJ Cherokee resonates deeply. It was a college car. Maybe your parents’ family car. Perhaps on weekends Uncle Phil got it muddy. It was one of the first real compact SUVs yet it still captured the essence of Jeep.

With time, it has become coveted in its own right. You can still find rusty XJs plying the trails at off-road parks, while immaculately restored Cherokees are the stylish ride of choice for the boat-shoe crowd in the Hamptons.

Mindful of that heritage, Jeep occasionally trots out the XJ Cherokee, which ran from 1984 to 2001, as a symbol of past greatness and future potential. Like this weekend at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, where the XJ Pioneer Concept heads to the 60th annual EJS with a batch of other modded Jeeps in celebration of the brand’s off-roading heritage and grassroots appeal. 

The other concept vehicles at the Safari – a Grand Wagoneer, a several Wranglers and a Gladiator – are based on Jeep’s current line. That leaves the XJ Pioneer as the lone throwback

“The XJ has always been an important car for the Jeep brand. It’s basically the godfather of the modern SUV,” said Aamir Ahmed, Jeep’s global head of off-road and EVs.

Showcasing that, Jeep bought this 1984 XJ from a Nevada owner, who was so meticulous, he logged every time he filled up his Cherokee with fuel. While many of the EJS concepts are on the wild side, this XJ is closer to a survivor. Jeep added a two-inch lift with quick disconnecting sway bar, custom carbon fender flares with larger wheel openings, 17-inch wheels wrapped in 33-inch BF Goodrich A/T rubber and rock rails. That’s about it.

“We really wanted this car to have an experience of stepping back in time, but kind of with a little more capability built in,” said Jeep designer Chris Piscitelli.

The XJ Pioneer is still 1980s almond gold with red pinstriping. They didn’t even re-paint it. The original 2.8-liter V6 is under the hood. The Jeep team called it the nicest XJ they’d ever come across.

The inside is untouched, save for some Easter eggs like a lunchbox from the 1986 movie "Labyrinth," and a box from a 1986 Apple computer remade as a cooler. The passengers sit on beaded seat covers straight from the Reagan era, and the odometer proudly reads 88,722 miles. The doors even creak and the inside smells like the 1980s.

“We did take a step back and respect this from the time capsule that it is,”Piscitelli said.

A time capsule that shows Jeep’s heritage, at a place, the Easter Jeep Safari, that celebrates its identity. While the other EJS concepts show off its Jeep’s future, the XJ Pioneer highlights a not-so-distant past. It’s not a bad place to dwell.