What’s a Trailhawk? It’s certainly no diurnal bird of prey, no accipitrinae seeking out snakes, lizards, mice, rabbits, squirrels,

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fish and defenseless birds from a lofty perch above. The Trailhawk can venture where most of the slithering and crawling land-bound creatures on the latter list abide, and do so quickly, although even if it were equipped with a shot of SRT growth hormones (which it unfortunately doesn’t get) it couldn’t reach the 322 km/h (200 mph) max velocity of a peregrine amid its hunting stoop, but then again it would likely feel quite comfortable at the red-tailed hawk’s 193 km/h (120 mph) top d(r)iving speed. And while the Trailhawk’s LED-enhanced bi-function halogen projectors shed a fair amount of forward light they’re not quite as impressive as the ultra-sharp vision of any old hawk, the four-wheeled animalistically capable off-roader’s complete lack of retinal photoreceptors no match for the buteo raptor’s million per square millimeter, but at least Jeep’s latest trail trekker looks ultimately sharp.

Nerdy

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fun aside, I’ve long enjoyed the rare opportunity to watch a duo of comparatively pintsized ospreys dive bomb a massive bald eagle ahead of stealing its latest catch. It’s a most amazing spectacle that, more often than not, required something with four-wheel drive and reasonable ground clearance to get far enough into the woods to witness. Any Trail Rated Jeep would do the job quite handily, and fortunately for compact SUV fans the new Cherokee is easily up to the task, especially in said Trailhawk trim.

Incidentally, the Trailhawk designation isn’t new, but it’s taken on a much larger role with this current Cherokee than in previous iterations. A year before this model arrived it appeared on the 2013 Grand Cherokee as a special trim level, complete with the same ultra-wide matte black hood stripe. Before that, the Trailhawk

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name was given to a one-off concept based on the Wrangler Unlimited that wowed show-goers at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Other than its seven-slot grille and long, lean shape, that concept doesn’t have much in common with the new Cherokee Trailhawk. It was created before the concept of FCA was even a figment in Jeep or its Chrysler group parent’s imagination (we can’t say for sure how long Fiat was making plans), during a tumultuous era in the American automaker’s history when Daimler wiped its hands of the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep affair and left it to Cerberus Capital to sort out,

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pre government bailout and eventual Fiat absorption, so there’s no way anyone could have guessed that the brilliant new Cherokee would be formed from the roots of an Alfa Romeo. Bizarre bedfellows for sure, but proof positive that an undercarriage capable of living up to the expectations of a legendary Italian sports carmaker can also bring a little zing to the crossover SUV world, either on or off pavement.

The Trailhawk is designed for both, with more all-round civility than most compact crossover peers and certainly greater off-road capability than any Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi

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Outlander, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, or Volkswagen Tiguan. These are its closest rivals from a size perspective, despite Jeep still having the Compass and Patriot in its lineup, two models that target entry-level buyers much farther down the food chain than any of the competitors listed above.

The first thing anyone will notice with the Cherokee is that it’s a clear departure in design, the new model looking to the future, where the last two Jeeps are part of the brand’s DaimlerChrysler past. Of course, some of the Trailhawk’s unique styling elements are pulled up from distant memories, like the big fat hood stripe I just mentioned. For me, it conjures strong memories of the second-generation “compact”

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XJ Cherokee from 1984 that came with black striping on the hood and rockers for its sportiest Cherokee Chief trim. I spent a lot of time in one of those, and even had opportunity to drive the larger first-gen SJ Cherokee Chief before that.

As fun as the big ute was in its day and as impressively modern as the unibody XJ was for its time, the new Cherokee would make a Range Rover from the same era seem dowdy. The Trailhawk gets plenty of rugged looking yet sophisticated features such as a driving light and fog lamp infused black composite front bumper cap, thick black moldings around each wheel well, black side mirror shells with integrated LED turn signals, massive black rocker panel protectors, and a robust black rear bumper. Jeep also detailed out the Trailhawk’s front and rear fascias

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with grey satin-finish skid plate panels and cool red tow hooks, while my tester had a big black tow bracket sticking out of its rear centre, plus chromed tailpipes at each side. Speaking of rugged, my tester’s matte black 17-inch Y-spoke alloy wheels on 245/65R17 OWL all-terrains look like something out of terminator.

