I still don't know what people are talking about. This looks like a damn Cherokee to me... I think people are just to blind, stupid, and ignorant to accept that Jeep, like many other companies, are aiming to modernize their line-up, make things better, and break away from the crowd to make something thats different and unique. So quit hating. It looks like a Cherokee, it can handle off-road like a Cherokee, it has all the modern day features and price that a Cherokee should if in this day and age; therefore, its a Cherokee. 'Nough said. Great job Jeep!
Fiat didn't ruin jeep, they helped bring them into the 21 century. This has more in road goodies than other cars in this segment plus it can spank them off road. This even is a better bargain than the range rover evolve. Jeep can't keep making vehicles only for West Virginian natives only if it wants to service on a global scale.
I do all highway driving with up to four feet of possible snow in upstate new york right by where lake ontario dumps all of that lake effect shenanigans. Regardless of the looks, the highway fuel economy combined with the ability to handle ridiculous amounts of snow makes this car a must have for myself.
I know it has many haters but i honestly must say its a fairly decent crossover. I think the torque to weight ratio is what inhibit it to be a total trailrated car but hey no matter what anyone says it preformed decent for it being stock. Plus i believe there was guides mostly to not damage it too much i mean it was just loaned to do the review not given as a gift. I give it a 7.5 8 of 10 overall which is pretty high.. plus the new style took cajones to do props for that
Ok 7 years later. I picked up one of these for $13k. Far better buy than any comparable used Wrangler. It’s just a solid vehicle with serious off-road chops, and since I didn’t pay the big bucks for it, I won’t hesitate to take it to the dirt and see what it can do!
Saw one tonight in person - it actually looks much better in person. I love the look - think I'd like the Trailhawk even more than the sport I looked at.
I have no idea why people compare this to a wrangler, or say that this is not an off road vehicle. Its not supposed to compete with the wrangler for one. And for two, its not an off road vehicle. Its a small SUV that has the ability to go off road in a limited manner. It does exactly what it was built to do, and it does it great. If you want to do serious off roading, buy a wrangler. If you want a nice daily driver that has some great features and can do some mild trail riding, this is perfect for that
I've seen this, and why I have no doubt this is the best off road car in it's "class", this video has convinced me to try and get a few more years out of my 94 XJ.
I like it. Can't wait to get my hands on one. We have a ride and drive scheduled for next month, and I will have a chance to play on, and off road with it.
I'm the owner of a '99 Cherokee and was really concerned about the performance of the vehicle because it sports a V6 (or a V4, depending). Honestly, it handled the off-roading pretty damned well. Price tag seems a bit high and the aesthetics are wonky... but it looks good.
That's fine. The point still stands that "true Jeep diehards" hated on the XJ due to its "un" design and said it wasn't a real Jeep. Regardless of unibody or un distinctions, it was different so everyone hated on it. Of course 29 years later we realize they had nothing to fear and the XJ ended up being incredible. What I really want to see is a stock XJ vs. this Cherokee stock and see how they compare on the trail. Wouldn't surprise me if this one performs as good or better.
People can say whatever they want about the looks, the numbers is what jeep cares about, and if you google the sales information on it you will see its doing great.
Does it always come with the jeep representative to help get up the groomed course without too much embarrassment. Maybe the next Cherokee will just be a CD which will help us visualize driving a jeep trail from the safety of our couch.
I agree. Props must be given to Jeep for producing this vehicle while other manufacturers continue to convert their "SUV"'s into minivans. Jeep went the other direction and stayed true to its roots. Its a great looking vehicle that reminds me a lot of the RR evoque which, by the way, got lots of praises for its styling. Jeep, continue returning to your roots and you will continue to be successfull.
1. Ford Escape, 2. Jeep Weasel. Would NEVER consider a RAV-4, too plank. Same for CR-V, Equinox and Journey. The new Rogue would be my third choice. Excellent review guys! For $35,000 I would choose the Wrangler any day!!
This design has been growing on me, and wanted to say that this seems like a pretty good honest review. I do wish though when you guys do get it to test, I wish you could do it in Sedona, Az, where the pink jeep tourers run, those are some pretty good trails!
The thing that's cool about this and the grand cherokee is that it will get people off road who never would have tried. I could see this doing 1-3s at most off road parks. That will get people exploring and that's a really good thing. Heck, some these people will look at the 4s and 5s and say "hey, I want to try that trail, I need a wrangler."
