Why I Bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk & NOT A Wrangler | Dude I Love (Or Hate) My Ride! 

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This guy is clever I’d also choose the TrailHawk instead of a Wrangler since I’m not focused on extreme off-roading, this is way more comfortable for doing off-road and highway cruising. 👍🏽

Love to see someone that really knows their vehicle. 👍🏻

Congratulations to the young owner of that Trailhawk. When I was his age I was driving an ancient rusty Corolla, and happy I could afford even that!

Good ep..its always awesome to see passionate folks showcasing their rigs and know what their talking about

I think the trailhawk series make the most sense for almost anyone who can't afford/fit multiple cars for themselves (space, cost etc). There is virtually nothing you will encounter while camping or recreationally driving that a trailhawk can't handle, and it's a MUCH more reasonable daily commuter and long trip vehicle. Most people get Wranglers on emotion though, and I get that, but these newer trailhawks seem very much more practical while still meeting all your off-road needs right out of the box.

Put this man on the channel! So much knowledge and very passionate!!!

Good purchase Storm! I owned the '94 GC with the 4.0 straight 6 and put over 200k on that Jeep👍 I had the select trac 4 Wheel drive system and really enjoyed it.

Love the Trailhawk! Congratulations on your purchase, Storm!

Nice Trailhawk! Definitely like the WK2's (and Grands in general) a lot more than the Wranglers; Wranglers are cool, but the Grands are so much more liveable on a day to day basis, especially when you're not trying to tackle the Rubicon.

Love that you guys covered a WK2 Trailhawk again. Love my 17 Hemi Trailhawk!

I love my WK2 Grand Cherokee, it's not the Trailhawk, but it's the Overland Summit, top of the line for comfort and still keeps the offroad prowess. Air suspension gives me a smooth ride on the roads, or what's left of them in my state, but can raise up to about 12 inches of clearance for offroad. Can go almost anywhere a Wrangler can.

Awesome video, great looking Jeep, was just thinking about getting one for a family jeep

Like that y'all went on a trail while discussing the vehicle. The owner was very knowledgeable and was comfortable on camera. Very professional presenter like.

I gave a 2015 wk2 overland with Quadralift and QD2. It's a good vehicle, but to really make it offroad capable it needs more armor stock. My first trip I broke the ACC radar mount. So bought an ARB steel bumper to protect it in the future. Rear bumper armor is also important. I have a cracked rear bumper from the trails.

I have a 2016 GC limited 4x4 hemi and love it. Ome lift all the way around and 275s. Tows like a beast. I'm currently on vacation towing my 21' travel trailer at 6500 lbs loaded. Pulls through the Texas hill country with no issues.

Nice vehicle. I think I’ve found my new car. Its very classy and the HMI tops it off.

Great video! Just got a trailhawk myself (no hemi though) and absolutely love it. I agree that there reallt aren’t any negatives with it. It can go MOST places a wrangler can, but way more comfortable, and much smaller and manageable than the Rebel!

"It doesn't have rock rails..." "It does actually." "Oh, IT DOES..." *CUT*

Noting negative to say here. Great ride, smart young man who does his research modded his ride smartly all the while watching his pocket book and being able to enjoy life without going broke. I think he love his ride. Good job again Nathan, thumbs up bro.

this guy, really knows what he wants in the first place, great job TFL and Mr. Storm

Just took delivery of mine,hemi,love it,after 6 Wranglers which I liked but this is everything I wanted and needed.

Nathan is the man!!! Very enjoyable video.

After years with JKs and JKUs and not fitting in the new JLU, considered the Trailhawk before getting a Nissan Armada which fits this ole man and still goes pretty much where I want comfortably. Enjoyed the interview, like the tire choice, that's a good looking rig.

This would be a perfect skiing and mountain car, that still runs good on the highway down in the valley

Great Jeep. I'll let my coworkers know how much you enjoy it. Because we enjoyed making it for you. Shout out to the hard working men and women at JNAP!

For anyone that wants a light bar you can throw on some generic grip mounts on the tow hooks, drill into the fins of a curved light bar by 2 fins and mount it as needed. Makes for a nice add on for desert runs.

The perfect Gand Cherokee! I really like the mods too.

