Is the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Worthy of the Name?
Air suspension, some black trim, and red tow hooks. Is the Trailhawk better than the sum that its parts might suggest?
There aren’t many SUVs that are capable of driving off-road anymore. Most big seven-seat SUVs these days are built specifically for on-road comfort and taking trips to the mall or out of town soccer games. The exceptions are basically narrowed down to Land Rover, Toyota’s Land Cruiser, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. If you want to take your family on an off-road adventure, or head to the dunes for a bit of fun in the sand, this is basically the least expensive truck capable of doing that.
Jeep’s Trailhawk package is a little bit more than just a blackout trim appearance package, as it includes Jeep’s Quadra-Drive II 4×4 system with rear electronic limited-slip differential. There is also a uniquely tuned version of the SUV’s Quadra-Lift air suspension that provides improved articulation and more suspension travel than the non-Trailhawk versions. Off-road electronic aids have been added to the Jeep, as well, including the so-called “Selec-Speed Control” that can set your speeds for hill descent and hill ascent to within a MPH variant. There are also underbody skid plates to protect the mechanical bits underneath. Goodyear’s Adventure kevlar-reinforced off-road tires are fitted as standard.
CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Beefed-up Grand Cherokee
In this Australian review, from drive.com.au, the price listed is a bit higher than we’d pay in the U.S. (MSRP here is $50,495), but everything is significantly more expensive in Australia. That puts the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk right in line with Land Rover’s Discovery base price, and frankly, we know which we would rather have. It’s a Jeep thing, those Brits wouldn’t understand, eh? That’s what we’re talking about. Weigh in on the Trailhawk in the forum!
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