Is The Jeep Cherokee XJ The Best Affordable Off-Road Rig? We Take It Through Deep Mud To Find Out! 

Watch ANY of Matt’s Off Road Recovery videos and he alone proves how good Harbor Freight winches are. I would NEVER buy one of the other brands at this point.

Roman, the Harbor Freight Badland winches are probably the most highly-touted and praised winches of all the similar RU-vid channels I watch. I'd be careful to discount them as "cheap" for their use.

Was a blast running the course and that mud was humbling to say the least! Has me rethinking the next additions to the build for sure! 😃

I've always loved those XJ's with the 4.0 motors. To find one with a manual makes it that much more rare.

Sorry Roman your absolutely wrong Apex winches "Harbor Freight" are some of the best winches out there at a fraction of the cost!

Actually Harbor freight Badlands winches are a great reliable buy.

A 12k badlands saved me yesterday. I rolled through a mud hole and was about 6” deep and on the way back out it became bottomless lol. To be honest I’ve heard more people complaining about warn than badlands.

Cherokee XJ and Grand Cherokee ZJ are both great platforms for off-roading .

Saw this one and had to watch it. Love my '88 XJ, I've had it 23 years, and will have it for many more. (4.5" lift and 33's)

I like my XJ. With just 3 inch lift kit and 31s I go where big boys go.

My first car was a 1999 XJ, chili pepper red just like this one! If it wasn't such a rust bucket I would have kept it to build it up like this eventually. Still one of my favorite vehicles ever.

As always, Great Video guys! As an XJ owner this video was more special to me. happy to see an XJ taking hitting the course. Those things are so capable and beautiful.

I love the idea of viewers bringing their vehicles to the Tumbleweed off-road ranch!🙏💪🏼

Windor towing does everything with the harbor freight winches and the swear by them. It works for them and they are a a professional business.

I love my XJ's (5) they never let me down when it counted. Many uneventful trips 65 miles down Padre Island.

Used to be affordable. Bought mine in 2014 for $5500. I’ve seen up up to 10-12k now

Viewer from Maine here! I loved my 99 XJ it went anywhere!! 20+ inches of snow too in a winter snow storm and went through it like a tank lol

I love driving my XJ and when a snowstorm hits with a foot I just smile!

Nice build. I think he might've made it through if he had lockers even with ATs. He has great ground clearance, approach and departure angles. No worries about pinstriping, just run that thing! I also agree with Roman that EVs aren't going to ruin motoring, but autonomy probably will.

Long live the XJ! Great build and nice rig. Jeep wave from Oregon.

The xj will always hold a special place in my heart, it was my first vehicle, sadly the fuel line Burst and I decided to sell it 4 years ago but hope someday to get one in amazing condition, that was my fishing vehicle there was nothing like loading my poles and tackle box up on a hot summer day and cruising down backroads afterward.

Snub their nose at them? I remember XJ’s were considered right up there with the Wrangler TJs. Like a TJ with more Utility. Like the bread and butter of off-roading. Very nice!

I love my xj. Will never get rid of it.

My 96 XJ does everything I needed to do and I don’t care about the other things. My badlands winch works great and all my XJ squeaks and rattles gives it character

Cool ride and Great video 👍. My first 4x4 was an XJ and my joy for off-roading started with it and has continued for the past 30+ years since 😊. Nice built Jeep in this video!

I have a 1998 XJ sport and I’m the original owner. I still love this vehicle! Still stock and I take it upland hunting. I can fit 2 dog crates in it and all of my gear- perfect for what I use it for.

Last year I was given a 1998 XJ for my birthday as my first car. I spent the rest of that summer saving to lift it and and couldn't be happier with it. It's far from perfect but I plan on keeping it forever.

Adam Martin, Good looking XJ. Tint those windows and it will look amazing!

I have Eaton truetracs front and rear in my XJ and couldn't be happier. I wish mine was a manual tho!

great course. watching roman doing the recovery is mildly painful. just waiting for a winch cable failure to cut him in half. proper hand signals while directing a driver helps a lot over just trying to yell over the engine noises. food for thought.

