OK, it’s not Utah’s Rubicon Trail. But the outwardly gently tucks and folds of grass and scrub-covered sand dunes behind Karioitahi Beach’s Castaway Resort hide some surprisingly gnarly little steps, climbs, drop-offs and otherwise bumper and/or undercarriage- grabbing duvets.
In theory the old-skool, body-on-chassis LWB Wrangler that was with us should have been the preferred mode of transport the day a group of the country’s motor noters was there to sample Jeep’s latest NZ offerings.
Yet wherever it went, so too did the Trailhawk version of what the company’s medium/large capacity SUV. The Grand Cherokee.
Plenty, more recently, of course, has been written about British rival Land Rover’s sleek, streamlined new Discovery. Yet - particularly now it comes in a Trailhawk version – the Grand Cherokee is equally as capable.
Now one of five different models in the local Grand Cherokee line (Laredo, Ltd, Trailhawk, Overland and SRT) available here, the 184kW/550Nm 3.0 litre turbo-diesel powered Trailhawk, which has an RRP of $94,990, sits slap-bang in the middle of the line-up and is pitched at the buyer who is definitely interested in heading off the beaten track.
While it’s easy – not to mention considerably cheaper – to contemplate buying a Wrangler if you want to mix a little off-piste weekend and summer holiday adventure with your daily driving chores, in Trailhawk-spec the Grand Cherokee (GC) has the goods to match it.
At Castaways we got to try out all the many and varied options under the watchful eye of 4WD trainer Colin Burden.
First step was an increase in ride height (by over 50mm) using Jeep’s push-button Quadra-Lift air suspension system. We then played around with the (Sand, Snow, Mud and Auto) grip modes which you can pick and choose from using a simple rotary dial, before a ’stop’n drop into 4WD Low (another push button operation).
As well as the ride height raising and lowering function, the top-of-the-line Quadra-Drive 11 4WD system Jeep fits to the Trailhawk GC (T-GC) you also get an Electronic Limited Slip Differential (E-LSD which you select on the rotary dial) and Selec-Speed Control with Hill Ascent Control.
The latter is effectively a crawler ‘gear’ which takes over the job of edging you up and back down again any slope (within reason!!) you aim your T-GC at.
You are still in control, to a point, in that you can vary the ‘crawl’ speed up or down (in one km/h increments no less) using the ‘flappy paddles’ attached to the steering wheel. But believe me, it would take a very skilled and/or vastly experienced right foot to find the grip the ‘system’ does, particularly where you have different levels of traction (as we did on one slope) in the left and right wheel ruts.
All on 18-inch alloys shod with Goodyear Adventure A/T tyres running road (read 32 psi) tyre pressures!
SPECIFICATIONS
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk
Body type: SUV
Drive: Permanent 4x4
Engine type: 2867cc V6 turbo-diesel
Max power: 184kW/4000rpm
Max torque: 570Nm/2000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Drive system: Jeep Quadra-drive 11 fulltime 4WD/2-speed transfer case & electronic LSD
Front suspension: Double wishbone/coilover w air
Rear suspension: Multi-link /coil
Steering: Electric assist w/ rack & pinion
Turning circle: 12.2m
Wheels/tyres: 18 x 8 alloy/265/60
Brakes: Disc front & rear
LxWxH: 4828x1943x1802mm
Wheelbase: 2915mm
Ground clearance: 205mm-260mm
App/Dep angles: 36/27 deg
Wading depth: 508mm
GVM: 32949kg
Max Tow capacity (unbraked/braked): 750kg-3500kg
ANCAP rating: 5-stars
Warranty: 3 yrs/100,000km
RRP: $94,990
To read every story in the October 2017 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (Sept 22) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.