Needed a mid sized SUV with power to pull my Basecamp X trailer. Got a 2019 Grand Cherokee Summit with a hemi and Skid Plates for Minor Off-Roading. I'm very Happy

Almost chose the Trailhawk, but chose the two door Wrangler Willy's edition for a few reasons: Its my second vehicle, so I don't need a highway cruiser. the soft top and removable doors are awesome and the short wheelbase is way better for trails, and WAY more after market upgrades are available for the Wrangler.

I have the Overland. I'd like to see the Trailhawk vs a non trail rated Overland comparison.

Great to see someone who did reaserch and knows what he wants. And can tell about it.

Nice, practical, and good looking ride. After watching the video, I'd probably ditch the air ride and go with an actual lift. It seemed very stiff off road. Thanks for the video.

I had Falken Wildpeaks on my Trailhawk I think they were great and for the buck better then the other brands. But when you go to the stealership seems the people working there don’t know much about tires and kept saying that these tires are not made for this Jeep. So I asked them if they had a clue what they were talking about cause they were saying that the only tires that should be on there are the ones you see on most of the base model Jeeps. I had the Falkens and Cooper Discoverer AT3 got more compliments with the falkens.

I have a 2015 GC Overland Diesel w/ Off-road II package and air suspension, with now about 48k. I love it. Have added extensive off-road bash plates (Australian "Chief Products") and large Mopar rock rails. Zero problems, except for rear brakes at 25K, and FCA "dieselgate" (got a check for $3,075 for that), which has caused my mpgs to drop by about 4 both on city and hwy (but still averaging about 22 combined). Put a set of Goodyear Wrangler Duratacs on it at 25k and those have been fabulous (ran 2 sets of those on my previous offroader, 2004 Chevy Tahoe Z71, on which I broke axeks off road but still ran it to 189k when I sold it last summer). I frequently off-road my GC in Northern Michigan, in some pretty gnarly stuff, to get back to where I hunt and fish. The thing's a damn mountain goat, and is also a great ride on the highway, too. Have been all over Michigan's Upper Peninsula with it, taking the wife rock hunting every summer (while I try to fish). Yes, I would buy another, but (especially given today's gasoline prices) I would probably get the 5.7 Hemi V8. My 84-year old stepdad in northern Michigan has had 3 Ram 3/4 ton pickups with that engine and they all ran/run excellent -- still has the 1998 (plow truck) and the 2007 which still looks brand new (and frequently goes off road). Thanks for sharing your vehicle with us, Storm!

My favorite grand cherokee review so far. subscribed.

We love ours. 18 with the hemi. Step up the tire size. Added catch can, intake and exhaust and it’s amazing. Such a nice vehicle.

I absolutely love my 2011 grand Cherokee limited 5.7 hemi, it doesn't have the best ground clearance, but that's fixing to change with a RC lift kit, but it has all the power of any muscle car and more off road ability than any vehicle on the road today!

TFL's intro jingle could rival the THX intro for loudest sounds in the world lol

I have a 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. I love it. 106,000 miles and counting. I have the 3.2 V6. 26 mph on the road. I have lockers. They work great.

Finally, they actually mention a negative to air suspension.

Great vehicle. Great owner. The Wrangler is more capable off road but the GC Trailhawk can do a lot.

Fantastic video...thanks guys! 👍

What a great video! I love the JGC Trailhawk. It will be very interesting to see what they do with the next generation of it for 2021.

Just bought one, picking it up next week. BTW, the stock roof rails limit crossbars plus rack or box plus contents to 150 pounds. There are a lot of off-road or overlander looking racks out there that you’d have to very skimpily utilize or risk breaking your roof. New guy, Offroad Animal, says he has engineered a replacement rail/roof rack that ties into stronger roof supports and can hold 250 lbs. While we’re on the subject of capacity, the 5.7L Hemi Trailhawk is kind of a rolling contradiction. Weighing over 5,000 pounds, it’s trailer towing capacity is cited as 7,200 pounds. However, because of the weight added by the heavier engine, the 4WD, the air suspension system and the underbody cladding components, its maximum payload is only 1,130. That number consists of your passenger, any added gear (such as winch, rock rails, additional underbody cladding, etc.) roof carrier and contents, cargo carried inside the vehicle, and the tongue weight of your trailer (generally 10 to 15% of the trailers gross weight). Suppose you have a passenger at 150 lb, roof carrier with contents at 150 lb, and 300 lbs of interior cargo, That leaves only 530 for the trailer tongue weight, so you’re really limited to a 5,000 lb trailer in this scenario. Much less if you’ve added the winch and other cool stuff. I’m moving up to the Trailhawk from a 1999 Volvo V70 XC wagon. Even though the Trailhawk is 1,250 lb heavier, 11” taller, 7.2” wider, and about 4” longer, with a wheelbase that is 10.5” longer, it has 2 cu ft less interior cargo area with the second row of seats folded down. The TH’s cargo volume is listed as 38 cu ft behind all seats and 68 with rear seats down. Nowhere is the actual floor area or cargo space height listed, so I went to the dealer and measured. The rear space is 41” wide and 38” long - as someone posted elsewhere that’s not wide enough to fit a bag of golf clubs (I’ve never golfed so that doesn’t matter to me but I’ve had a lot more width in almost every car I’ve ever had and I would have preferred something over 48”). The additional floor space provided by the folded seats IS wider (shoulder room in the back seat is listed as 58”) and 28” long. Depending on how far up or back the front seats are positioned, you may have a 5” or so gap between the cargo floor and the front seats. Height is 31” throughout, except at the very rear where the roofline slopes so you lose a 15 x 15” triangle 41” wide.

