2018 WK2 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Off-Road: Ultimate Mall Crawler or Overland Sleeper?

Рет қаралды 55,240

5 жыл бұрын

I take a new 2018 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk V6 into the woods for a quick review, and detail the pros and cons of the platform for off road and overland duty.

Пікірлер: 70

@phantomrose1999 5 жыл бұрын

I bought a new JGC in mid 2018. Its a Diesel Laredo. I have done about 28,000 kms since mid last year. A lot of interstate driving and sometimes absolutely packed every inch of it, with the back seats down. I easily get 7.5L / 100 Kms. So with the tank full, i get 1170 kms. I look forward to hills to feel the massive torgue surge up. The handling is frankly surprising for such a big car, and i do throw it around a bit. The driving positing is the best ourtide a merc. With less than a 1/4 tank, its quick off the lights, if you load up the accellerator against the brake and then charge... surprises quite a few. So far i just love driving it interstate, 8 to 10 hours at a time, its one of the best cruisers i have had. Enormous torque, great economy, and a tight feel, with the one of the best driving positions around. Loving it !

@mrchams 4 жыл бұрын

Best review I’ve watched on the trail hawk so far

@ForgottenWaypoints 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! We've had a lot of great feedback on the Trail Hawk, it kind of makes me sad my Brother in Law traded it in on a JL. I'd have loved to have filmed the Trailhawk in the wild a few more times!

@Crosyph 4 жыл бұрын

How I never seen this review of the Trailhawk before? Very well done review

@faridnasiri1 5 жыл бұрын

One of the best Grand Cherokee off-road reviews Thanks!

@sephiros9883 4 жыл бұрын

Best review on youtube so far for what i'm considering this vehicule for. Thank you very much!

@devonm5037 5 жыл бұрын

PUT OFF ROAD IN THE TITLE. Jesus ive been looking for a video about its off-road ability. Thank you!

@ForgottenWaypoints 5 жыл бұрын

Hahahah! Will do! Sorry about that, I'm still new at this game.

@ForgottenWaypoints 5 жыл бұрын

Just added off road in the title and the key word search. It was an oversight on the key word search, I had "rock crawling" and a bunch of other terms but not off-road. It's there now.

@ARXDMOS 5 жыл бұрын

the trailhawk is awesome. there is a LOT of upgrades, just hard to find. Chief and offroadanimal are go to. Hell new stuff from rough country in terms of light bar and winch mount is nice too. The trailhawk is much more capable than it seems on paper.

@AWDfreak 4 жыл бұрын

Any of the Jeep Trailhawk crossovers (Renegade, Compass, Cherokee, Grand Cherokee) are remarkably capable with some rock rails. It just takes someone both courageous and skilled enough to show what they can really do.

@goldy7678 3 жыл бұрын

We bought the V-6 for the same reasons you mentioned. My wife and I just retired early and we will be overlanding throughout the US and wanted to get better mileage for the driving in between destinations. We will be pulling a small overloading trailer with a hard shell roof top tent, but we are looking at 2500-3000 lb total weight on the trailer loaded. That is less than have of its rated towing capacity (6200 lbs). I did weigh up the V-8. It gave us the extra 1000lbs of towing capacity and more torque but for three grand and a loss of mileage I took my chances. I'm quite happy with the decision so far. If I was just hitting local trails or pulling a heavier trailer I would have gone with the V-8. We find the seats very comfortable and have had no complaint so far, but I understand it's a matter of preference. Nice review and insight!

@gogerwi 5 жыл бұрын

I have been in negotiations to purchase a new Trailhawk the last couple of weeks and have always had concerns with the Trailhawk specific seats, their just plain uncomfortable. Even the sales person agreed they suck compared to other variants of the Grand Cherokee. Appreciate your honest input on the seats, I'm going for the Limited version now.

@JD-fx1np 4 жыл бұрын

What's the foam density on build sheet for the limited? I've always heard the trailhawk seats are the best at foam #5

@518Eagle 5 жыл бұрын

That rear plug has a fuse that can be moved over one notch that will energize it when the key is off as well.. Fyi...

@broncobill3902 5 жыл бұрын

518Eagle was just coming in here to state the same thing.

@mohsinmmir1 5 жыл бұрын

Great review. I have a GC trailhawl 2017 V8 and its been amazing so far.

@ForgottenWaypoints 5 жыл бұрын

My brother in law has been hard at work on the Trailhawk, installing rock sliders and a Chief front bumper guard. We are planning on taking it to Sedona and other areas this year, so it will be featured more on the trail this coming year.

@billj5645 3 жыл бұрын

Many years ago we owned a Jeep WJ which I thought was better for offroading because of its solid axles and good approach/departure angles. Recently I was considering a WK2 for offroad and it would have been my only vehicle. I would have lifted it and put 32" tires on it. After deliberation and considering trails that I wanted to do in Utah, I bought a Wrangler JLU Sport instead. I have no problems with it on long highway trips and have done 5 in the past 12 months from 700 to 2500 miles each.

