Reader Review: 2020 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Elite (2023)

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Oh, sure, it might look like a cute-ute. But Chris Braun says the midsize 2020 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Elite 4×4 is much more than just that.

“With this model,” the Calgarian says, “you can hit the trails and get farther away and explore the backroads and not be worried about getting stuck somewhere. It’s got all the features anyone could want together with Jeep off-road capability.”

Jeep first introduced the Cherokee in 1974. It was replaced in 2002 by the Jeep Liberty, a smaller vehicle that ran until 2013. That’s when Jeep re-introduced the Cherokee as an all-new midsize four-door vehicle, and it was redesigned again for the 2019 model year. That’s when it gained an all-new front fascia and aluminum hood. Inside, the Cherokee increased overall carrying capability with a larger cargo bay, complete with the option of a power liftgate.

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Available in nine trim levels, the base model Sport starts at $27,291. At the other end of the spectrum is the Overland, and it starts at $41,931. Depending on the model selected, the Cherokee can be had in front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. There are three different engine choices; a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder, a 2.4L normally aspirated 4-cylinder or a 3.2L V-6. Regardless of the powerplant, all are backed up by a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Braun spent a week with the Cherokee Trailhawk Elite model, and it steers toward the higher-end range of the lineup. As delivered with several packages added to the $40,545 base price, his Trailhawk Elite tester rang in at $51,135 before taxes.

Not afraid to put a vehicle through its paces, Braun says he’s addicted to cars. He’s a member of the Calgary Sports Car Club, and has rally raced a 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX. He drove, his brother navigated. Currently in his fleet is a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX plus a 2013 Acura MDX, 2006 Chevrolet Avalanche and his wife Cathy’s 2013 Jeep Wrangler.

“The Mitsubishi is my summer toy, the Avalanche is for chores, and my older daughter Jordan often drives it to school,” Braun says. “The MDX is basically my commuter vehicle, and that’s a 25-kilometre one-way journey from the south side of the city to downtown.”

Upon first impression, Braun says he liked how strong the Cherokee Trailhawk looked. That’s something he chalked up to the Velvet Red Pearl paint – a $100 option – and the presence of the two front and one rear red tow hooks that are a part of the Trailhawk package. Braun is 6-feet 2-inches tall, and he says the front doors of the Jeep opened conveniently wide enough so that he didn’t have to fold himself up to get into the Cherokee. Plus, once in, there was plenty of headroom.

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“It didn’t take too long to adjust everything, from mirrors to seats, to my liking,” he adds. “There was no searching for those control buttons, but if you wanted to change how loud the lane departure chime was, for example, you had to do a deep dive into the vehicle menus, but even that didn’t take too long.”

The interior, with its dark leather seating surfaces replete with red accents, was appreciated and Braun adds, “Everything had a good look to it with no sharp edges and nice to the touch – it didn’t feel cheap.”

The biggest surprise of the package, Braun thought, was the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine.

“It was very quick and offered plenty of power,” he says. “It was quiet and didn’t sound coarse at all while the nine-speed automatic offered seamless shifts. At times, I thought the automatic transmission acted more like a CVT, that’s how smooth it was.”

The Trailhawk Elite is equipped with Jeep’s Active Drive Lock 4×4 system and off-road suspension and locking rear axle. Braun says he toured some of Southern Alberta’s gravel roads, and the Jeep tracked straight and true. Plus, after some snow and freezing rain, Braun says the vehicle handled with aplomb.

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“I didn’t really challenge it too much,” he explains, “but I feel some of those driving conditions would have challenged a different vehicle. I never felt unconfident.”

Braun thought the short wheelbase Trailhawk might offer a choppy ride. However, he says it absorbed the bumps really well, and the ride wasn’t unpleasant. In corners, the body remained consistently flat. With its tight turning radius Braun says the Jeep offered “incredible flexibility” in parking lots or when commuting downtown.

Is it something he’d add to his driveway? If his was a family of four, he thinks it would be an ideal vehicle. But he still needs something that will haul his family of five, including twin teenage daughters Danika and Taylor.

“We all went for a drive,” he says, “and it was just a bit tight for the three girls in the back seat.

“It’d be great for an active family of four, or anyone else who is adventurous. It really was a fun vehicle to buzz around in.”

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DRIVER’S JOURNAL

Day 1

Fully loaded, great highway merging power with turbo four-cylinder and 9 speed automatic transmission. Easy to thread through traffic and easy to park, with lots of parking assist features. Did immediately notice the thick B-pillars so blind spot monitoring is a welcome reinforcement to shoulder checking. Shove the family in, including my three teenage girls in back row. Kids wanted heated seats back there (of course).

Day 2

Woke up to snow. Command start came in handy, warmed up Jeep quickly. Heated steering wheel welcome. Jeep was very sure footed in two inches of snow – Firestone A/T tires rated for M&S make easy work of slippery snow-covered streets. Great headlights for night/early morning drives especially with fog lights on as well, bright with well-defined cut-off. Stereo is quite crisp and impressive – didn’t see any specifics on window sticker for it but subwoofer in back, makes great sound. Nice to have all of the stereo volume controls on steering wheel with buttons for all menu selections. Touchscreen has pages and pages of features for customizing the vehicle to your needs. Cabin is fairly quiet, slight road noise from A/T tires at highway speeds

Day 3

Commuting yet again. Stopped at wand car wash for photo shoot later today and wiped down in parkade – coworkers asking questions about my latest toy (would be fun but sadly, not mine). Ran more errands – groceries, perfect size for many pit stops. Great on gas so far – even with turbo, did not see requirement (gas filler cap or otherwise) to run premium – so that’s a nice bonus.

Prayed for someone to get stuck so we could try the tow hooks – didn’t happen.

Day 4

Suspension is perfect for our city potholes and expansion joints. Noticed some torque steer on front wheels when heavy use of throttle is applied until auto 4wd kicks in and balances the power. Has a lot of get up and go when needed. More commuting. Jeep deserves to head to some more challenging landscapes so we’ll hit the country tomorrow.

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Day 5

Fresh snow and icy side roads. Plan is to head to country for some better “Jeep” photos. Only one available for a drive is oldest daughter Jordan. Also a car nut like me. Find out the Calgary Sports Car Club is holding a navigational TSD rally. Decide to meet up partly in progress. Ended up on back roads west of High River. Jeep did great on gravel roads. Varying from ice to four inches of snow and muddy gravel roads. Very sure footed. Lots of grip, great traction control without being too intrusive. Now the Jeep is happier in its element. Prayed for someone to get stuck so we could try the tow hooks – didn’t happen.

Day 6

Head south towards Black Diamond for one of few marked allowable vehicle river crossings. Low water – not much of a challenge but still fun to slowly cross a river. Took twin daughters Danika and Taylor our for a spin last night as their seat time was pretty limited. Big fans of sunroof so they could see the stars while riding along.

Day 7

Sad day because it’s “return the Jeep day”. Back to commute duties. Later that evening, washed it again to remove the weekend memories, oddly enough, wand wash tricks the tailgate into opening (normally motion activated by foot) getting the rear cargo area wet. Did that to me twice during its stay. I assume there is an option to keep it closed and open conventionally but I kept forgetting to search. Keys handed back but I already miss it.