2014/15 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk vs 2015 Toyota 4Runner Trail edition

[fike]

A lack of articulation is a legitimate criticism of the new cherokee...but...it is precisely that stiffness that makes it decent on the highway. I tend to agree that the cherokee is best suited to rugged fire roads and not rock crawling and mud bogging.

One final thought, tires have a lot to do with how often one gets stuck, and I am guessing that some of those stuck Cherokees had highway tires. Even the Trailhawk has the relatively tame Firestone Destination AT on it.

 

[Idahoan]

Im a hard core buy American Jeep-Harley kind of guy. The Cherokee looks like an Isuzu and box of suppositories had a baby. For that I would buy the Toyota which is the better and more reliable car anyway.

 

[Singlespeed92]

A lack of articulation is a legitimate criticism of the new cherokee...but...it is precisely that stiffness that makes it decent on the highway. I tend to agree that the cherokee is best suited to rugged fire roads and not rock crawling and mud bogging.

One final thought, tires have a lot to do with how often one gets stuck, and I am guessing that some of those stuck Cherokees had highway tires. Even the Trailhawk has the relatively tame Firestone Destination AT on it.

Good points,and yeah,2 out of the 3 KL's had factory tires on 'em,but the Trail Hawk guy is an offroad-guy,his has a few mods (he hasn't sold his LJ Rubicon after having bought the TH,BTW,but he's enthusiastic about seeing it's limits and extending them as mods become available),it was running BFG AT's,which are a bit more aggressive than my GY Wrangler AT's.

Like I said though,I wasn't bashing them,not in the least...if I were in-market for a more-on-road than trail duty rig (not insinuating that it wasn't capable,mind you,I mean "trailed hard a couple times per month",not the 6-7 times per month I try to get out there with my XJ,but spend very little on-road time commuting),I'd be seriously looking at the new KL myself (intentionally disregarding all the politics within the Jeeper circles about who makes what where and may or may not rebadge em completely aside).

As is though,I'm not in said market (being a disabled Veteran basically means you're a house dad with lots of "atta-boys" and "thank you's",but little pay-not that we couldn't afford one,LOL,we could,but what I mean is that I don't have to commute or do lots of paved driving anymore if I choose not to,and we only tow the camper about 3 trips every 2 months + or - a trip,so I've no need for a rig with better on-road behavior personally),so if I were in the market for a new rig,I'd personally pic the 4Runner Trail over the Trail Hawk....if any of that were needed to better articulate my thoughts.

 

[doubleroses]

Really? Please don't let your love of a certain brand impair your judgement. They're just vehicles and should not become personifications of who you are. As a long time owner of both Toyotas and Jeeps and having lived in the winter wonderland of the Pennsylvanian Rust Belt, both brands have had their issues as well as every other brand of vehicle ever made. It is a certified fact that Jeeps of all models are notorious for rusted body panels, rotted out frames and the general quick fall to the entropy of the universe. The backyards, junk yards and auto salvage yards are literally cover in the rusted out husks of once proud Jeep iron. That is why solid Jeeps are hard to find and are priced high accordingly. Toyotas too have had their issues but such is the way when chemistry and physics have their way with your ride no matter what the brand. In the end salt wins, steel rusts and all brands are subject to its sodium based wiles. Your pronouncement is silly at the least, grievously ill informed at the worst.

Well put! A very logical and mature response to an illogical and immature comment.

 

[kojackJKU]

OK, you just lost all credibility. Every automaker has had problems, Ford completely failed as a company at one point and went through decades of dark times producing things like the Mustang II. The 1990s saw the company fail after years of quality issues and substandard products. GM squandered the reputation they had built for quality and is still trying to earn it back.

To lump all Japanese made vehicles into the category of "japcrap" is not only small minded and bigoted, but not in touch with reality. My family had an FJ80 and now has a 4Runner Trail. I own a Nissan that has been fantastic. Even if an American marquee had a reputation for the durability of Toyota products, not one US brand makes a vehicle to compete with the 4Runner or XTerra. The Bronco is gone and shows no signs of being reborn, the Scout is dead along with the Blazer. What else is there? A Tahoe? Low clearance, horrible break over, approach, and departure angles - and most have eco tires with limited tread. It is a family hauler and tow vehicle for the camper or boat.

The only thing that comes close is the Wrangler, and frankly, after having a Chrysler product, I would never trust my life to it in the bush. Chrysler consistently ranks near the bottom in build quality and reliability. Sure there those guys who know a guy with an XJ that has "400,000 miles and never had any repairs!" but those are the exception, not the rule. It also highlights the problem Chrysler has had for years: inconsistency. Some of their vehicles can't make it two months without a trip to the shop, others seem to have been sprinkled with pixy dust and never fail. Roll the dice, you might get a good one.

Yes, Toyota made some mistakes by trying to be like GM - the problem is that they succeeded. The current offerings from Toyota are good solid vehicles (with the exception of the FJ Cruiser, which never did have its design issued fixed - the price of a production concept). I would trust my life to a 4Runner. Not so much with a Jeep.

Well, when the local dealer, of which I live in a town of 10000 people, has like 50 rusty heaps of junk called tacomas sitting in their yard, Some of which are cracked down the middle between the cab and bed, yeah, I have a sour taste in my mouth over Toyota. There are many many many jeep products driving around here, as well as many many many Toyotas. The cancer strickened Toyotas out number the cancer strickened jeeps 5 - 1. Then there is the ride quality. The engineers at Toyota guess that all their so called off road vehicles must ride like a 2x8 on its edge. They have the poorest spring and shock tuning I have ever seen in a rig. My brother was looking at buying a 4 door tundra TRD and we had it out for a drive, and it rode like a 1940s tank. He bought a ford and could not be happier. Also, its not just the Tacoma with major rust issues. The Tundra has major chasis issues here as well. To the point they are starting to collect them now too.