It would be cool for you guys to do am"One year later" update. To see if owners still love it hate..and if they would buy or lease again!!

Great Video, kinda like the VW Touareg you guys bought

There are aftermarket winch mounting brackets for the Grand Cherokee. I have a winch on my GC Trailhawk. But I having taken it off road a lot have never needed it. But in 2020 I did the White Rim Road in Canyonlands in my Gladiator. It’s normally not a super hard trial. I’ve done it a couple times in Grand Cherokeses. There was a sand pit this time that required lockers to get through. I later ran into a guy in a Grand Cherokee, no winch, going the other way. He had been stopped by the sand pit and to get to his camp sites he had to detour probably at least 75 miles. If he had a winch he would not have had to detour.

I bought my bride a Diesel Summit, which has all the Trailhawks off road equipment, except the tires and wheels, plus an awesome interior. On the road we’ve gotten 34 mpg (I wasn’t driving). Tons of torque.

4wd? Hemi? grand Cherokee... I’m in! Wk2 is a really nice design beautiful Jeep

Quadra drive II is an amazing system. I love them.

Getting a '05 GC w/Hemi with 180km on it for $1000 CAD (about $750 USD) Never been used offroad, was my Grandpa's. I am thinking about getting a 4 inch Superlift and some 33 inch tires on it... can't wait to join the Jeep club!

Nice video guys!

I bought a 2018 5.7 TrailHawk in December of 2018 brand new. The experience buying it was super simple. Honestly the fastest I’ve ever been in and out of the dealership. I bought the TrailHawk as a daily driver/light off-road vehicle. I own a ‘12 Rubi for my wheeling fun lol. Pretty much all I’ve ever owned has been Jeeps. Had and Audi TT, and a Chevy Colorado when it first came out with the 5 cylinder. But from owning all Wranglers I couldn’t see DD a Wrangler and leaving it stock that’s why I went with the TrailHawk. The 5.7 I went with due to have owned the 3.6 and 3.8 six cylinder engines and had bad luck with both. Diesels I know nothing about them. I’ve had it for 11 months put 25k on it already. Multiple road trips 10hrs straight was the longest but most are around 8hr trips. Comfortable! Not tired after driving, I wanna get back in and keep driving after trips lol. Nothing I can really say about wheeling it as I’ve had it on sand and unmaintained roads. Still have an itch too take her out to a park and have some fun. Mod wise for it I’ve done 1.25” wheel spacers, leveling links. Now the downsides. Coming from driving Wranglers for the last 13 yrs to this is a big difference. Whipping it around not as easy, blind spots from the A pillars are a mofo, auto dimming rear/side mirrors are not good, I also wish the TrailHawk had the option of coils or air ride suspension, the air ride is nice but the for coming issues I’ve read with air suspension and the lack of being able to change it out is kinda a bummer. Otherwise I’ve been loving this Jeep. Keep up the great videos as well dudes!