As a replacement for the boxy Liberty, it's not such a bad (or bad--looking) vehicle. I still need to see it in person before committing to that opinion. Thanks for the excellent insights and video Roman and Nathan!!
Excellent footage giving us an in depth personal view of the test tract and vehicle attempts. Thanks so much, love you guys & you give it to us straight.
I like the new Cherokee, probably going to buy one. I'd also like to say, you guys do a great job with the videos. Some web based "car reviewers" are pretty awful, but you guys are professional and well edited. Good work.
Nope I am wrong and you are correct. It was a 4.0. It was a Cherokee Country that I bought used in Syracuse NY. It was a former Avis rental out of Canada. It even had a block heater. Nice car, fun to thrash in the State Park next door to where I lived at the time.
Did you see that in person, or are you referring to the PR video that Jeep put out where it tripods over some of the mundane parts of the Rubicon while completely bypassing the actual obstacles that make it a challenging trail? Keep in mind they were eventually able to do that with the Compass, too. It's got lockers and a good crawl ratio but it's still just sort of a minivan with good grip, you're pretty much stuck with what you leave the dealership with due to it's suspension and complexity
Dude this was filmed like 10 minutes from my house West Lake,CA i'm pretty sure the trail your on is either on or very near to the Parker mesa trail a pretty dope MTB trail
No. The Forester and Crosstrek XV are surprisingly capable off road, but this Trailhawk has great gearing, suspension and tires for mid-level off-road travel. Sure, it can bog down, but the electronics do compensate and will pull it out. IMO, the Trailhawk is the best in its class off road.
I really want to want one of these. My liberty is getting old and beat. I used to drive a wrangler, but that is not practical for my life anymore. DAMN IT JEEP! Make a decent practical offroader like the ZJ, XJ, KJ again!
A lot of people need to realize this isn't meant to be like a Wrangler, if you want an extremely capable 4x4 buy one of those. This will be very capable given its electronics and the fact that it pretty much has the same ground clearance as a standard FJ Crusier and a Prado!
I used to own a 1999 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Edition with a 4.0 liter, inline 6 cylinder engine. The Wrangler was not lifted but came stock with a 12 inch ground clearance and a 10 inch clearance on the pumpkins. 30 inch Kenda Klever AT tires and I was hitting mud holes and trails that lifted pick up trucks were struggling to hit. I took that Wrangler everywhere. Now I own a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with a 5.7 liter V8 HEMI. It literally can do the same things my Wrangler did. It needs a little ground clearance but other than that it performs extremely well. However all these new models of Jeeps and some of the older models crack me up and by new I mean 2007-present. They are terrible. The only thing that seemingly gets better is the Wranglers and even those have taken a plastic turn for the worse. Oh well I'll stick with my 10, 15 and 20 year old vehicles. They seem to do better with 100,000 plus miles on them then the newer ones do anyways.
No, the Trailhawk has a locking rear. It's an active drive lock with locking rear axle and it works well - when activated. The setting I had it on was incorrect and kept it in LSD (I think it was in regular driving/auto mode).
Nathan, get off the Wessel thing already. Long before the Grand Cherokee there was a Cherokee. I had one, you could get it with an I 4 or the 3.0 liter I 6. It was smaller than the Grand and less expensive to buy. If I am not mistaken it was also the first Uni Body Jeep.
Loose terrain like that comes down to tires mostly. The Trail Hark had decent all terrain tires. But the lug gaps are pretty small. A more aggressive tire would have allowed it to do a lot better. That moon dust top soil is just really slick.
Also, in the GC you need to remove the lower front bumper to get decent angles. This should also be faster than it's competition (Evoque, Rav 4, Forrestor etc). Might wait till they do a cosmetic update in a few months. Still not liking the rear and the triple layered front lights!
Not so sure about the looks but the performance you reported makes this a true Jeep. Not your father's Jeep and certainly not your grandfather's Jeep but a Jeep of t he 21st century. The Trail Hawk would be my choice, the upgrades to make it trail ready create a more aggressive vehicle with real cojones. Looking forward to the match/mash ups.
Wrangler is good for going off-road. It was built with that in mind. This was built to be both a commuter and a best-in-class off-roader. I think it does the job, from what I've seen. o.O
Solid axles are going away, technology in independent suspensions both front and rear is incredible. Fully independent suspension rides and handles better in all situations except articulation, which is where all the traction technology comes in. Take a 2014 Overland grand and put it against a 2004 Overland (last year of solid axles at both ends). The new will take the old in every off road test you put it through and is a better vehicle for everyday use.
