[willk]

As some of you may know from my comments in several threads, I have felt some regret that I settled on a Limited instead of a TH (and trading in my 2013 Ford Escape and getting a Cherokee in the first place). I have had my Cherokee 6 days now. We went on an overnight trip to Reno this weekend and I have to say the Cherokee exceeded my expectations. Even my passengers commented about how quiet and comfortable the ride was. The ride wasn't bouncy or firm. It was just right. I felt secure driving on the snow and ice that was encountered. Gas mileage was 27.2 mpg calculated (245.7 miles and 9.04 gallons). Mostly freeway but some city and slowing due to weather conditions. I have the AWD AND 3.2L engine.

 

[dsg76]

Thanks for posting that. I'm still in that decision boat, and its driving me nuts!

 

[willk]

There were no TH with the tech package within 100 miles of where I live. That made my decision easier. It would have been informative if I could have drove both vehicles on a trip like this. I have to assume the TH would not have got as good of mileage and road noise would have been more pronounced. It is comfort vs. fun factor. I have a feeling that the TH will have better resale value.

 

[macfan]

There were no TH with the tech package within 100 miles of where I live. That made my decision easier. It would have been informative if I could have drove both vehicles on a trip like this. I have to assume the TH would not have got as good of mileage and road noise would have been more pronounced. It is comfort vs. fun factor. I have a feeling that the TH will have better resale value.

It may not because second hand buyers will be worried that they have been abused. Wranglers have pretty good resale but one of the things that does hurt them is that a lot of them have been abused. Personally, I think there will be a larger second hand market for "everyday" Cherokees as most people are in the market for those. Things are a bit misleading on this forum because the majority of the members are Jeep enthusiasts. If you check Toledo's builds the TrailHawk is not in the lead.

 

[willk]

Thanks macfan. If you are correct then I have even more reasons to feel I made the right decision. I do like the looks of the TH. I suspect many people may end up buying it for that reason and never even use them off road. The TH is pretty unique in having the off road capability and still be comfortable. I really like the looks of a Wrangler but it is not a comfortable vehicle for everyday driving. I better shut up or I'm going to talk myself back into buyer's remorse.

 

[cobra7]

If you already had perfectly fine transportation (2013 Escape), why didn't you just wait for a local dealer to get a TH, or order one if you wanted one? There was no rush, right?

 

[SwampLife]

You have done good with the mileage - 600 miles for me with average 19 mpg
(not a complaint)

 

[scarpi]

I'm sure you'll enjoy your Limited model. I'm glad Jeep gave us so many choices in the new Cherokee. I liked the TH but my wife and I wanted cloth seats and since I wasn't going to the Rubicon I didn't need the rear locking option so we got a Latitude with the Active Drive II and I got all the off road options I need for my purposes with the cloth seats we wanted. It's nice to be a part of the Jeep family. I have to admit though the TH is really manly!

 

[Chris75]

There is a huge and not realistic bias towards Trailhawks on this forum. Most buyers will be settling for Latitutes and the upscale Limited. Maybe even the bargain basement Sport.

I love my Trailhawk. I would have settled for a ritzy Limited or a fuel sipping I4 FWD Latitude at another time in my life, but I decided to go for broke and get something I actually wanted. So far, it's been fantastic.

OP - glad you're loving your ride. It's a great car!

 

[Black Rover]

I am not an off road kind of guy so I went with the 3.2 Liter V6 Limited and have no regrets. I love the lines of this new Cherokee and it rides beautifully. Getting 24 MPG around town and 28 plus on all highway. Smooth and comfortable to drive. I could not ask for more.

 

[willk]

If you already had perfectly fine transportation (2013 Escape), why didn't you just wait for a local dealer to get a TH, or order one if you wanted one? There was no rush, right?

Couple of reasons:
I wanted both equally at the time and the Limited was available with the desired tech package. :s

Carmax had given me a reasonable offer for my Escape. I didn't want to lose that considering what dealers were offering me. I was also worried about future resale value of the Escape with the release of the all new Cherokee and Rogue.:huh:

I wanted my new toy now.

 

[Ticmxman]

Couple of reasons:
I wanted both equally at the time and the Limited was available with the desired tech package. :s

Carmax had given me a reasonable offer for my Escape. I didn't want to lose that considering what dealers were offering me. I was also worried about future resale value of the Escape with the release of the all new Cherokee and Rogue.:huh:

I wanted my new toy now.

Considering what Carmax offered me for my Escape yesterday, I would say your timing was perfect.

 

[Trailhawk]

Chris... I did the same thing. I got something that I thought I would only drive in my dreams which is a fully loaded TH with the 3.2 V6.

