Although Jeep has outfitted its Renegade, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee with its Trailhawk off-road trim, do all three perform the same in rugged terrain?
TFL’s Roman Mica had the chance to see firsthand when he tested the 2017 versions of all three during a recent trip to Texas.
The three models vary in price with the Renegade starting at $26,000, the Cherokee at $31,195 and the Grand Cherokee at $42,995 for the base models. All three have the Trailhawk trim level, which in theory would make them all excellent off-road vehicles.
Roman put them each to the same series of tests, traveling through large dirt holes and muddy terrain to test their approach and departure angles and break over angle.
Up first was the Renegade, which is typically a lifestyle vehicle where its buyers usually keep it on city streets and not off road. The smaller of the Jeep lineup fared well in the tests, showing that still retains its ruggedness.
The model he drove was priced at $31,400 with a combined miles per gallon of 24 with 21 city and 29 highway. Under the hood, the nine-speed automatic transmission Renegade offers a 2.4-liter MultiAir four-cylinder engine that puts out 180 horsepower and 175 pound feet of torque.
With that tested, Roman tried the Cherokee Trailhawk to see if that fared better. During the test, Roman was surprised at how the Cherokee performed during the ascent.
The Cherokee has a combined miles per gallon of 21 with 18 city and 24 highway. In that vehicle, Jeep has equipped it with the “baby” Pentastar 3.2-liter V-6 engine that makes 271 horsepower and 239 pound feet of torque. As with the Renegade, the Cherokee comes with a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Once he tested that Jeep, Roman tried the Grand Cherokee, which comes with the larger, 3.6-liter Pentastar engine that produces 295 horsepower and 265 pound feet of torque. Unlike the other two, the Grand Cherokee come equipped with a traditional transfer case that gives more torque at the wheels and an air suspension system for more ground clearance
How did the Cherokee do during the ascent angle test? And what happened when Roman put the Grand Cherokee through the same tests as the other two Jeeps? Find out by watching the complete TFL video above.