Interesting how, in 1984 everyone was hating on Jeep for making a unibody Cherokee. "Ugh! Ruining the Cherokee name with a unibody car! How dare they! Might as well put a baby seat in the back from the factory! Real Jeeps are body on frame!" And now everyone is comparing this new Cherokee to the "REAL" one, the one built in 1984 and largely unchanged for 17 years because of how incredible it ended up being. I say relax. Time will tell how well the new Cherokee is received.
First, that might be hard to do. Second, If you go too, its a deal. You can ride on the skid plates. That way when the driver can't here you anymore they'll know they're on the right terrain.
It would be awesome to see you guys do a match up / mash up between two of the same vehicles one with E85 the other with regular gas and do a MPG comparison and a proper 0 - 60 comparison a mile above sea level! Would definitely look forward to seeing that!
They way I optioned the Cherokee vs rubicon unlimited wrangler was about 2-3k$, 32-33k$ for Cherokee trail hawk v6 and 35-36k for unlimited rubicon wrangler 6sp. 7-9mpg difference between the two. It would be a hard choice
Looks extremely capable off-road, more capable than I've ever seen any vehicle in this class. Most are just soft-roaders. This looks like you could actually go fairly far off the beaten path and not leave you wishing you had something else. I actually like it the more I see it, especially upfront. It's more the profile and rear that bother me, but even that's becoming less of an issue. Trailhawk looks badass. I think I still would have just preferred they not named it Cherokee though.
I was on the 60th anniversary Jamboree this past summer and so were some new Cherokees, it was my second time on the Con. There really aren't any "mundane" parts of the Rubicon, it's not the hardest trail I've ever run but it is very much continuously difficult. and you are very limited to where you are allowed to drive, 25 ft from the center line is it so "Bypasses" are few and far between. Wentworth Springs entrance is as hard as any trail I've ever run and there are no bypasses.
the front is growing on me. Its the rear that could use a few tweaks. Move the license plate onto the tailgate and off the bumper. It would fill in that massive void.
OK, this is the second vid I have seen where the editing is wrong (shot out of sink) Not bad reviews but, when I see you going up the same hill three times kind of tells me your not putting it through the steps I would like to see in order to buy it.
Nice review, when you have the chance to test it in Co. please explain a bit more about the trans. select. dial. In regards to the Evoque, I think the Jeep is a much better choice for off road (b.t.w. I like the looks better than the old Compass)
Question for Nathan: Looking at the video at some places where you mentioned you got stuck (on the incline), looks like the cherokee has a limited slip diffential and not a locking differential. Is that the case?
At first I thought it was ugly, and to some degree it is. But I'm starting to like it. Fact that its a bit smaller, lighter, better on gas and has everything u need (4x4, rear diff locks) for off roading is really appealing. Did I mention the great gas mileage? I like the LR3, jk, fjc, but this is really appealing for the part time 4wheeler
The looks of this have really grown on me... I like it. Although, I think I'm going to call it the Jeep Hammerhead as to me it looks like one. I don't mind them calling it an Cherokee tho... XJ owners, everything will be all right!
looks great to me. I think it fills in the gap between a luxury car & a wrangler - the perfect sweet spot for me. I currently own a wrangler & I love it- but I want just a little bit more technology, comfort & mpg... enter the Trailhawk :) Just waiting for them to arrive on my dealer's lot
The Escape is what the new "Cherokee" should have been in the looks department. I loved my old Cherokee, but have nothing nice to say about the new one so I won't mention the obvious. Also, a Subaru Forester or Crosstrek should be included in the CUV comparison. They are far more capable that either the RAV4 or CR-V
Headlights look kinda small and oddly placed. Cherokee was due for a makeover so its good to see one.SEMA and the aftermaket upgrade world will make a ton of stuff for this thing.
Get me my XJ, I want to show Jeep what off-roading USED to be. Great video TFL, I'm just not a huge fan of the new "Cherokee" (if you can really call it that), I would much prefer my 98 Cherokee over one of these for an off-road expedition.
