TOUGH ENOUGH
Despite its cheery appearance, Jeep’s made-in-Italy Renegade Trailhawk easily lives up to its ‘Trail Rated’ badging
Can a Jeep be a real Jeep ... if it’s made in Italy? The simple answer is yes, indeed. Particularly if it’s a Renegade Trailhawk model, boasting “Trail Rated” badging that it actually lives up to.
Trailhawk is a moniker created by Jeep to indicate the off-roadisest model in the brand’s various offerings. The Grand Cherokee and Cherokee each has one. (The Rubicon is the hardest-core model in the Wrangler lineup).
So what makes the cheerfully goofy-looking Renegade worthy of joining that elite company? The fact that it really does hold its own when the going gets rough.
Dissecting the “Trail Rated” epithet into its components, let’s start with ground clearance. The Trailhawk boasts an extra 0.8 inches more than the lesser 4x4 Renegades, for a total of 8.7 inches. (That’s exactly what Subaru’s Forester, Crosstrek and Outback offer.)
Then engineers dialed in more suspension travel, the better to keep the 17-inch allterrain tires in touch with the surface.
To make sure the little Jeep can tackle a wide variety of challenges, exclusive to the Trailhawk’s 4x4 system is Active Drive Low and Rock Mode in the Selec-Terrain Traction Management System. This permits the driver to dial in the best setting to take on snow, sand, mud or rock, as well as an auto setting, and a hill-descent control.
For added confidence, the Trailhawk’s underbelly is protected by skid plates and shields for transmission, transfer case, front suspension and fuel tank. Not enough to live up to the image of offroadability? Then maybe the red-painted tow hooks front and rear will seal the deal.
Powering all this fun is a 2.4-liter, 180-horsepower fourcylinder “Tigershark.” While sufficient for off-pavement hijinks, the engine meets its match on the open road, particularly when faced with long highway inclines. It’s also pretty noisy when asked to work hard.
The cabin is surprisingly classy and pretty spacious, with comfy buckets up front. Controls are well-placed and logical, with a 6.5-inch touchscreen high on the center of the dash.
The Renegade Trailhawk delivers a real Jeep experience, complete with true off-road capacity, in a jaunty package. Verdict? Success.