Should have came prepared with TSL boggers, and some momentum! Love seeing an XJ on the channel, mine is WAY too clapped out to make an appearance. 240k miles, with plenty of redneck weight reduction :D

I love it! Nothing beats the fun to drive off road factor of the XJ. And fun around town with the manual.

I have a H.F 9000 pounder on my XJ. It's mounted backwards since the grill interferes with the wires. Still works great.

I just love watching you guys putting vehicles thru the course. It's so entertaining and informative, thanks TFL.

I love XJ'S. That shape is awesome

I think if the XJ had a front locker that could have pulled itself out unwinched!

19:56 Roman dropping a quick f bomb 💣😂

Now finally a straight up course with stock equipment and xj's lol this I can watch all day!!

XJ's were always the best offroaders and woods rigs! thing are unstoppable! they were always cheap to find to, and even today they have a great look to them! as iconic as the wrangler!

Nice XJ, I want one😄, Roman nailed it....lockers are a must have and mud terrain tires needed in mud!!!

Add a locker and get rid of the BFG ATs and he'd have no problem

I have to admit, this is not how I thought it was going to turn out, until I learned it was open differentials. Was all set to say, another Jeep has completed the course, where is the 4R TRD OR? But here we are.

Nice Jeep. XJ's are quickly becoming one of the more popular platforms to build off of for an off road rig. Love the 5 speed manual too.

Wouldn’t get HarborFreight winch??? If it’s good enough for Matt’s off road it’s more than enough for me

I don’t know anyone that snubs their nose at an XJ. They are awesome even on road. Enjoy it and hope you have yours for years. I wish I still had 1, we had 3 through the years but should have kept 1.

The XJ would have really benefitted by at least having some lunch box lockers for the Difs. Makes me want to bring my XJ with lockers and mud tires.

Roman, it's not "hard" it's just the fact that he has k02s which suck, and bad guidance. you told him to go slow and put him in the deepest hole on the obsticle which was easily avoidable. you just want people to get stuck because you know the course is easy. let the driver drive his own damn vehicle and just shut up!

Love watching this series with my morning coffee.

Lived at Bross St, Longmont for 2 months . Dec 1st 2017 - Feb 1st 2018. Then moved to Henderson, CO and worked for Adam's Polishes. Had my 2017 WRX and my 2001 Mint Tacoma Xtra Cab 4x4 5 speed.

More skinny petal. A little momentum and the mud wouldn’t have been an issue. We run 4xjs of different builds. Very clean and well done sir.

Xj' s are legendary. With over 365 Km on mine and still going strong, nothing comes close. Properly equipped, absolutely the best off road machine ever, bar none.

The Jeep Liberty will forever have my heart.

That's what my '96 XJ looks like Every time it rains out here in Central Arizona, and haven't been winched Yet knock on wood!🤣🇺🇸

After seeing what Matt’s Off Road Recovery does with an XJ, they seem absolutely amazing for the cost.

Nice XJ! Next time air the tires down, I bet you'd make it through with some mud tires at 15 psi.

I think was kills most vehicles that goes to that section of the Course is that the angle. But overall the course is great and I can’t wait to try it.

I honestly feel like it just needed some better, fresher tires and it would have been fine. Those looked like some fairly well used KO2s. Some new ones or some Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs might have dealt with the mud a little better.

I wish jeep brought back xj like this back , but they won’t 😢

Roman is like the grandparent that won’t stop commenting on your every move. Just wing it it’s off-roading. Floor that skinny pedal and spin that wheel. This car is a beast not a 80k laptop on wheels. Better yet you can actually fix this car and it’s easy labor wise and part wise so even more reason to just send her.

Nice Jeep, love the manual trans 4 liter combo

Get yourselves a snatch block and a tree saver for cottonwood creek, it'll make your lives much easier

That is such a great course. I usually hate it when somebody gets stuck just because they are proud of their machines and want to do well. But I find myself wanting the course to get them, since it's all in good fun. Lockers seem to be a must for this course now. Super fun video. Thanks guys

a thousand bucks for a winch that you'll use a few times is way overpriced - you can get a decent winch for 300 bucks

Happy to see an XJ! I believe the XJ, ZJ, and WJ are the best budget off roaders out there. ZJ and WJ are great for offering V8 power if you don't mind a slightly more complicated rear suspension. Lately, I've been thinking that a WJ with V8 and quadra drive would make a great base for an overlanding/ wheeling rig.

