2015 Jeep Cherokee: An Urban SUV With A Heart For The Trails

Hell’s Revenge is a 4x4 trail just outside of Moab, Utah. It runs for 10.5 kilometres along sandstone ridges and domes, and it carries a difficulty level of 6 on a scale of 10. There’s a sign at the trailhead that recommends some of the equipment needed to navigate the trail. “Tall tires (33 inches plus) with traction added devices (lockers, limited slips) are recommended,” reads the sign. “A winch would be a plus. Enhanced suspension travel and ground clearance are helpful. Excellent driving skills are recommended.”

Our 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawks were showroom stock, and Hell’s Revenge marked only the beginning of two days of 4x4 trail driving; the conditions got progressively more difficult as we advanced. 

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However, just because our Trailhawks weren’t equipped with body lift kits and didn’t roll on monster-truck tires didn’t mean we weren’t well equipped to tackle the 2015 Jeep Experience Moab. In fact, the $32,695 Cherokee Trailhawk has several off-road enhancements that merit the Trail Rated badges found on its fenders. 

Visually, there are a few cues that give this Cherokee away as a Trailhawk, including an absence of chrome trim, bright red tow hooks front and rear, a matte-black decal on the hood that reduces glare, and larger 245/65R17 Firestone Destination A/T tires. It also sits a bit taller, due to the tires, as well as the taller suspension, which combine to give it 20 mm more ground clearance than the other Cherokee models. It also has steeper approach and departure angles, which help prevent the undercarriage from bottoming-out when approaching a steep incline or descent. 

Trail Rated 

The Trailhawk uses Jeep’s Active Drive II 4x4 system, which is the same system used in the Limited model, though the Trailhawk also has a locking rear differential for those particularly nasty climbs. 

Inside you’ll find the Selec-Terrain control knob, located on the centre console, which gives you access to five drive modes—Auto, Snow, Sport, Sand/Mud and Rock. Each mode alters transmission shift points, throttle response, traction control, electronic brake control (which applies the brakes individually to transfer power to wheels with grip), and front/rear bias to match the varying conditions. There’s also a low range, which allows a crawl ratio of up to 56:1.

The Trailhawk also has hill descent assist, as well as Selec-Speed Control, which limits the vehicle to a preselected maximum speed (up to 9 km/h) on both ascents and descents. With all of these off-road systems, only the Wrangler surpasses the Cherokee in off-road capability within Jeep’s line up, but not by much.

The base engine in all Cherokee models is the 184-hp, 2.4-litre Tigershark inline four. Also available is the 271-hp, 3.2-litre Pentastar V6, which was the engine equipped in all of our test vehicles. Regardless of which engine is chosen, a 9-speed automatic transmission drives the four wheels. 

Hitting the trails

Although our first day’s route, at about 70 km, seemed unusually short for a press event, it was so rough that it took most of the day to travel to Wind Caves, our evening destination where we would camp for the night.

The first time our tires left the pavement was at the entrance of Hell’s Revenge, where a steep climb up a narrow path along the spine of a long rock formation called Lion’s Back put the Trailhawk through its first test. Although the view out the window seemed somewhat disconcerting, with steep, vertical drops to either side, the Trailhawk just climbed along unperturbed with Selec-Terrain switched to 4WD Low.

We crawled about in low range for most of the day, as the terrain threw some difficult challenges at us. There were deep ruts to cross, big rocks to crawl over, and rocky ascents and descents to climb up and down in a slow-motion rollercoaster ride. This grocery getter had absolutely no problem negotiating the route. Many of the steep climbs were on uneven footing, with the Trailhawk often getting a wheel high into the air. When this happened, from the cockpit I’d often hear the clicking and thumping of the brakes being applied, as Jeep’s Active Drive II system worked its magic to keep me moving forward and upward.

Although Hell’s Revenge delivered specific challenges with steep climbs and descents while offering spectacular vistas, the rock surface was relatively smooth and provided about the same grip you’d find on asphalt. 

It was following our overnight stay at Wind Caves that the going got really tough. Trails on the second day got rougher, with many sandy sections interspersed with rocks large and small, and like the day before they included steep climbs and descents. 

One unique feature is the Selec-Speed Control, which allows the Trailhawk to climb uphill and coast downhill without having to press on the gas or brake pedal. Although it’s designed as a convenience feature, I question its necessity. With the system turned on (it’s only available in low range), you can move the shift lever to the left to manually select the desired cruising speed, which ranges from 1 to 9 km/h. The system works as claimed, allowing the Trailhawk to climb without having to use the throttle, though you do have to sometimes intervene and give it some gas to get over particularly stubborn obstacles. 

I found this feature to be more of a novelty, and can’t really see any serious off-roader surrendering their driving skills, at least not regularly, to allow the Trailhawk to climb on its own. The hill descent assist, however, proved very useful, making it very easy to go down some ridiculously steep, seatbelt locking descents. 

I was surprised at the Trailhawk’s off-road agility, tackling obstacles effortlessly that I’d have trouble crossing on my feet. We often crossed other off-road enthusiasts driving highly modified Wranglers, body-lifted and rolling on partially deflated monster tires, and wondered if their egos took a hit after seeing a convoy of bone-stock Cherokees creeping along, lifting an occasional wheel in the air, and clearing the same obstacles they were. 

Why a Trailhawk?

The beauty of the Cherokee Trailhawk is that you can get the extreme off-road capability without compromising its ride or comfort on the road. It’s not unusually high so it’s easily accessible, it’s not excessively loud on the highway (rather quiet in fact), and it has all the comfort and amenities you’d expect whether you’re commuting to work in everyday traffic, or exploring places unknown on roads and trails that probably won’t see a paver for some time to come. 

After driving the Trailhawk for two days in torturous conditions, I discovered that if it has a Trail Rated badge on the fender, not only it will get you to the mall and to work, but it will also get you to that weekend wilderness getaway, along trails that would stop lesser vehicles in their tracks.