Id say the only thing is the back end looks to similar to the competitors like the Kia Sportage and Escape etc I am impressed with this vehicles ability so far
I'm starting to like this car in trailhawk for (only certain colors and def only the trailhawk version). I'm considering a GC Limited but this has some advantages. 1) Lighter and more fun to drive 2) Much more offroad ready (tow hooks, departure and approach angles etc) than the GC unless you option up to the air suspension - which isn't very reliable in any brand (LR, GC etc) 3) Better fuel economy and I suspect the 300HP V6 will be a hoot to drive in this chassis Vs the GC, where it is slow
I´m surprised you had a Cherokke but the I-6 offering was the legendary 4.0 AMC based engine. There was no 3.0 I-6. Maybe I´m being a little bit hard on you, it could´ve been a mistype though
And by the way, I'm not a fan of the new Cherokee design for the record. I also used to own an XJ for years and it's one of my favorite vehicles of all time, so I'm certainly not biased to this new Cherokee. I just think the market has changed and this is what people are buying. At least we still have the Wrangler for true offroad performance. Jeep should have called this the Liberty and been done with it.
The new one is also much larger externally while being much smaller internally. It tows 500lb less than an XJ. It has a worse power/weight ratio than the an I6 XJ. The new one has a complex 4x4 system and 4-wheel independent suspension that makes it nearly impossible to modify, unlike the XJ. Even the Trailhawk has inferior clearance, approach, breakover, and departure compared to a stock XJ. The only thing it's better at is being a suburb-dwelling soccer-mom crossover, which is the REAL issue.
The jeep name died in 2006 when they stopped making wranglers with AMC parts. If you buy any wrangler today you're going to end up spending a bunch of money to bring it up to par with the older tougher ones.
And why spend clsoe to 40,000 for an off road wrangler with prettied up paint when you could spend half as much on an old CJ, beat the shit out of it, and have a better off-road vehicle? Hell, for even around $18,000 or so you could probably get a Polaris Ranger or Can-Am Commander and do all the off-roading you'd want to do and be more capable at it than with the Wrangler!
Honestly, as someone who loves jeeps? Looks for something like an AWD Subaru. The Wrangler is a 4x4 which means that with the right tires it'll go through snow up to the grille but it's gonna be overkill for the other 99% of the time and for just driving around the city you're gonna hate the 18 mpg fuel economy. Trailhawk doesn't offer much more clearance than something like a Crosstrek while costing more and getting worse fuel economy (plus it's a completely new design with unknown reliability)
I know the feeling , mine is getting a bit dated also , at 270 thousand ilos .I think this new Cherokee is a bit Mazda looking from the side but I might give it a test drive to see if it's worth considering . In my opinion they should have stuck with the old design and modernised it with the new technology that this one has including the better interior . Well see .
two different cars...as the one guy said, the wrangler will beat you up A LOT more as a daily driver, even if it is more refined. For those guys that want to go off roading once or twice a month, this might be a good choice. I'll stick with the wrangler, but honestly, as much as I have offroaded, this is a better car.
I've been driving a 91 grand marquis. I live in chicago and I would like to get a vehicle that can get me out of any trouble in the winter. Right now im looking at the cherokee trailhawk or wrangler I need some help deciding
I still don't know what people are talking about. This looks like a damn Cherokee to me... I think people are just to blind, stupid, and ignorant to accept that Jeep, like many other companies, are aiming to modernize their line-up, make things better, and break away from the crowd to make something thats different and unique. So quit hating. It looks like a Cherokee, it can handle off-road like a Cherokee, it has all the modern day features and price that a Cherokee should if in this day and age; therefore, its a Cherokee. 'Nough said. Great job Jeep!
BlakJak206 ya people are lucky it even came back.
well said. people sometimes complain without giving it a thought.
Fiat didn't ruin jeep, they helped bring them into the 21 century. This has more in road goodies than other cars in this segment plus it can spank them off road. This even is a better bargain than the range rover evolve. Jeep can't keep making vehicles only for West Virginian natives only if it wants to service on a global scale.
They should just bring back the last body style cherokee. One of the best vehicles ever. XJ's are tanks.
I do all highway driving with up to four feet of possible snow in upstate new york right by where lake ontario dumps all of that lake effect shenanigans. Regardless of the looks, the highway fuel economy combined with the ability to handle ridiculous amounts of snow makes this car a must have for myself.
I know it has many haters but i honestly must say its a fairly decent crossover. I think the torque to weight ratio is what inhibit it to be a total trailrated car but hey no matter what anyone says it preformed decent for it being stock. Plus i believe there was guides mostly to not damage it too much i mean it was just loaned to do the review not given as a gift. I give it a 7.5 8 of 10 overall which is pretty high.. plus the new style took cajones to do props for that
The Trailhawk is one of the smoothest rides on washboard gravel roads and makes it feel like you are in control of the car the whole time.