@armaniusmaximus 4 жыл бұрын

Great review!!! So informative! Probably the best GC Trailhawk review I've seen so far. Thank you. Does the Vehicle Dynamics in Off Road page indicate which wheel the power is going to when you are on the move?

@MrKozanitis 3 жыл бұрын

armaniusmaximus no, it does not.

@JD-fx1np 4 жыл бұрын

The foam in the seats for the next trim is one step denser so I doubt it's more comfortable. Trailhawk is a 5 foam density. The trackhawk is hard at a 7.

@leonidas6134 4 жыл бұрын

I would say your problem with the rocks is the tires. I have the same crappy wrangler tires. I would switch them out for some BFGKo2’s.

@georgetidd8972 4 жыл бұрын

I have BFG on mine,,,,works well!

@W2IRT 3 жыл бұрын

Falken Wildpeak AT-3s on mine, up one size to 265/65R-18. Aired down to 18 psi they'll handle that obstacle without batting an eye.

@tsherman393 4 жыл бұрын

Great review, thanks

@Bimmerphile1 5 жыл бұрын

The sport seats in the GC take quite some time to break in. On my 2017, they were rather stiff for the first several thousand miles. Depending on how many miles you had on it during your test, they are likely softer by now.

@ForgottenWaypoints 5 жыл бұрын

It had to me around 10k at the most, maybe under that. The video of the Trailhawk on the trail was under 1000 miles on the odometer. That was a few months prior to the review.

@AWDfreak 4 жыл бұрын

I don't understand how all the Jeep Trailhawk-badged crossovers don't come standard with the Mopar Rock Rails. It only makes sense to include them standard. Only the short-lived Jeep Renegade Deserthawk (a slightly-better Jeep Renegade Trailhawk) came with rock rails standard.

@HREYES1982 4 жыл бұрын

Great review !!!

@mikesbobcatservicesllc-mic6927 5 жыл бұрын

I have a trail hawk diesel the seats are fantastic. What do you want a saggy old couch Seat.

@KAREKINFPV 4 жыл бұрын

lol exactly, the seats are amazing!

@JaxWatchesandEDC 4 жыл бұрын

I want the seats out of my 2002 Grand Cherokee. Now those were comfortable!

@phlfly10 5 жыл бұрын

What do you think level 3-5 WVA off road for camping? Idea is go far from people and find nice place to stay for few days. I'm looking to buy Limited as no air suspension. I want stay away from air suspension as cost in future. Also looking buy Cooper Discovery AT3 tires. thanks

@ForgottenWaypoints 5 жыл бұрын

I'm not familiar with east coast trail ratings, but a wk2 could be built to handle Moab rating 4-5. I'd think you could do Golden Spike if you had maximum mods and took some bypasses (rated 7). It's not a crawler like a Wrangler is, but could be a great camping platform. WVA would be more mud trails, right? I'm not experienced in mud enough to really say. For overnight camping, your biggest concern is going to be wiring the 12V to run when the key is off.

@cpk2GIRL 2 ай бұрын

Everything's a compromise when it comes to rig selection. For a small family like ours w/ occasional off-roading, our Trailhawk is perfect, esp w/ larger 275/65 18 AT tires.

@ForgottenWaypoints 2 ай бұрын

It’s true! My brother in law is looking into getting another wk2, and my cousin owns 2. They are a great all around rig for a vast majority of public trails! I’m glad you enjoy yours!

@shiftintohigh5564 4 жыл бұрын

👍👍👍👍

@Quadrille763 4 жыл бұрын

Need the hemi

@tpm1717 5 жыл бұрын

What make and model is your refrigerator? That looks awesome!

@ForgottenWaypoints 5 жыл бұрын

Domestic 35cfx. My brother in law (who owns the Trailhawk) just got the Domestic 50 and we are going to do a review side by side. So stay tuned!

@PepeDeezNutz 4 жыл бұрын

Can you please provide a link to the “reports” of the rail damage from roof top tents? Or did your brother in law just tell you that?

@ForgottenWaypoints 4 жыл бұрын

It's the factory rack. Your mileage may vary. Here is one link: www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134131 Personally, we never experienced it, as we never had the rack loaded. So you can obviously take reports with a grain of salt.

@christopherlh4271 4 жыл бұрын

They are all over JGC forums, nevermind the OEM *spec* is 150lbs max load. Even if the RTT doesn't overweight it directly, it will as soon as any person gets *in* it.

@KAREKINFPV 4 жыл бұрын

dude, did you have it in rock mode? Jeeps rock mode is THE SHIT, it's almost better than toyota's rock mode.

@bEeEm43ver 5 жыл бұрын

Hey everyone, I have a 2007 V10 TDI Touareg with the offroad pack (slight underbody protection, rear + center diff lock, and air suspension). Although I love this vehicle, I am thinking of trading it in for something newer (vehicle is starting to feel slightly dated), seriously considering one of these Jeeps. Would it be a great trade in? All advice and honest opinions will be appreciated.