Put lockers on that thing and it'd be unstoppable. Don't even think MTs are necessary if you got lockers

What’s wrong with harbor freight winch I’ve abuse mine for 3 years still going strong. The last warn I had burn up🤷🏼‍♂️

This jeep needs some lockers, MTs, and some unibody stiffeners. Great rig overall.

I was never a Jeep fan, but I always had a soft spot for an XJ.

The torque converter is also nice when you live in a city like Atlanta. I used to be a hardcore manual driver growing up in the mountains of Rural Tennessee. I’ve had cars that I commute into the city with from the burbs, and my first commute car was manual but when our family got bigger my wife’s car needed to be bigger to accommodate 3 kids, I inherited her auto diesel Jetta and I unfortunately sold my Mk4 GLI with a 6 speed manual for a VW Routan! (I still wanna cry over this one! 😢) 8 years later, I still drive Autos now based on where we live. If I ever need reminding I just go into the city and take my manual MJ Comanche! I-85 at rush hour will wear that left foot down! So when I started building an XJ I didn’t blink an eye at an automatic. And after having had a manual MJ, everything he says about trail riding and sweet spots in obstacles is TRUE! But then again when living in the mountains the manual is nice in steep mountain grades!

I feel like he low key just kinda roasted this man’s jeep the whole time 😂

I Just wrote an article on the XJ for Hotcars , I agree it’s the perfect unibody off roader

Good video, but cuts the guest off a little too much. I prefer the other on screen personalities

Didn't even let him try, that would have came out

Great course with no shortcuts! I wonder if a first gen Tundra could do it??

This video reminds us that the Cherokee XJ is not just a vehicle; it's an offroading companion that can conquer anything.

👏👏👏ALEX Always GETS GREAT SHOTS 👏👏👏...

my 87 Cherokee Laredo 8'' lift goes through that just getting to the highway from my house every day with no winch lol ,I run on MT = no problems

XJs are awesome, just look what MORR are doing with the Banana.

This is a cool change to the new expensive vehicles. Do you really need mud tires in Colorado?

Even the Jeep Wrangler with the 392 and lockers got stuck on the course, so anything can get stuck.

Having something like a Teralow 4:1 in the t-case makes things a lot better with a manual.

99 Cherokee done Mojave Rd once in November and once in July 😅 did Rubicon and trails you never heard of!

i love your watching people try your off road course. have you ever thought of inviting Mat Wetzel from Matts Offroad Recovery or Paul Cox from Fabrats to give it a try?

Surprised to learn you're both from IL as an Illinoisan my self. But at the same time I'm not because a lot of friends have moved out that way. CO is no comparison but here in IL we are centrally located to about 5 national forest so it's nice and easy to get away.

Honestly this is a dirt road, not enough momentum into the mud, one lunch box locker in the rear would make a lot of difference,

Roman, stick with running the office. You’ve got a crew that is much better on camera.

This guy looks more like Roman's son than Tommy does.

The off-road community may snub their noses at XJ's but XJ people know. That's why I have two on the road and another for parts.

XJs FTW

I don’t believe Roman has done ANY of the hard trails in Moab

The back burner thought behind the sarcasm of the xj is that jk and jl owners blew there wad on something that doesn't go as good as a built or simply built xj... and as reliable , end of story.

Once you put lockers they're amazing offrosd vehicles.

Come on down to Florida I will show you a good time in the back country of Florida in my Jeep!!!

If it's your daily driver, all terrains will definitely last longer. MT's are so soft the pavement eats them up. As far as lifespan. If it's just a weekend toy then definitely. MT's all the way. I have KO2's combined with lockers so its perfect for Ohio terrain where I live.

Chili pepper red!

All that work and he didn't spend $500 on a set of spartan lockers, all the obstacles would have been a breeze had he had those

The XJ is one of the best 4x4’s ever made.

Hey Roman check out fabrats and Matt's offroad recovery before you bad mouth harbor freight and badlands winches

use the parking brake and when you feel the clutch grab release the parking brake with a manual. i thought it had lockers

Nice XJ. Are those stock gears or did he change gears in the axle?