Ok 7 years later. I picked up one of these for $13k. Far better buy than any comparable used Wrangler. It’s just a solid vehicle with serious off-road chops, and since I didn’t pay the big bucks for it, I won’t hesitate to take it to the dirt and see what it can do!
This is the one that has my attention...
Saw one tonight in person - it actually looks much better in person. I love the look - think I'd like the Trailhawk even more than the sport I looked at.
When I first saw it I hated it,but it's grown on me. I have an XJ now but I think in the future i'll take a look at one of these.
I like this car. I've seen a ton of these in denver
I have no idea why people compare this to a wrangler, or say that this is not an off road vehicle. Its not supposed to compete with the wrangler for one. And for two, its not an off road vehicle. Its a small SUV that has the ability to go off road in a limited manner. It does exactly what it was built to do, and it does it great. If you want to do serious off roading, buy a wrangler. If you want a nice daily driver that has some great features and can do some mild trail riding, this is perfect for that
Glad you guys are in Malibu and safe, on the other hand, this could have been one hell of a mud test.
Seeing it in person definitely changes your opinion on it. It looks a LOT better up close.
I've seen this, and why I have no doubt this is the best off road car in it's "class", this video has convinced me to try and get a few more years out of my 94 XJ.
I wish people weren't haters of this great crossover. Truly innovative
I like it. Can't wait to get my hands on one. We have a ride and drive scheduled for next month, and I will have a chance to play on, and off road with it.
I'm the owner of a '99 Cherokee and was really concerned about the performance of the vehicle because it sports a V6 (or a V4, depending). Honestly, it handled the off-roading pretty damned well. Price tag seems a bit high and the aesthetics are wonky... but it looks good.
That's fine. The point still stands that "true Jeep diehards" hated on the XJ due to its "un" design and said it wasn't a real Jeep. Regardless of unibody or un distinctions, it was different so everyone hated on it. Of course 29 years later we realize they had nothing to fear and the XJ ended up being incredible.
What I really want to see is a stock XJ vs. this Cherokee stock and see how they compare on the trail. Wouldn't surprise me if this one performs as good or better.
People can say whatever they want about the looks, the numbers is what jeep cares about, and if you google the sales information on it you will see its doing great.
Does it always come with the jeep representative to help get up the groomed course without too much embarrassment. Maybe the next Cherokee will just be a CD which will help us visualize driving a jeep trail from the safety of our couch.
This would crush the RR evoque off road.
When I saw one of these on the road today it reminded me of the old 80's American Eagle. They have some clips of them here on youtube.
I agree. Props must be given to Jeep for producing this vehicle while other manufacturers continue to convert their "SUV"'s into minivans. Jeep went the other direction and stayed true to its roots. Its a great looking vehicle that reminds me a lot of the RR evoque which, by the way, got lots of praises for its styling. Jeep, continue returning to your roots and you will continue to be successfull.
1. Ford Escape, 2. Jeep Weasel. Would NEVER consider a RAV-4, too plank. Same for CR-V, Equinox and Journey. The new Rogue would be my third choice. Excellent review guys! For $35,000 I would choose the Wrangler any day!!
This design has been growing on me, and wanted to say that this seems like a pretty good honest review. I do wish though when you guys do get it to test, I wish you could do it in Sedona, Az, where the pink jeep tourers run, those are some pretty good trails!
The thing that's cool about this and the grand cherokee is that it will get people off road who never would have tried. I could see this doing 1-3s at most off road parks. That will get people exploring and that's a really good thing. Heck, some these people will look at the 4s and 5s and say "hey, I want to try that trail, I need a wrangler."
As a replacement for the boxy Liberty, it's not such a bad (or bad--looking) vehicle. I still need to see it in person before committing to that opinion. Thanks for the excellent insights and video Roman and Nathan!!
Excellent footage giving us an in depth personal view of the test tract and vehicle attempts. Thanks so much, love you guys & you give it to us straight.
Really handsome design. Best jeep design I've seen.
I like the new Cherokee, probably going to buy one.
I'd also like to say, you guys do a great job with the videos. Some web based "car reviewers" are pretty awful, but you guys are professional and well edited. Good work.
Orrr the old school cherokees that came before, like in the 70s? Those were the real cherokees honestly. Still gotta love those xjs those.