Selling the 2017 Trailhawk. At the time l got it the JK Wrangler was still using the same 2005 era key, radio, buttons and displays as my 2006 Ram had. The GC was just such a leap into the future. Not to mention the $8,000 off when the dealers were not discounting the JK Wrangler at all. When you go into Sport driving mode it hunkers down lower and firms the steering. On mountain roads the handling feels just very similar to my 2015 Charger R/T Road and Track l traded in on the Trailhawk. The steering and road manners make up for any loss of off road capability IMO. The new JL Wrangler is awesome but everytime l see one it is driven by a college girl or her Mom. The JL weld/frame issues and steering problems would steer me to the Gladiator since it has a different frame. The Grand Cherokee TH is for the true enthusiast IMO. If you want one with the Hemi get it now. I have read they are already limiting availability of the 3.6 V6 in Wranglers to push the Turbo 4 onto buyers. This may be the last chance to get a GC V8. Explorer and Blazer etc. are all V6 now. They may take the V8 away then youll have to spend 70-100k for a V8 in a Grand Wagoneer in a couple of years.

those tires and that color look great! also I think the Hemi is the way to go if you can!

Those tires look great - particularly since they don’t affect highway mileage.

Love my Grand Cherokee limited 3.0 L Diesel. Now have about 83,000 miles!

Awesome Jeep. I really like the trail hawk GC. The ride off-road with the air springs at the highest setting looked punishing on the body though.

Awesome video, coincidence you uploaded this vehicle as I've been scouring RU-vid for more 5.7 Grand Cherokee vids.. want to get into either a Trailhawk or Limited X with a Hemi

Doesn’t a 1 inch bigger tire = 1/2 inch lift ?

A 1" taller tire nets you a 1/2" lift/additional ground clearance

I have the exact same one and I love it.

He made a good point. When the WK went to IFS and then full independent with the WK2 the grand Cherokee lost a lot capability. They made up for it with smart traction control but going back to the solid axle ZJ and WJ you see how much more capable they were.

I have a 2012 WK2 Grand Cherokee Overland V8 and love it. It's great off road and comfortable and useable on road. It also has great styling that has held up over the years.

Thanks for sharing young man

Good choice on tires, Falken Wildpeak AT3W

VW Touareg vs Jeep Grand Cherokee Trail Hawk please.....

He knows what he bought and searched before buying. That's how it's supposed to work. Most people don't do that anymore. Most people just walk in and want all the bells and whistles without knowing what engine or how the bells and whistles work. I like what he said about the snorkel. He's right and I say it all the time, its not just a snorkel. You have to also make sure water doesnt get into the electrical system either. You even see a fuse box get full of water? Not fun. Think about the exhaust system as well. More to it then just a snorkel.

So I own a 2017 Trailhawk and I can echo much of what he said because its a great vic. I went with the GOBI low profile roof rack and it's awesome. I really like the ruggedness and the luxurious comfort in the cab. Though not many, there are just a few negatives. If you are single with a dog or married with one kid and a dog...this vehicle is great. Once your family gets bigger than that, space becomes an issue. We have two kids and about to get a second large breed pup and I'm already looking for something with 3 rows of seating. Just something to think about. Another negative is the fact that there are no A/C vents in the cargo area. We live down south and when I have my lab in the back, it takes her a while to cool off. The Durango and Explorer both have cargo vents, but for some reason Jeep decided not to do that in the Cherokee. Hope this helps you if you are considering one of this awesome SUVs.

I’m loving my Grand Cherokee Trail Hawk. Does everything well!

Dude knows his stuff, which is awesome!

you get the like for the jeep and carVertical :)

Bought a 2019 Overland with the 5.7 and I absolutely love it

I have a wk2 with the hemi but not a trail hawk love it except had a fuel pump relay recall I could not get the dealership to do thank god for friends and relay from a 97 s10 lol

Love it now a rough country winch bumper and it perfect

If you're looking at a roof rack check our Chief Products. They're out of Australia and make a bunch of stuff for the WK2's. Their roof rack is coming out soon and looks great. That's the one I'm looking at getting.

It would be nice to see a comparison with the Dodge Durango (virtually the same company). The Durango can option a Trailer Brake Controller and tow more I believe. Durango's don't sell as well but are longer and look good. FCAs model and option packages are bewildering compared to the Honda-Toyota selection process.

Great video! I just bought a 2019 Trailhawk. I absolutely love it on and off road! One question for you... do you get any rubbing from the tires when you're at "entry/exit" height? I definitely want to go a little bigger on the tires, and I've got to get some rock sliders. Mine didn't come with them. 😒

Would Storm be willing to come back to try cliffhanger 2.0 in his Trailhawk?

