Wrangler Sport vs. Grand Cherokee Trailhawk

[txj2go]

I have the Wrangler Sport and my daughter and I have been on 6 trips so far to do camping and trails in Colorado and Utah so she has plenty of experience with the Wrangler. She just bought a used Grand Cherokee Trailhawk so someday we will get to compare them on trails. It's probably too late in the fall for us to do any Colorado trails until maybe June but we can probably get to Utah before then. She traded in her 2012 Grand Cherokee 2WD so she has plenty of experience with those too and she really likes how smooth they are on pavement.

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[aldo98229]

I really liked the looks of the outgoing Grand Cherokee. Jeep did an excellent job with the styling.

Grand Cherokee is more comfortable than Wrangler inside, more fuel-efficient; rides and handles better. Sometimes I wonder if I should just get a Trailhawk and be done.

But Grand Cherokee feels too much like a car for my liking. I’m hooked on how Wrangler drives and feels, vague steering and all.

 

[Ang1Sgt]

While I have no experience with the latest version of the Grand Cherokee, I sure wish I had a cherry WJ Grand Cherokee straight 6 with Select-Trac sitting in the garage next to the JL.. My 2003 was a great vehicle and very trail worthy for the trails I like to do and it did have more creature comforts than my new to me JL.

There are times I wish I had looked long at a newer Trailhawk, but the need for an open top via the freedom tops, and the ability to take my doors off overstepped all my thinking! LOL!

 

[JPAloha]

We’re debating changing out our GC Laredo for a Trailhawk, we’ve taken the Laredo off road before with no issues(mild trails) but having the extra ground clearance available and the skid plates would be nice.

 

[Heimkehr]

I have the Wrangler Sport and my daughter and I have been on 6 trips so far to do camping and trails in Colorado and Utah so she has plenty of experience with the Wrangler. She just bought a used Grand Cherokee Trailhawk so someday we will get to compare them on trails.

Coincidentally, I've a JLU Sport and my brother has a 2017 WK2 Trailhawk with the 5.7L engine.

His vehicle is as well-appointed as mine isn't. That said, there's always a nit or two to pick, isn't there? I've found the leather/suede seats in his GC to be almost uncomfortable compared to the straightforward cloth seating in my Wrangler. Comfort being subjective, I just think FCA tried a bit too hard with the Trailhawk to mimic the aggressive bolsters, etc. we'd expect to see in a sports car.

Having the battery hidden under the rear seat seems a bit of a bodge, too. Granted, the sheer size of the engine and its ancillaries, relative to the space available in the engine bay, likely compelled the battery's relocation.

The massive, two-row sunroof on his GC is certainly nice, as are the heated rear(!) seats. The acceleration is effortless, natch, almost to the point of being comical for a vehicle with the mission brief that it has. God help him if the air suspension function ever fails to the point of component replacement, though. Maybe set up the escrow account now, to fund such potential expenses in the future.

His Trailhawk has been dead reliable since the day he brought it home. Hopefully your daughter has the same ownership experience.

 

[mwilk012]

We’re debating changing out our GC Laredo for a Trailhawk, we’ve taken the Laredo off road before with no issues(mild trails) but having the extra ground clearance available and the skid plates would be nice.

Why not just lift it and add skid plates?

 

[JPAloha]

Why not just lift it and add skid plates?

I may do that but it has 266,000km on the odometer so waiting for other issues to develop. The Trailhawk we‘re looking at has less than half the mileage.

 

[mwilk012]

I may do that but it has 266,000km on the odometer so waiting for other issues to develop. The Trailhawk we‘re looking at has less than half the mileage.

Thats a good reason.

 

[aldo98229]

While I have no experience with the latest version of the Grand Cherokee, I sure wish I had a cherry WJ Grand Cherokee straight 6 with Select-Trac sitting in the garage next to the JL.. My 2003 was a great vehicle and very trail worthy for the trails I like to do and it did have more creature comforts than my new to me JL.

There are times I wish I had looked long at a newer Trailhawk, but the need for an open top via the freedom tops, and the ability to take my doors off overstepped all my thinking! LOL!

WJs were da bomb! Solid axles and QuadraCoils.

Best one of the Grand Cherokee lot IMO.

 

[txj2go]

While I have no experience with the latest version of the Grand Cherokee, I sure wish I had a cherry WJ Grand Cherokee straight 6 with Select-Trac sitting in the garage next to the JL.

We had a 1999 WJ, I think it was very similar to the JL in terms of offroad capability, maybe harder to put really large tires on. The big difference between WJ and JL was the steering- WJ steering was great, no reason a JL can't equal it but it doesn't.

Why not just lift it and add skid plates?

If it's a WK2 Laredo it likely doesn't have low range 4WD unless you ordered it that way.

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