I have one and love it
I just got ordered the TRAIL HAWK ! I LOVE IT !
I bought 1 last week and love it. This will blow away anything else in its class.
I like it.
Looks better than a range Rover and good for Jeep for being different .
The design is really growing on me, I must admit. I really like that they took a chance.
Nope I am wrong and you are correct. It was a 4.0. It was a Cherokee Country that I bought used in Syracuse NY. It was a former Avis rental out of Canada. It even had a block heater. Nice car, fun to thrash in the State Park next door to where I lived at the time.
Did you see that in person, or are you referring to the PR video that Jeep put out where it tripods over some of the mundane parts of the Rubicon while completely bypassing the actual obstacles that make it a challenging trail? Keep in mind they were eventually able to do that with the Compass, too.
It's got lockers and a good crawl ratio but it's still just sort of a minivan with good grip, you're pretty much stuck with what you leave the dealership with due to it's suspension and complexity
Dude this was filmed like 10 minutes from my house
West Lake,CA i'm pretty sure the trail your on is either on or very near to the Parker mesa trail a pretty dope MTB trail
Wrangler Rubicon owner... Love this, would be a great daily driver! Plus, I could start building my Rubicon up if so.
No. The Forester and Crosstrek XV are surprisingly capable off road, but this Trailhawk has great gearing, suspension and tires for mid-level off-road travel. Sure, it can bog down, but the electronics do compensate and will pull it out. IMO, the Trailhawk is the best in its class off road.
I really want to want one of these. My liberty is getting old and beat. I used to drive a wrangler, but that is not practical for my life anymore. DAMN IT JEEP! Make a decent practical offroader like the ZJ, XJ, KJ again!
A lot of people need to realize this isn't meant to be like a Wrangler, if you want an extremely capable 4x4 buy one of those. This will be very capable given its electronics and the fact that it pretty much has the same ground clearance as a standard FJ Crusier and a Prado!
Can we get a redo for the new Ford Escape off road? I want to see it go up the trail in Colorado without all the snow!
I actually like it. Very underrated for off roading imo. When people see the design they automatically think it will be crappy offroading
I used to own a 1999 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Edition with a 4.0 liter, inline 6 cylinder engine. The Wrangler was not lifted but came stock with a 12 inch ground clearance and a 10 inch clearance on the pumpkins. 30 inch Kenda Klever AT tires and I was hitting mud holes and trails that lifted pick up trucks were struggling to hit. I took that Wrangler everywhere. Now I own a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with a 5.7 liter V8 HEMI. It literally can do the same things my Wrangler did. It needs a little ground clearance but other than that it performs extremely well.
However all these new models of Jeeps and some of the older models crack me up and by new I mean 2007-present.
They are terrible. The only thing that seemingly gets better is the Wranglers and even those have taken a plastic turn for the worse.
Oh well I'll stick with my 10, 15 and 20 year old vehicles. They seem to do better with 100,000 plus miles on them then the newer ones do anyways.
No, the Trailhawk has a locking rear. It's an active drive lock with locking rear axle and it works well - when activated. The setting I had it on was incorrect and kept it in LSD (I think it was in regular driving/auto mode).
Nathan, get off the Wessel thing already. Long before the Grand Cherokee there was a Cherokee. I had one, you could get it with an I 4 or the 3.0 liter I 6. It was smaller than the Grand and less expensive to buy. If I am not mistaken it was also the first Uni Body Jeep.
They named it right Cherokee Trailhawk.
I'm going to have a hell of a time deciding between the 2014 Forester XT and this Cherokee Trailhawk.... Damn....
I think it is a cool new direction! I love it
Loose terrain like that comes down to tires mostly. The Trail Hark had decent all terrain tires. But the lug gaps are pretty small. A more aggressive tire would have allowed it to do a lot better. That moon dust top soil is just really slick.
Well done video. Very unbiased review. Hit the nail on the head with this rig. You guys are awesome.
PLEASE do a RR evogue vs trail hawk cherokee, full off road review.
Also, in the GC you need to remove the lower front bumper to get decent angles.
This should also be faster than it's competition (Evoque, Rav 4, Forrestor etc).
Might wait till they do a cosmetic update in a few months. Still not liking the rear and the triple layered front lights!
Not so sure about the looks but the performance you reported makes this a true Jeep. Not your father's Jeep and certainly not your grandfather's Jeep but a Jeep of t he 21st century.
