Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is rugged to the max

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California – There are some sport-utility vehicles you walk up to and instantly think to yourself: I’d never take this vehicle off-road.

The recently tested 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4X4 is NOT one of those vehicles. In fact, it’s so well equipped for non-pavement purposes that you instantly want to roll onto the mud, rocks and rivers.

This vehicle can take it.  Ask Four Wheeler magazine, which named it 2017 SUV of the Year.

The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is engineered with Jeep’s Quadra-Lift air suspension, which I did not test to the max.  But colleagues who did raved about its capabilities in the off-road world.

The Trailhawk looks rugged and broad-shouldered at first glance.  A quick tour of the on-vehicle equipment lets you know that this Trailhawk can tackle just about anything.  Handling/enhancement features include speed control, hill-ascent control, hill-descent control, skid plates, 18-inch off-road aluminum wheels, 18-inch all-season/terrain tires, Kevlar reinforcements, premium fog lamps and red tow hooks.

With good ground clearance thrown in, this is a vehicle you can take into the backcountry feeling supremely safe and secure.

Fuel mileage is OK at 18 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

The power plant is a 3.6-liter V-6 with nearly 300 horses. It was strong and able, and yes, its muscle on the paved roadways was more than adequate.

An eight-speed transmission gave me the option of running the gears via paddle shifters.

For all its rugged looks and features, the tester was stocked with a generous number of luxury-level perks.  That included heated/ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power liftgate and power-folding mirrors.

My ride was dressed up with even more luxury and safety extras that brought the bottom line to a hefty $50,620, more than seven-grand north of the base price of $43,095.

The optional lane departure-warning system seemed a little forceful for my taste, but it was nothing close to a deal-breaker.

Lots of folks brag about their tough trucks or SUVs.  This Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4X4 is one of those rare vehicles that lives up to the bragging.