Again, I will stick to my jeep. I own a Japanese car, and we love it. But its not a Toyota. There will never be a Toyota in our stable. The xterra is a way better choice than the 4 runner. I really like the xterra. But I would still take the Cherokee Trailhawk. After driving one, it is very comfortable, and very capable as well.

 

[CF1973]

Reliability and issues with the new Cherokee aside, I'd be interested in knowing what you need for a vehicle after the trip is over? While the Toyota is hands-down a better off-roader, the Cherokee might be friendlier to live with the rest of the time. Personally, I'm intrigued by the new Cherokee; it would suit me 98% of the time. (The comments regarding problems with the new Cherokee would be a big consideration and might very well tip the scales to the Toyota for that reason alone.)

My daily commute is about 40 miles round trip with maybe 1/3 of distance taking 2/3 of the time through traffic. We take one longer winter trip every year, 3 times so far and north each time. I would like to take two long trips each year and more short trips. An issue off highway is unlikely to be life threatening because we travel prepared, but it would really suck and the wife would not be happy. Writing this out, made me realize what getting stuck overnight in winter would look like in each vehicle.

My first modification to either vehicle could be a HAM radio and second battery.

 

[haven]

This really is an apples-to-oranges comparison. The 4 Runner is a considerably larger and more expensive vehicle. A more reasonable comparison would be 4Runner to Grand Cherokee or Wrangler Unlimited. These 3 vehicles are about the same size, closer in price, and each brings something unique to the comparison.

 

[Singlespeed92]

Haven,that's not really relevent here ("apples to oranges comparison"),because it's a "hey,I'm going to be spending my own hard earned money and wish to know about these two vehicles,because these are the two I'm considering" comparison...it doesn't matter if the comparison is a '56 oval window VW Beetle and a new Freightliner Classic XL,it's not a comparison of vehicles for comparison's sake,it's a "I'd like to know which best suits my purpose for my money" thing-he's not (that we know of) interested in a Grand Cherokee or Wrangler,but he IS interested in the 4Runner Trail and Cherokee Trail Hawk

CF1973,good idears for ANY vehicle (HAM radio/2nd battery),I would also add,all of us really should have a fire extinguisher and survival kit for our local and season (doesn't have to be expensive/extravagant,but a first aid kit,space blanket,fire starting equipment,etc) for our own sakes and safety

 

[CF1973]

I am currently driving a Trailhawk and considering whether it is the best vehicle for us. It was not a well thought out purchase, but I took an opportunity when it presented itself. I didn't state that in the original post because I didn't want to admit the mistake, . The price difference between the Cherokee and 4Runner is small when you compare the V6 TH with a few options to the 4Runner Trail Edition. Regardless, the 4Runner is at the top of my price range for making a change.

The Nissan is sized in-between the Cherokee and 4Runner, but it has worse MPG and GVWR in comparison. I will swing by the dealer near work and take a closer look, but it's not high on my list. The ability to carry a lot of cargo, either volume or weight, is not a deal breaker, but I will use all that is available, preferably on the inside.

The 4WD system in the Cherokee TH is really impressive and was the main reason for the purchase. I think daily winter driving will be more comfortable and safer in the Trailhawk compared to the 4Runner. But, when I don't know what the trail ahead looks like and I think about the plastic bumpers, I want a truck. If I rip off a bumper, it can be replaced with a cheaper and better one. I have no interest in rock crawling for the sake of rock crawling, but if there is somewhere interesting to go, that's where I want to be.

 

[toylandcruiser]

There has been recalls for the tacomas and tundras for rusting chasis. I know of two in my small town of about 20 tundras who had their chasis rusted out and the local dealer had about 50 tacomas as a big rust graveyard. NO THANKS. keep the Japscrap and drive a real vehicle.

First of all its Chassis, second of all only 150,000 tacoma were recalled only in rust pone areas out of what millions sold? Not bad. In 2010, Ford recalled about 475,000 Windstar minivans for rusting rear axles that reportedly were falling off the frames and entered a customer-service fiasco when owners demanded Ford buy back their vehicles (eventually, it did). In March, Chrysler recalled nearly 210,000 Jeep Liberty SUVs for suspension components that could rust and possibly break off.

 

[Ryanmb21]

Just add KojackJKU to your "ignore list" and you'll never have to read his posts. Make the forum better. :sombrero:

 

[SSF556]

Just add KojackJKU to your "ignore list" and you'll never have to read his posts. Make the forum better. :sombrero:

No need to ignore him...he is just pissed off that he has to buy milk in a bag....:coffeedrink:

 

[the_dealer]

I'm a Jeep guy all the way, but I'd choose the yota. I really like the new 4runners, and they are pretty capable right out of the box. The aftermarket will have more support for the 4runner over the Jeep as well.

 

[docwatson]

If you already own the TH, I would stick with that until you are sure it doesn't suite your needs. Sure the 4Runner is capable and bigger, but the TH is no slouch and can certainly hold enough gear for two people (if you have dogs it might be more tricky). Besides now, the price difference between your used TH and new 4Runner is greater because of lost value. Just my 2 cents.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Just add KojackJKU to your "ignore list" and you'll never have to read his posts. Make the forum better. :sombrero:

thanks, I forgot about the ignore list