Review: 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

New Looks, Same Jeep Performance

Likes:

Off-Road Performance
Comfortable Interior
Smooth Ride

Dislikes:

Polarizing Exterior
Steering Wheel Placement

When the all-new Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk first came out, people were immediately attracted or quickly repelled thanks to its exterior styling. Jeep defended the look by pointing out, it is what’s inside that matters. After driving it around for a week, we can’t help but agree.

Competing in the compact SUV market is not easy for any automaker and Jeep is certainly no exception. However, the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk is certainly an exception from the pack. In fact, it is probably unfair to compare it to the Ford Escapes and Honda CR-V’s commonly found in the segment. It simply cuts a different path.

Driving Impressions

Before we get to the driving impressions, let us first say we have owned or driven several Jeeps. We have also found them to have a rough ride with limited visibility. This Jeep has neither of those problems.

In fact, the driver’s visibility is one of the best we have ever seen in a Jeep. The windshield is tall and slightly sloped allowing for maximum visibility.

As for ride quality, we often forgot we were in a Jeep. During our week, we drove over 500 miles of highway, dirt roads and through the Colorado mountain ranges. The new 9-speed transmission surprised us as to how it felt effortless mated to the ample 3.2L V6. While it didn’t set any speed records, it never hunted for a gear either.

With its smooth ride, we often forgot we were driving a Jeep. We were only reminded when looking at the 4×4 selector knob. Jeep didn’t forget to include its legendary Jeep off-road prowess in this Trailhawk edition. It also comes with an off-road suspension to boot. This combination makes it ready to tackle the trails as well as the shopping mall.

Exterior Impressions

For most, a review of the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk begins and ends with the exterior. The eyebrow like headlights combined with the slotted grill and red tow hooks easily make a statement. For Jeep designers, the statement simply is this vehicle isn’t like the others.

Beyond the front, the side lines are also quite sloped and offset with the trapezoidal wheel wells. The look is a mixture of Wrangler heritage combined with ultra-modern. We think it works for the vehicle.

The rear seems to be excused from the wildness with the tail lamps and rear door smoothly integrated. Unlike the front, the designers kept the rear with some design similarity to other compact SUVs.

Now that the compact crossover has been on sale for a few months now, it is clear the exterior looks have many fans. In the end, you have to give Jeep credit for not following the pack and creating a unique product. It is refreshing to see.

Interior Impressions

Like the exterior, the interior is quite a different departure from a typical Jeep design. For starters, the dash flows around the passenger and driver creating a cockpit feel. This is not at all like the squared-off approach of other Jeep vehicles.

For this Jeep, the design is more in line with other compact SUVs. The dash has a large 8.4-inch Uconnect media screen and a 7-inch full-color LED reconfigurable instrument cluster display. Both of these displays are easy to use, read and are what other competitors should strive for.

About the only thing I didn’t care for in the interior is the steering wheel. I could never get the placement quite right. It needs more adjustments or a change in ergonomics.

Seating inside is ample and the seats are made of a hardy fabric that should last for a long time. Overall, it is stylish, a bit hardy and a pretty darn comfortable interior.

It’s Thoroughly a Jeep

The one thing we could get over during or week of driving was “this is a Jeep.” It is such a different and nice departure from their previous lineup, it just seems strange. Yet, in this case, we’d buy this strange Jeep all day long.

2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk