It additionally provided excellent payload capacity of above 2,000 lbs, which was a step up over any other similarly-priced truck. The Comanche was remarkably capable off-road as a result, with excellent wheel articulation helping to make short work of uneven terrain, and its suspension design would be in part replicated by later Jeep models like the TJ and the Grand Cherokee. Buyers could choose between street and trail-oriented shocks. Like the Cherokee, the Comanche used a coil spring front end centering a solid axle, with another live axle supported by leaf springs in the back.
The removable bed, that is to say, one that wasn't linked to the cab of the truck through the body structure, was the first of its kind for a unibody vehicle, and it required a subframe underneath to keep its link to the front end of the truck strong. Given that the Cherokee rode on a unibody platform, the idea of cutting it up and grafting on a cargo bed took a little extra planning. It was an interesting challenge for AMC engineers.
It was a smash among SUV fans, and as a result the company turned to its right-sized platform as a jumping off point for a pickup. Jeep, which was about to be swallowed whole by Chrysler, was on the outside looking in.Įnter the XJ Cherokee, the last-ditch effort from AMC-era Jeep to innovate an entirely new product. By the mid-80s, vehicles like the Ford Ranger and the Chevrolet S-10 had emerged to do battle with the popular Toyota Truck for the hearts and minds of compact pickup buyers. The genesis of the Comanche was a simple one. The Comanche wouldn't prove to be nearly as successful for Jeep among small truck buyers, but it offered a strong alternative to standard Detroit fare and delivered a degree of all-terrain acumen few of its rivals could match.
Like the Gladiator, the Comanche rode on the wave of success generated by its platform-mate, in this case the Jeep Cherokee, which had been introduced to great acclaim only a few years earlier and which in many ways revolutionized the compact SUV space. Often lost in the hype of today's Jeep Gladiator, the Comanche was until the 2020 model year the most recent pickup offered by the popular SUV brand. 30 years ago, however, there was another new truck on the block that also broke with tradition by featuring a platform design more commonly associated with cars than rugged trail machines: the Jeep Comanche. The Honda Ridgeline is a frequent target of skepticism from traditional pickup fans who aren't quite convinced that a unibody design is as capable as a full-frame when it comes to towing, hauling, or off-road shenanigans.
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