All of the bulky black body ware is designed to make the Trailhawk look tough, and while this method is commonly used in the segment, even by Honda’s CR-V and Toyota’s RAV4, the Cherokee actually is a roughneck, capable of keeping up with the big boys off the beaten path. True 4×4 aficionados will want to stick with their

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Wranglers, no doubt, but for those who want a more comfortable daily driver along with the ability to scale medium-duty trails, deep snow, plus countless other obstacles that might hang up a regular soft-roader ill equipped without a low range of gears, the Cherokee provides this and more.

Fortunately it also drives wonderfully on pavement. My tester came with the Trailhawk’s optional 24-valve, DOHC 3.2-litre Pentastar V6 with variable valve timing, an engine that sounds like it should be under the hood of a sports car while delivering performance that’s strong for the size and weight of this vehicle thanks to 271 horsepower and 239 lb-ft of torque. It comes mated to a state-of-the-art nine-speed automatic that worked well other than an overly slow shifting process into reverse, making it seem more like a double-clutch automated gearbox at such moments. Handling was nevertheless crisp and car-like despite its one-inch raised 4×4-ready suspension and big meaty off-road tires, while the ride

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was also superb for the class. Added to all this go-fast civility is a best-in-class tow rating of up to 2,041 kilos (4,500 lbs) when equipped with its tow package as mine was, while standard heavy-duty engine cooling helps to keep fluids flowing smoothly.

The Trailhawk gets Jeep’s Active Drive Lock 4WD system complete with a two-speed power transfer unit and rear axle locker, while dialing between drive modes comes via a rotating Selec-Terrain controller with Auto, Snow, Sport, Sand/Mud and Rock settings. As noted, an off-road suspension raises this model up a notch while skid plates under the front suspension, transmission and underbody, fuel tank, and on the lower rear fascia make sure all its bits and pieces

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hang together when a rock or stump meets its belly. Other nerve-calming equipment includes a 730-amp maintenance-free battery with run down protection and a 160-amp alternator, important kit when you’re as far from civilization as this Jeep is capable of going.

You’d think that a powerful V6 in an off-road-capable SUV would be a gas guzzler, but the nine-speed certainly allows for efficient motoring as long as enthusiastic throttle input is kept at bay, while the Cherokee’s standard start/stop technology shuts the engine down when it would otherwise be idling, therefore reducing consumption, pollutants and making things EV-quiet at standstill. Lift the foot from

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the brake and the engine quickly comes back to life, immediately ready for takeoff.

It all combines for 12.2 L/100km in the city and 9.0 on the highway as-tested, although if you like the Trailhawk’s look and want to eke even more from the fuel tank while saving $1,595 at time of purchase you can opt for the base 16-valve, DOHC 2.4-litre Tigershark MultiAir four-cylinder that puts out a decent 184 horsepower and 171 lb-ft of torque while achieving a claimed fuel economy rating that isn’t much better than the six at 12.1 L/100km city and 9.4 on the highway. I should mention here that other Cherokee trims enjoy better economy, FWD base models being ultra-thrifty at 10.9 city and 7.7 highway and FWD V6 trims pretty good

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as well at 11.4 and 8.1 respectively, but learning more about the models that use these drivetrains will need to come from different reviews at another time.

The $32,545 Trailhawk is top of the line as far as Cherokees go, although its interior décor is more sport than all-out luxury. I experienced the latter in a Limited model last year and loved it, while this time around the interior design is heavily influenced by the SUV’s edgy outward appearance. Don’t worry, Jeep didn’t get too radical inside, but instead of last year’s caramel brown on blues my Trailhawk’s perforated leather was highlighted with bright red thread, as was the bold “TRAILHAWK” embroidered nameplate on the front seats’ shoulder area. Jeep continued the red stitching theme on the centre armrest and then over to the door armrests,

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atop the dash in a nice curving design, and finally adorning the shifter boot, but somehow the leather-clad shift knob and steering wheel escaped the crimson treatment.

It all looked rich enough for my tastes, equaling many premium brands for style and quality, soft-touch synthetics covering the entire dash top right down to the mid-portion of the instrument panel, plus the front and rear door panels to the same halfway point, a curving line replacing the pliable plastic with nicely padded leatherette inserts that matched those aforementioned leatherette armrests nicely.

Special

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details include a small mesh pocket on the passenger side lower console wall with a red Trailhawk badge and the same red stitching, while details on the door trim include a grey woodgrain garnish. Stylish satin-silver and chrome accents highlight much of the cabin too, but most eyes will immediately fall on the sizable full-colour high-resolution infotainment screen at dash central.

