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Budd Stanley photos
Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Review
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Budd Stanley photos
Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Review
There weren’t a lot of places we couldn’t go with the Trailhawk.
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Budd Stanley photos
Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Review
Firestone Destinations worked well when pressures were lowered.
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Budd Stanley photos
Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Review
A rigid body and independent suspension means the Trailhawk loves to lift its wheels.
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Budd Stanley photos
Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Review
Jeep's Selec-Terrain works quite well, with the added bonus of a proper rear locker.
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Budd Stanley photos
Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Review
Despite only 3,000 km on the odo, fog filled headlights isn’t a good sign of build quality.
Story & photos by Budd Stanley
Taking Jeep's Cherokee Trailhawk to the Limit
Is it possible to hate a design, but think it is cool at the same time? For me, the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk has confirmed that this is possible. I think it's hideous looking, yet at the same time, when you start to take in all the features, it really is a cool design.
I gave the regular Cherokee a hard time in my last review, one, because of its name, and two, because it's a Cute Ute that is anything but cute. The Cherokee did surprise me with its off-road abilities, but the question is, does the addition of a 1-in lift, Firestone Destination A/T's and some fancy red tow hooks allow the Trailhawk edition to hold up Jeeps off-road credentials?
The Trailhawk edition is the most trail capable Cherokee. As mentioned, it features Firestone Destination A/T’s that measure in at 245/65R17 and boasts a mild 1-in lift over the regular Cherokee. The drivetrain makes use of Jeep’s Active Drive Lock system with locking rear differential. The drivetrain is able to disconnect the rear driveshaft when in 2WD to increase fuel efficiency, but with the turn of the Selec-Terrain dial, all four wheels receive drive, aided by the electronics to provide power to all the wheels that have grip in low traction situations. Joy of joys, the locking rear differential is a true mechanical locking diff that is selectable in any low range terrain mode. It will lock automatically when in certain modes, such as “Rock,” to maximize tractive effort at the tire patch. Although it does like to turn itself off as soon as the speed passes 30 km/h, a rather annoying trait on a variable trail.
What the regular Cherokee really needed was better bumper angles, and that's just what the Trailhawk gets with an approach angle of 29.8 degrees, a departure angle of 32.1 degrees and breakover angle of 23.3 degrees. Its not XJ territory and the front bumper still sticks way out in front of the front tires, but it annihilates any kind of crossover competition. With the tow package in our tester, we were running a 3.517 final drive ratio mated to a 2.92:1 Low-range ratio. It’s not a crazy slow 4-Low gear, but it was more than enough to see me through some pretty impressive obstacles.
So, we have a vehicle that sits in an unimpressive market segment when it comes to the off-road lifestyle, sporting some decent hardware and some serious proclamations from the makers. We took the Trail Hawk just about everywhere we could in a weeks time to find out if the Trail Rated badge is legit, or just another marketing sham.
The first test was the Okanagan’s dusty arid rocky terrain. Not only did the Trailhawk surprise me with its abilities, it was flat out more capable than I was, crawling up an incline that dumped me on my ass when I got out to scout a line. Loose rock and sandy surfaces had the tires struggling for traction until I lowered the pressures into the low 20’s. After that, the Trailhawk walked up an incline that had me lying on my back. It crawled past hills and obstacles that left others to complete a 36-point turn in fear, and others who simply left in defeat.
As the Cherokee is a unibody structure with independent suspension, I found that it loved to lift wheels into the air. The rear wheels in particular seem to always lift off the ground as the lack of suspension articulation can’t make up for the rigid body as it flops over undulations. This puts a whole lot of faith into the traction aids and differentials. In all my situations, the aids were successful, but if one were to take the Trailhawk off-road religiously, I might invest in a set of slightly larger and stickier tires to give the computers all the help they can get.
At the top of the mountain, we found some rock. Not exactly a rock garden, but rock crawling fit for a Cute Ute. We heard the odd scrape, as clearance tolerances were maxed out, but even teetering on two wheels didn’t stop forward progress. But this is the Cherokee’s weak point, as large undulations can overcome the tight clearances.
From rock and sand, we turned to the wet dirt and mud of the Cascade Mountains. Yup, this little Cute Ute even broke trail when a washout carried a vast majority of the road down a gully. Finding a line that wouldn’t mess up the plastic bumpers, the Cherokee plopped into a rut and came to a stop with its wheels spinning. Keeping my foot in it lightly, after some ABS jitters and a bit of a crunching noise from the electronics working the brakes, slowly each wheel would work in tandem with the systems for the greater good. The Cherokee crept its way out of a deep hole and up onto the road. I thought the loose crumbling surface would best the Cherokee, but it surprised me once again.
While I was constantly amazed with what I was getting away with, there were some annoyances at the same time. With a complicated 4WD drivetrain fed by a 9-speed transmission, and Jeeps Selec-Terrain system, there is a lot going on in the cab when you start to get adventurous. The screen is flashing a hundred different signals reminding you that the “locker is locked,” “step on brake to shift,” “ESC full off, to complete 4WD shift locker must be off...” It's annoying enough to begin with, then add the choruses of bells and dings every time a button is selected and it's enough to make you tear your hair out.
With gadgets, displays and bells going off, and trying to navigate the Cherokee safely through strenuous terrain, a rather intrusive voice would come over the radio commenting, “Who would you like to call?” While you’re working the wheel, it becomes apparent that Jeep didn’t do their homework when it came to the placement of the hands free button. It’s a good place on the highway, but when working the wheel off-road, right next to your thumb is about the worst place possible.
So, is the Trailhawk worthy of being Trail Rated? Yes. Now before you start tossing this magazine across the room, let’s remember that this is a unibody Crossover with independent suspension. This is not a Wrangler; this is a nice comfortable daily driver. You can tear up the highway at 120 km/h, hit the trail, throw it in 4-Low and get into places no other Crossover could ever hope to get (including the Evoque), then jump back on the highway home. It might be ugly, but the Cherokee Trailhawk has proved itself a fine performer on the trail.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- MSRP: $31,695
- Price as tested: $42,455
- Engine: 3.2L V-6
- Power: 271 hp, 239 lb-ft
- Transmission: 9-speed automatic
- Curb Weight kg (lb): 1,863 (4,108)
- Wheelbase mm (in): 2,719 (107)
- Ground Clearance mm (in): 222 (8.7)
- Approach Angle Deg: 29.9
- Departure Angle Deg: 32.2
- Ramp Breakover Angle: 22.9
- Wading Depth mm (in): NA
- Tow Capacity kg (lb): 2,041 (4,500)
- Fuel Efficiency (L/100km): City: 12.4, Hwy: 8.4, Comb: 10.7