hmmm...ranger vs chero. my ranger would have smoked the chero, even w/ 35 less claimed HP...and i'm serious. 155hp (1993 4.0 ranger) vs 190hp (1992 chero), both w/ 5 speeds, both w/ ~3.07s, tho the ranger had slightly bigger tires (225s vs 205s). anyhow, once i put the auto axles (~3.55s) in the chero w/ 31s it was on par w/ the ranger an acceleration.
the ranger was 2wd, and definitely handled the whoops better, not to mention the amazing aftermarket still available for twin i beam fords. but, in the end, i kept the cherokee longer because it's such a nice daily driver (ford bumpsteer is a bitch). they're lighter, more fun to drive and seem to handle much more agreeably. oh and i love my awd in the snow, gravel or rain, but i had to work for that.
i would still love to have a 4wd, 5speed, 4.0, ttb, standard cab, short bed ranger for high speed stuff. oh, and make it a 97+ cab, since they fit bigger people better.
ok wow, jeep forum...sorry
oh, and since someone mentioned 5.9s...sorta got one a those too...it's slow. anyone else have that problem? and i'm not kidding, it feels like it'd run 17s (@4000'). it's a wonderful ride though, and super clean...just in case anyone's interested...hint hint. just don't expect it to outrun a 5 speed 4.0l cherokee.