I'm not an offroader but yesterday I took my wife and daughter out on a fairly easy drive trail into a Holy Jim canyon in Orange County California. My wife was pretty angry on the way in as the road was SUPER bumpy and muddy. She was worried about the car, the baby and countless other things.

After passing audi A4's and mini vans... (gives you an idea of just how "rough" the road was") we reached our destination and parked right next to two other Jeeps. There was certainly a "Jeep Pride" moment.

On the way back, my daughter was awake and giggling the entire drive back. She loved it which helped my wife relax a little and have fun.

The TH was amazing, I know we were crawling compared to what the car is capable of doing but there was definitely some confidence in driving it.

I love it.

 

[KAdath]

The harsh shifting, tight fit on the seats (I'm obese, this is on me not the car), and the poor gas mileage are keeping my remorse levels peaked. It exceeds expectations every other metric, I love the car, but these three stand out as BIG downers. And I only expect one of the three to ever be fixed. Netting 15 miles a gallon around town should be a big black eye for this vehicle and I don't think enough stink is being made about it, personally, when Jeep was crowing from the rooftops about the MPG rating for so long. It was one of the biggest factors in my decision to go this route.

 

[Ausgti]

The harsh shifting, tight fit on the seats (I'm obese, this is on me not the car), and the poor gas mileage are keeping my remorse levels peaked. It exceeds expectations every other metric, I love the car, but these three stand out as BIG downers. And I only expect one of the three to ever be fixed. Netting 15 miles a gallon around town should be a big black eye for this vehicle and I don't think enough stink is being made about it, personally, when Jeep was crowing from the rooftops about the MPG rating for so long. It was one of the biggest factors in my decision to go this route.

Hang in there, and let the motor bed in.....combined with Winter Gas (if your in those states) gas milage will be quite bad this time of year

 

[Jeepster1]

Cherokee Limited 4x4 Dark cherry red
I would have opted for a trail Hawk but my other half intervened after she got to test drive a V6 FWD latitude..
She wanted several features not on the Trail Hawk like memory seats etc.
So in the spirit of compromise I ordered: Limited 4x4, V6, Tech, Luxury group, Tow, active drive 2 (off road suspension), and Nav. Now all I have to do is figure out if I can get a set of red tow hooks installed at some point. Kind of like a Trail Hawk dressed for a formal event. The best I can do at this stage in life.
I use to have a 2001 Cherokee Sport with off road package. It was the best and most fun vehicle I have ever had.
I am coveting every Trail Hawk I see today!

 

[willk]

You can buy the trail rated badges on eBay. I saw the tow hooks for the Grand Cherokee on eBay too. You can also buy the black hood decal Mopar. Get the tires and rims and it will require a close look to tell the difference.

 

[JonJones]

I think you made the right choice! The TH is pointless unless you are actually going to off road with it; you'd be paying for a lot of things that you don't need. If you are off-roading a lot, of course, it's great, but I think the Limited offers way more for the money for most of us.

I do think that the TH looks more aggressive and "cool" but I think all of that rubber and plastic will make it look dated a lot faster than the Limited. I mean, just look at the "Renegade" Liberties.

Only real reason I wanted the TH was for those cool wheels. I think they are awesome.

 

[KCSpider]

You can buy the trail rated badges on eBay. I saw the tow hooks for the Grand Cherokee on eBay too. You can also buy the black hood decal Mopar. Get the tires and rims and it will require a close look to tell the difference.

To me a trail rated badge on any Cherokee other than the Trailhawk would be something like flame stickers on a Civic.
The rest is fine.
(I dont have a Trailhawk and I dont dislike the Civic)

 

[dsg76]

The TH vs LTD decision is keeping me up at night. I am not an off-road guy, but i'm not opposed to hitting some trails if the opportunity presented itself. Living just outside of NYC, I dont come across many streams and rocky paths that need crossing Moving somewhere like that is also in the cards for me at somepoint, plus I enjoy heading to the mountains for snowboarding.

I doubt i will use many of the trail-rated features of the TH, but it just looks so much better next to the Limited. The chrome is turning me off.

Limited Pros
More comfort features in base price
HID option
Better ride with AD1 (not sure if this is actually true)

TH Pros
Sweet rims
1" lift
aggressive styling
AD2 incase someone dares me to go off-roading
General badassery

The heart wants a TH because I'll be driving it for a good 5 years at least, but the practical side says a Limited is fine. What about resale value? I know they are too new to tell, but I would imagine the Limited would be more appealing to a larger crowd... is that the case with the Grand Cherokee TH? I am not sure i have ever even seen a GC TH on the road...

Decisions...