The Trail Hawk would be my choice, the upgrades to make it trail ready create a more aggressive vehicle with real cojones. Looking forward to the match/mash ups.
Wrangler is good for going off-road. It was built with that in mind. This was built to be both a commuter and a best-in-class off-roader. I think it does the job, from what I've seen. o.O
Solid axles are going away, technology in independent suspensions both front and rear is incredible. Fully independent suspension rides and handles better in all situations except articulation, which is where all the traction technology comes in. Take a 2014 Overland grand and put it against a 2004 Overland (last year of solid axles at both ends). The new will take the old in every off road test you put it through and is a better vehicle for everyday use.
Interesting how, in 1984 everyone was hating on Jeep for making a unibody Cherokee. "Ugh! Ruining the Cherokee name with a unibody car! How dare they! Might as well put a baby seat in the back from the factory! Real Jeeps are body on frame!"
And now everyone is comparing this new Cherokee to the "REAL" one, the one built in 1984 and largely unchanged for 17 years because of how incredible it ended up being.
I say relax. Time will tell how well the new Cherokee is received.
i would love to see a comparison between the new cherokee 2014 and the 2013 liberty in terms of off-roading
First, that might be hard to do. Second, If you go too, its a deal. You can ride on the skid plates. That way when the driver can't here you anymore they'll know they're on the right terrain.
It would be awesome to see you guys do a match up / mash up between two of the same vehicles one with E85 the other with regular gas and do a MPG comparison and a proper 0 - 60 comparison a mile above sea level! Would definitely look forward to seeing that!
They way I optioned the Cherokee vs rubicon unlimited wrangler was about 2-3k$, 32-33k$ for Cherokee trail hawk v6 and 35-36k for unlimited rubicon wrangler 6sp. 7-9mpg difference between the two. It would be a hard choice
I love my trail hauk it handles really good on the free way an amazing in snow
Looks extremely capable off-road, more capable than I've ever seen any vehicle in this class. Most are just soft-roaders. This looks like you could actually go fairly far off the beaten path and not leave you wishing you had something else. I actually like it the more I see it, especially upfront. It's more the profile and rear that bother me, but even that's becoming less of an issue. Trailhawk looks badass. I think I still would have just preferred they not named it Cherokee though.
I was on the 60th anniversary Jamboree this past summer and so were some new Cherokees, it was my second time on the Con. There really aren't any "mundane" parts of the Rubicon, it's not the hardest trail I've ever run but it is very much continuously difficult. and you are very limited to where you are allowed to drive, 25 ft from the center line is it so "Bypasses" are few and far between. Wentworth Springs entrance is as hard as any trail I've ever run and there are no bypasses.
the front is growing on me. Its the rear that could use a few tweaks. Move the license plate onto the tailgate and off the bumper. It would fill in that massive void.
OK, this is the second vid I have seen where the editing is wrong (shot out of sink) Not bad reviews but, when I see you going up the same hill three times kind of tells me your not putting it through the steps I would like to see in order to buy it.
Nice review, when you have the chance to test it in Co. please explain a bit more about the trans. select. dial. In regards to the Evoque, I think the Jeep is a much better choice for off road (b.t.w. I like the looks better than the old Compass)
i like the weasel especially this one
Question for Nathan: Looking at the video at some places where you mentioned you got stuck (on the incline), looks like the cherokee has a limited slip diffential and not a locking differential. Is that the case?
At first I thought it was ugly, and to some degree it is. But I'm starting to like it. Fact that its a bit smaller, lighter, better on gas and has everything u need (4x4, rear diff locks) for off roading is really appealing. Did I mention the great gas mileage? I like the LR3, jk, fjc, but this is really appealing for the part time 4wheeler
I like your review very interesting with good sense of humor. Thanks
The looks of this have really grown on me... I like it. Although, I think I'm going to call it the Jeep Hammerhead as to me it looks like one. I don't mind them calling it an Cherokee tho... XJ owners, everything will be all right!
Im a diehard jeep fan and i love this trailhawk
these are seriously amazing vehicles
looks great to me. I think it fills in the gap between a luxury car & a wrangler - the perfect sweet spot for me. I currently own a wrangler & I love it- but I want just a little bit more technology, comfort & mpg... enter the Trailhawk :)
Just waiting for them to arrive on my dealer's lot
The Escape is what the new "Cherokee" should have been in the looks department. I loved my old Cherokee, but have nothing nice to say about the new one so I won't mention the obvious. Also, a Subaru Forester or Crosstrek should be included in the CUV comparison. They are far more capable that either the RAV4 or CR-V
Headlights look kinda small and oddly placed. Cherokee was due for a makeover so its good to see one.SEMA and the aftermaket upgrade world will make a ton of stuff for this thing.
