World-beating capability is practically a trademark for the Jeep brand, and upholding the family tradition is the new Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, which was named Four Wheeler’s 2017 SUV of the Year. Eligible for the competition were all-new or significantly revised SUVs, leading the Trailhawk to a victory over the 2017 Nissan Armada.
According to Four Wheeler Editor Ken Brubaker, the Trailhawk is a worthy addition to the Jeep Grand Cherokee lineup, adding specially tuned Quadra-Lift air suspension, unique Goodyear Adventure tires, and extensive underbody skidplates to the midsize SUV. As such, its off-road performance was nearly unstoppable, aided by impressive approach, departure, and breakover angles, plus a formidable first-gear crawl ratio with the transfer case in low range.
The team spent a five days with both vehicles, evaluating them through one day of track testing, three days of off-road driving, and one day of highway driving. As such, judges were able to develop a well-rounded evaluation of the 2017 Nissan Armada and 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk, leading them to their conclusion.
Four Wheeler experts evaluated the Armada and Grand Cherokee in five weighted categories: off-road performance, empirical performance testing, on-road comfort, interior function and styling, and exterior function and styling. The Trailhawk took four of the five categories, leading it to a decisive victory over the still-capable Nissan.
Thanks to its strong all-around performance, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is a worthy recipient of Four Wheeler’s 2017 SUV of the Year award.