This ‘Quick Take’ review of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk is based on brief on-road driving impressions around Red Rocks Colorado. The Trailhawk version of the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee is focused on off-road capability, but how does it do on pavement, around town, and on twisty mountain roads?
The Trailhawk is raised a little more than two inches over other Cherokee models for a big 8.7 inches of ground clearance. It has the off-road Jeep Active Drive II 4×4 system with locking differential. And there are steel skid-plates protecting the underbody. It uses Firestone Destination A/T tires with somewhat aggressive tread mounted on 17 inch rims. It even has a unique front-end with improved approach angle and those bright red tow hooks. All this hardware is there to increase the off-road prowess, but does it diminish this Cherokee’s on-road manners?
The good news is – the Cherokee Trailhawk works very well on pavement as well. The steering feel is above average for this segment and the ride is comfortable and compliant. Those beefy tires and the suspension work well together to soak up bumps and rough pavement. The body lean through corners feels well controlled, although I did not have a chance to try it at highway speeds. The Cherokee feels compact and relatively light on its feet. The visibility from the driver seat is excellent, and the seats themselves are very comfortable. I did not have trouble fitting into in the front and had plenty of headroom (I am a little over 6’2”). The headroom in the back row is more limited, but the I had just enough legroom to sit behind myself.
I sampled both engines in the Trailhawk: the 184 hp 2.4-liter four cylinder and the 271 hp 3.2-liter V6. At more than one mile above sea level, the 2.4-liter Tigershark is not adequate to propel the 4×4 hardware laden Trailhawk. There is no turbo to help this four cylinder in the thiner air. It did rev past 6,000 rpm and the 9-speed transmission worked well, but the needed acceleration came very slowly. On the other hand, the 271 horsepower V6 performed much better. It’s also willing to rev and provides adequate propulsion once it got into the meat of the power.
The 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk does not sacrifice any everyday around town drivability, but does provide the extra off-road ability as you can see from this TFLcar first drive video.
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, reporter, and software engineer. He has been a contributor at TFL since 2011. When not working or spending time with the family – you can find him tinkering in the garage or simply ‘going for a drive’.