All the buttons and controls surrounding it, as well as those on the HVAC interface just below, not to mention the rotating dial for selecting the four-wheel drive system’s various modes mentioned earlier, are extremely well made with good damping, perfectly tight spacing and zero side-to-side

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sloppy wiggle, which is far from what I’ve experienced in numerous so-called luxury brands. This, together with all the soft-touch surfaces already mentioned and attractive detailing throughout, not to mention the Cherokee’s advanced powertrain features, makes it an easy competitor to many premium players.

On that note a bright and clear two-dial primary gauge package houses a massive seven-inch full-colour customizable TFT multi-information display at centre, all of its features easily accessible via buttons on the steering wheel spokes, these large enough to use while wearing gloves. Likewise for all the knobs on the HVAC system and most everywhere else. I also love the electronic parking brake, it holds well while adding a sophisticated touch. There’s really nothing to dislike about new Cherokee’s interior. It’s one of the best in the industry.

Those

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seats I mentioned earlier were heatable and cooled, the latter option appreciated during my warm summer test. They’re extremely comfortable too, with excellent side bolstering that’s uncommon in this class. The base Trailhawk seats are six-way manual while the usual upholstery is a black cloth/leather combination, also with red stitching, but my tester came with full leather, as mentioned, as well as powered operation and two-way driver’s side memory no less. All expected powered features were included, of course, the locks even speed-sensitive, while the multifunction steering wheel was tilt and telescopic, aforementioned HVAC system dual-zone and automatic, the infotainment touchscreen ultra-large at 8.4 inches and packed full of useful functionality such as Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity with streaming audio, USB, SD card and auxiliary input capability, and satellite radio with a yearlong subscription, while my tester even included optional navigation that worked flawlessly when required.

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Jeep also upgraded the base six-speaker stereo with nine amplified speakers and a sub, so my tunes sounded superb, although the three 12-volt auxiliary power outlets and single 115-volt household-style power outlet came standard. If the standard ambient LED interior lamps overhead didn’t shine enough light on all this impressive kit, the optional dual-pane CommandView panoramic sunroof did, just another premium feature that upped the Trailhawk’s desirability factor.

I could go on and on about standard and optional features, from my tester’s proximity sensing access and pushbutton ignition to illuminated front cupholders and a handy sunglasses holder overhead, not to mention a sizable safety suite including Selec-Speed control with hill ascent and hill descent control, hill start assist,

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all-speed traction control, stability control, roll mitigation, brake stability control and trailer sway control, tire pressure monitoring, four-wheel discs with ABS, Enhanced Accident Response System (EARS), reactive front head restraints, and 10 air bags including driver and passenger knee blockers, I should probably cut it short pretty soon.

Then again I need to let you know the gorgeous wheels on my tester aren’t standard Trailhawk kit, and neither is the black hood stripe that I made such a fuss about earlier, although its impressive stowage systems are. There’s a useful bin atop the dash for stowing your wallet or some other small item, an in-seat storage compartment under the passenger’s lower cushion, while that seat’s reclining backside can be completely lowered for a flat loading surface just in case the 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks don’t open up enough space for longer items.

There’s

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a decent amount of gear hauling capacity back there, mind you, with between 696 and 824 litres (24.6 and 29.1 cubic feet) when the rear seats are in use, the variable numbers dependent on the position of the sliding second row. Fold the rear seats down and you can access up to 1,554 litres (54.9 cubic feet) of volume. A cargo cover and net comes standard, while Jeep’s unique cargo management system gets fitted to the driver’s side rear cargo wall allowing secure attachment of an available cargo bin, cooler, first aid kit, off-road accessory kit, and more. Additionally, under the cargo floor there’s a full-size spare tire, a critically important feature for a 4×4.

While I poked a little fun at the Trailhawk name when starting this review, the Cherokee is no laughing matter in any of its trim levels. It’s a serious player that proves off-road capable SUVs are still important on today’s crossover SUV market, as long as they also deliver good driving dynamics on the road. That Jeep has gone over the top with premium-level furnishings and features, plus very thoughtful conveniences makes the Cherokee stand out even further from its more commonplace peers. It’s clearly a winner that’s earning its new FCA owner strong sales, and certainly worthy of a closer look if you’re in the compact CUV or SUV market.
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