@Rhinomssy 5 жыл бұрын

Go for it, you won't regret it

@marcusnz232 4 жыл бұрын

Why would you want the diesel? Because you live in NZ and that is the only version of the Trailhawk they import!

@tinfoil1463 3 жыл бұрын

You take a fridge for a day trip?????

@ForgottenWaypoints 3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely. The fridge is great. Why bother with ice or warm drinks, even on a day trip?

@ebrahimalbakr3302 4 жыл бұрын

Trail hawk skids are plastic and need lower front protection because of the unprotected radiator and air suspension pump and radar camera.. Tigh down so soft and need to upgread and air suspension are so soft for offroad Future failer.. Front Control arms up and down soft Sway bar bushing so soft and damage fast

@christopherlh4271 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I dont get it. Has several steel plates covering everything else except the very front (and most likely to impact) and transmission...at least Chief offers both to complete the package. Those + rock rails should be standard for the Trailhawks, otherwise they should call it the Mallhawk.

@azizaladwani000 3 жыл бұрын

What does it mean wk2?

@ForgottenWaypoints 3 жыл бұрын

It's the chassis platform code referring to which generation of grand cherokee it is. First is the ZJ, then WJ, etc.

@azizaladwani000 3 жыл бұрын

@@ForgottenWaypoints Thank you for this information.

@jasonsmith-ur2mz 5 жыл бұрын

I find the seat just fine, my wife has a few extra pounds and she don't like the seat, I don't care for the road noise at highway speed

@RickHavok 4 жыл бұрын

So many things I could critique in this video, but to start with, aside from not driving it properly for the way it's designed, why would you buy one with air lift suspension and not one you could simply change the shocks and springs on to accommodate 33" tires with a permanent lift? Jeep tests the grand Cherokee -- and I'm quite sure the Trail Hawk -- on the Rubicon trail, where by the way, Land Rovers consistently fail year after year. Sure, I can take a bad line with a vehicle and make it look bad too, but experienced drivers will note that... and I did. Sorry, but this video seems biased to make you feel better about your Land Rover. Have fun when it's time to change that Rover's timing belt if it doesn't break on the interference engine.

@ForgottenWaypoints 4 жыл бұрын

Fair point, you can also swap the Rover suspension to coils too. The purpose was primarily comparing the two different air systems and found the Rover's superior. On the particular obstacle, we did point out it slipped off the line and another go would probably work; however with barely 300 miles on the ODO, they didn't want to push it he's since changed to a JLU on 35"s anyway. I've also driven the Rubicon (in a stock JKU) and would neither take the trail hawk nor the L322, both are the wrong tool. The Rover hasn't used timing belts in the US in decades, but my Land Cruiser on the other hand..... I hate rubber bands for motors..

@RickHavok 4 жыл бұрын

@@ForgottenWaypoints Fair enough about the timing belts and specific focus of the video, but you do seem biased to me in it. Sorry for being frank but the WK2 was nowhere near close to it's safe limits and I say that speaking from much experience with a variety of off road vehicles over a span of 39 years of driving that actually started off road. The entire bottom of that Trail Hawk is one big skid plate, so to speak. I understand his concern with it being new, but it is extremely unlikely to have been damaged Anyway... You know my opinion more or less, and I know yours. Now lets see what Mark A. Smith has to say. If you're unfamiliar, look him up. I forwarded to the part about the WK2 but the entire video is worth watching. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mt9mrJSjppyze30.html Happy trails!

@christopherlh4271 4 жыл бұрын

@@RickHavok Agreed he was being overly concerned - had my stock JGC Trailhawk on far worse trails and took them like a champ-, but will say the Trailhawk is missing two key skid plates - the very front sump / radiator plate & transmission covers are plastic. Easy to add, but head-bangingly absent. Also note that there isn't an option for TH's without the quadra-lift, but the reason to go with TH over the other trims is they can take on tougher trails stock, and have a much higher towing capacity over most of the other trims (3,500 > 6,200/7,200lbs). It does suck that you cant lift it though.

@KAREKINFPV 4 жыл бұрын

bitching about the seats, you've obviously never overlanded in a 5th gen 4runner, those seats are like cardboard. The seats in this are just as conformable or even more comfy than our Audi.

@ForgottenWaypoints 4 жыл бұрын

I have a GX470, and rest assured I'll knock on those seats too when I do my review!

@KAREKINFPV 4 жыл бұрын

@@ForgottenWaypoints I think toyota wins for worst seats in any-vehicle-ever category.

@ForgottenWaypoints 4 жыл бұрын

@@KAREKINFPV , yeah, not a huge fan of the GX470, the LX470's seats are a significant improvement, I might even like them more than those on a Disco 2, primarily because of width. They can't compete with those on an L322 Range Rover though.

@siaptm 4 жыл бұрын

You don't make the diferences. The smooth ride are from suspension, the manevrability is from articulation. Don't be upsad on car, because some men donsn't lett you're dream become reality. A jeep grand cheroke is not a wrengler. It's more capabile at speed and confort.