Congrats Dan,
I made a similar jump to yourself, from a GTI Golf to a Trailhawk. Once I got past the "it doesn't corner like the GTI" phase, I love the thing. Had it's offroad baptism yesterday... Not the most testing track (I'd say medium), but it just walked up, down and over everything like it was barely there. We came across a couple of guys in a decked out landcruiser and patrol who made a point of stopping to watch us crawl over a fallen tree and then make our way down a steep rutted incline with an awkwardly-angled and washed out switchback midway - I think they initially took one look at the Jeep and dismissed it as a softroader, so it was nice to think it might have earned a little credibility in the eyes of some "old school" types.
Scratchless off-roading though? No such thing! Best you can do is try and keep them light enough that they polish out! Also, a someone to be a spotter is useful to stand outside the car and direct you in tight spots is useful - one weakness of the cherokee is that forward visibility over the nose in certain off road situations isn't outstanding...
Anyway, it's a great vehicle and you're doing yourself (and it) a disservice if you don't get out there and have fun with it. Enjoy!
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