Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 2014 Review

Ladder chassis SUVs are often viewed as more capable offroad than their uni-body counterparts. In the case of most competitors in the medium SUV segment, there’s now little option, but when it comes to rough-road capability, there are a few exceptions.

Take the new Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, for example. It’s a talented, well-priced and well-packaged SUV that uses a combination of increased ride height, sensible clearance geometry and a no-nonsense four-wheel drive system – with low-range – to get further off the beaten track than many in its class.

But before we get to that, it’s time to discuss the elephant in the room – the Cherokee’s divisive styling. Determined to be different, the model was penned to meet a challenging aerodynamic datum first and foremost (0.347Cd for those playing at home), and secondly to conquer the even more challenging Rubicon Trail.

They’re two factors that don’t usually run hand in hand, but head designer of the Cherokee, Greg Howell, somehow managed to merge the two ideas in a shape that he says is "more revolutionary than evolutionary".

Into that shape Jeep has packaged a 3.2-litre version of Chrysler’s Pentastar V6, which is mated to a nine-speed automatic and runs on regular 91 RON unleaded. On the ADR Combined cycle, the six-cylinder versions are said to consume 10.0L/100km and emit 232g/km of CO2.

The Cherokee Trailhawk is suspended by MacPherson struts with aluminium lower control arms at the front and an aluminium four-link trailing arm set-up at the rear and rides 25mm higher than the regular Cherokees, giving 221mm of ground clearance and 508mm fording depth.

The Trailhawk also boasts a wider track front and rear (+33mm and +41mm) for improved off-road stability and remoulded bumpers front and rear improve the geometry and taking the approach angle to 29.9 degrees, the break-over angle to 22.9 degrees and the departure angle to 32.2 degrees.

Stopped by four-wheel disc brakes (with an electric park brake), and directed by an electric rack-and-pinion steering arrangement the Cherokee Trailhawk rides on 17-inch alloy wheels shod with Yokohama Geolander All-Terrain tyres whose high profile gifts the SUV with a compliant ride quality ideal for rough tracks like those encountered on launch.

Sure, this soft approach might come at the cost of outright cornering ability but, in saying that, the Cherokee Trailhawk is no slouch, and feels settled for the most part proving confident cornering both on and off the black-top.

The steering is nicely weighted, almost bordering on heavy, although it’s accurate and of appropriate rack speed given the Cherokee’s purpose. Outward vision is better than most in this segment and offers a good view all-round enabling easy placement of the vehicle through bends, and when manoeuvring.

Clicking through the various profiles of the Cherokee’s Selec-Terrain four-wheel drive system also gave us an opportunity to see just how well the model coped with hill climbing and descent – with vehicle speed controlled by the vehicle itself – as well as mud, rock and rough terrain. All were tackled with zero fuss and minimal wheel-spin.

In low-range, we did find the vehicle placed a lot of pressure on the drivetrain and needed a hefty push of the brake pedal to stop it from 'running away'. We also noted that the ratio between first and second was quite a step, and caused a surge when upshifting, matched by an increase in vehicle speed, that was a little abrupt when tackling tight turns and speeds slightly over that of a slow jog (best to shift manually in these instances we think).

The transmission mightn’t be as responsive as the similar unit sampled in the Range Rover Evoque recently, however it does shift smoothly through its ratios and keeps fuel economy within reach of the ADR Combined figure (we achieved a 12.3L/100km average figure), despite the engine’s dated multipoint injection technology.

The Cherokee Trailhawk's cabin presentation impressed, especially where the comfort and support of the front seats was concerned. It’s well packaged with good space distribution between the front and second row, and the cargo area, though we couldn’t get an exact figure on the cargo space available.

There’s plenty of headroom, provided you don’t option the panoramic roof (which subtracts more than 35mm from the ceiling) and the addition of a full-size steel spare wheel will come as a welcome addition to those intending on using the Trailhawk for its intended purpose.
We’re a little disappointed to hear that the Trailhawk variant will not be offered with the choice of a diesel engine (which is due here later this year) and some die-hards may lament the absence of a manual transmission.

However, when viewed against its nearest competitors, the Cherokee is one medium SUV that can get to and from those places most owners only ever dream of seeing, and can do so with an ease even some larger four-wheel drives would struggle with. Perhaps the term 'less capable monocoque SUVs' has now become an oxymoron.

2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk pricing and specifications:
Price: $47,500 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.2-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 200kW/316Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
Co2: 232g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP