Each Friday on the Jeep_® Blog, we explore the Jeep brand’s iconic heritage by highlighting a different historical vehicle. This week’s vehicle is the 1993 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (ZJ).

The 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee set the standard for the mid-sized luxury SUV (a position that the Jeep brand still holds today, with the new 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee – the best of what we’re made of). But also in 1993, the Jeep brand released a very rare version of the Grand Cherokee that harkened back to a classic Jeep vehicle model of yore.

The 1993 Jeep Grand Wagoneer revived the namesake of the 1984-1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer SJ for one last hurrah. The 1993 version was a ZJ through and through, but it was the top-of-the-line vehicle that year. In addition to having every ZJ option (including the 5.2L V8 engine), the Grand Wagoneer featured a classic woodgrain side.

1993 would prove to be the final year that the Jeep brand vehicle carried the revered name. From that point onward, the Jeep Grand Cherokee held – and still holds – the torch in the mid-sized luxury SUV segment.

In 1995, the Grand Cherokee ZJ was part of a huge refresh featuring more than 40 major advancements over the previous model. We’ll dive deeper into the 1995-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ in the weeks to come.

Stay tuned to the Jeep Blog for more Heritage Fridays, as we make our way through the Jeep brand vehicles of the 1990s into the 2000s.