The GC is a great vehicle and very capable offroad. It is smooth and quiet on the road and has a lot of room inside. For most people they work very well offroad and they have better towing capacity. I've been on trails in both types of vehicle. By contract the Wrangler doesn't ride as well, is much noisier inside. The GC is harder to lift and has limitations on maximum tire size. It also doesn't articulate as well which would show up on trails rated difficult. A person has to decide if they want to prioritize daily driving or prioritize trail performance then choose accordingly.

As the owner of a loaded 2017 GC Trailhawk Hemi, and a 2005 Wrangler Rubicon with 2.5" TeraFlex lift, I can say that the Trailhawk will do 90% of what the Rubicon will do off-road, but in absolute comfort. Don't get me wrong, I love my Rubicon, but the Trailhawk is the vehicle we use for nearly everything. Road trips, off-roading, pulling our 21ft camp trailer, occasionally pulling car trailers, it's just our go-to vehicle. It is also surprisingly fun to drive in Sport mode (which lowers/firms up the suspension, changes steering feel, and changes shifting either with or without use of the paddle shifters). For reference, we have the Rubicon, a Ram Rebel, Lexus LS, BMW Z3, as well as a few others, and the Trailhawk absolutely sees the most use, and it has been exceptionally reliable so far. All of that being said, when I went to Moab in June, I took the Rubicon, because there is just nothing quite like exploring in a Wrangler.

Great video thank you!

So I'm looking for something like this VW. I currently have a lifted Tahoe on 34" with rear lockers offroad bumpers (wife hates it), has lots of miles. Wife has a gen 1 X5 v8, rear air springs, 1 inch bigger tires, has lots of miles on it. Think to replace both with one vehicle, but needs to get better MPG. Thinking Porsche Cayenne diesel with air springs or Jeep GC diesel with the air springs (reliability is concerning). It gets off-roaded and pulls a trailer now and then. I do like BMW, but the off-road-ness is lacking. 4runner is good, MPG sucks, but holds value well. Advice?

Great-looking Grand-Cherokee!

might be better off wheeling with the air suspension lower than the max and getting a tad of droop. smoother to drop just a tire into a hole than to be maxed and lean the whole car over into it. super stiff max lifted suspensions can ride like having no suspension at all.

At LOOOOOONNNNGGG last we see Nathan!

There is always one thing that annoys me when any people test the Trailhawk, it's bumpy ride and poor wheel articulation when it's jacked right up. Of course it's going to bumpy if you have it right up to it's limit, but most of that track you tested it on you didn't need to jacked up to it's limit and the next one. reduce the bloody tire pressures. It's a win win, better traction and a better ride and with the Jeeps 4WD system, so what if it lifts a wheel, all the power is going to the wheel with traction anyway.

If I lived out west, this would be the exact vehicle I would get! Love my Grand Cherokee, but not as much as this one.

This second gen WK just keeps getting better. Even if it is a ten year old design.

I love it video 💯

You made a Great Choice, the Grand Cherokee is a much better vehicles all around. It is Luxurious, has a stylish exterior and interior, very comfortable, has lots of technology, and very good off road. The Wrangler only has one of those things and that is good at off roading.

I prefer my older Grand simply because it more truck like and less soft. And it has solid axles and 4Lo. I don't like the softness of these new SUVs. This one seems more gutsy than most, but I would want something more robust if it was going to spend more time off road. I can't deny how nice this WK2 seems especially with the Hemi. If I could have a Hemi (or just any better V8) in my older Grand I'd be thrilled.

Clever dude right there, Jeep wave for you man. OIIIIIIIO

The 5.7 is the last of the V8s in the class and flies mostly under the radar. The all around refinement and improvement in driving experience over the 3.6 can't be overstated. I would bet that those who say the 6 is just fine have never driven the 8. Also every inch of tire diameter change gives you a half inch of ride height change.

I actually bought a JL Rubicon and after 6 months I hated it and traded it for a GC Trailhawk. Love the Trailhawk!!

The spare compartment for my Wk2 Trailhawk looks pretty dang tight. Were you able to fit a spare tire, for those Falkens, back there?

Next time: Storm's brother, Tornado, shows us his new (to him) Holden Hurricane!

Roman, does a better job with the questions asked in this series. I did like that Nathan did this out on location! Great idea!

Awesome vehicle. Would take this over a Wrangler any day. Best thing about the Wrangler is the top off feature.