1987 Jeep Cherokee Specs
5 powertrain configurations on federal record for the 1987 Jeep Cherokee: 2.5L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline; 4.0L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline, rated up to 21 MPG combined by the EPA.
Source: EPA federal records (fueleconomy.gov) · Updated 2026-10-26 · By CarWhere Research
| Engine | Transmission | Drivetrain | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 17 | 22 | 19 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 19 | 24 | 21 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 5-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 18 | 23 | 20 |
| 4.0L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 15 | 20 | 16 |
| 4.0L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline | Manual 5-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 16 | 21 | 18 |
Cherokee by year
Buying a used Cherokee? Specs are the easy half.
Check which Cherokee years to avoid (federal complaint and recall records), see the live Cherokee value by year, then check the specific car: the Full VIN Report shows that VIN's factory build, recall record, and market history before you pay for it.
Frequently asked questions
What engines does the 1987 Jeep Cherokee have?
2 engines on federal record: 2.5L 4-cyl Regular Gasoline; 4.0L 6-cyl Regular Gasoline, offered with Automatic 4-spd, Manual 4-spd, Manual 5-spd and Rear-Wheel Drive. The full per-configuration table is above.
What gas mileage does the 1987 Jeep Cherokee get?
EPA combined ratings run 16–21 MPG depending on configuration — the table above shows city/highway/combined for each engine, transmission, and drivetrain.
Is 1987 a good year for the Jeep Cherokee?
Specs don't answer that — the federal complaint and recall record does. See the Jeep Cherokee year-by-year reliability verdicts at carwhere.com/research/years-to-avoid/jeep/cherokee, built from NHTSA data.
How do I get the specs for my exact VIN?
These are the federal-record configurations for the 1987 Jeep Cherokee overall. For one specific vehicle — its exact engine, trim, factory options, and original window sticker — decode the 17-character VIN free at carwhere.com/tools/vin-decoder.
Where does this data come from?
The U.S. EPA's public vehicle dataset (fueleconomy.gov) — the federal record of every US-market configuration since 1984 — refreshed 2026-10-26. Public-domain data; republish with attribution to CarWhere (carwhere.com).