Owner Review: Here’s What I Love (And Hate) About My 2018 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

We have been asking you all to send us pictures of your recently purchased new vehicles. We want to know what your buying experience was like and whether or not you love (or hate) your new ride. Sometimes the best people to review cars are the owners themselves. You guys get to (and have to) live with these cars every day. As a result you learn very quickly what you like and dislike about these cars. If you want your car to be featured, send us an email at info@tflcar.com!

[Photo: Jeep]

Mark E. provides his insight on owning a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk.

He writes:

After spending many years driving “affordable” Point A to Point B cars I was finally in a place where I could upgrade my vehicle. Originally, I was looking to purchase a Ram 1500 but even with the discounts and such it was going to be more of a payment than I was comfortable with.  In my regular drive by’s of my local dealership I had notice the Jeep Cherokee and particularly the Trailhawk trim level. I liked the aggressive look and stance that you do not normally see in the compact SUV range so I stopped in to take a better look.  One thing that was an absolute must for me is a sunroof, and this does not disappoint in that department, the vast panoramic sunroof blew me away.

Owner Review: 2018 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

Love at first drive

I went in to see the sales rep who took me out for a test drive.  Within about 30 seconds of driving it knew this was what I wanted. The creature comfort factor is very impressive from the comfortable driving position to the easy to navigate touch screen to what I felt the small but most noticeable comfort feature is the soft console/arm rest.  The vehicle I purchased is pretty much loaded with the sunroof and cold weather package, in Canada having heated seats and steering wheel are a BIG bonus, the two things that the vehicle is not equipped with is the tow package and all the outside sensors.  The net price was around $57,000 Canadian Dollars, and with discounts and incentives out the door was $46,000. 

Now after a few months of ownership and getting used to most of the features, I am still loving my Cherokee KL and spending some time learning about Jeep and the culture surrounding it. I have made a few longer trips with my KL and no issues or fatigue and still love getting behind the wheel for my daily commute. 

Any Problems?

With all the good, there are a few annoyances. Some of the built-in “safety features” go a little overboard. 

Try going through a car wash.  Once your car starts moving in neutral, the computer gets confused and goes into panic mode! Having to put the car in park and restart when exiting makes for a ton of stress not having the car behind hit you. 

I do get the “high beam” flashes regularly with the brightness of the head lights and I do understand why. The lights are very bright, which I appreciate on dark rural roads when Bambi and friends like to play “run across the road and scare the humans.”

Snow Tires – A Must

I have installed Bridgestone Blizzak Snow tires for the winter and did not get the tire pressure sensors.  The computer should automatically recognize this and go in to winter mode.  On occasion, tire pressure warnings will go off. It’s actually sort of funny to see tire pressure on tires that do not have sensors.

Where I live in rural Southern Ontario, we do have a lot of ice conditions so having a good set of snow/ice tires is needed.  They transform the KL into a tank. Grip is tremendous and very noticeable on take off even in the worst conditions, if you live in a snowy climate, I would highly recommend getting snow tires. They are worth the money.  I had an issue with slight vibration during braking after about 15,000 km. To my surprise, Jeep replaced rotors with no issue under warranty. 

Overall, I do love my new ride!  I look forward to snow just so I can go out and play before the plows make it out and ruin the fun!