Get me my XJ, I want to show Jeep what off-roading USED to be. Great video TFL, I'm just not a huge fan of the new "Cherokee" (if you can really call it that), I would much prefer my 98 Cherokee over one of these for an off-road expedition.
Thanks. Very helpful. What do you feel about interior and trunk space?
Id say the only thing is the back end looks to similar to the competitors like the Kia Sportage and Escape etc I am impressed with this vehicles ability so far
You guys should do an offroad comparo of the original Grand Wagoneer with the modern Range Rover.
10,169 units sold in its first full month on sale. Dec 3rd, 2013
They are good jeeps I have driven them a lot love that 9 speed transmission.
I'm starting to like this car in trailhawk for (only certain colors and def only the trailhawk version). I'm considering a GC Limited but this has some advantages.
1) Lighter and more fun to drive
2) Much more offroad ready (tow hooks, departure and approach angles etc) than the GC unless you option up to the air suspension - which isn't very reliable in any brand (LR, GC etc)
3) Better fuel economy and I suspect the 300HP V6 will be a hoot to drive in this chassis Vs the GC, where it is slow
I´m surprised you had a Cherokke but the I-6 offering was the legendary 4.0 AMC based engine. There was no 3.0 I-6. Maybe I´m being a little bit hard on you, it could´ve been a mistype though
And by the way, I'm not a fan of the new Cherokee design for the record. I also used to own an XJ for years and it's one of my favorite vehicles of all time, so I'm certainly not biased to this new Cherokee. I just think the market has changed and this is what people are buying. At least we still have the Wrangler for true offroad performance. Jeep should have called this the Liberty and been done with it.
The new one is also much larger externally while being much smaller internally. It tows 500lb less than an XJ. It has a worse power/weight ratio than the an I6 XJ. The new one has a complex 4x4 system and 4-wheel independent suspension that makes it nearly impossible to modify, unlike the XJ. Even the Trailhawk has inferior clearance, approach, breakover, and departure compared to a stock XJ.
The only thing it's better at is being a suburb-dwelling soccer-mom crossover, which is the REAL issue.
Excellent interior, similar to the Dodge Dart. Trunk-space is competitive with the Ford Escape.
It would be nice to see a liberty and cherokee comparison.
The jeep name died in 2006 when they stopped making wranglers with AMC parts. If you buy any wrangler today you're going to end up spending a bunch of money to bring it up to par with the older tougher ones.
And why spend clsoe to 40,000 for an off road wrangler with prettied up paint when you could spend half as much on an old CJ, beat the shit out of it, and have a better off-road vehicle? Hell, for even around $18,000 or so you could probably get a Polaris Ranger or Can-Am Commander and do all the off-roading you'd want to do and be more capable at it than with the Wrangler!
Honestly, as someone who loves jeeps? Looks for something like an AWD Subaru. The Wrangler is a 4x4 which means that with the right tires it'll go through snow up to the grille but it's gonna be overkill for the other 99% of the time and for just driving around the city you're gonna hate the 18 mpg fuel economy. Trailhawk doesn't offer much more clearance than something like a Crosstrek while costing more and getting worse fuel economy (plus it's a completely new design with unknown reliability)
I know the feeling , mine is getting a bit dated also , at 270 thousand ilos .I think this new Cherokee is a bit Mazda looking from the side but I might give it a test drive to see if it's worth considering .
In my opinion they should have stuck with the old design and modernised it with the new technology that this one has including the better interior .
Well see .
Im not a Jeep hater I looove jeeps
two different cars...as the one guy said, the wrangler will beat you up A LOT more as a daily driver, even if it is more refined. For those guys that want to go off roading once or twice a month, this might be a good choice. I'll stick with the wrangler, but honestly, as much as I have offroaded, this is a better car.
I've been driving a 91 grand marquis. I live in chicago and I would like to get a vehicle that can get me out of any trouble in the winter. Right now im looking at the cherokee trailhawk or wrangler I need some help deciding
Just a question - on the trail, how does t his compare to a 2013 Subie Forester witih x-mode?
Quite interesting this weasel, I like it :)
And nice video guys!