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2019 JEEP CHEROKEE TRAILHAWK VS. TOYOTA RAV4 ADVENTURE OFF-ROAD TEST

2019 JEEP CHEROKEE TRAILHAWK VS. TOYOTA RAV4 ADVENTURE OFF-ROAD TEST


In January, we Big Tested eight compact SUVs and ranked the aging Jeep Cherokee seventh, adding this caveat: "If you're planning to take your compact CUV off-roading, bump the Cherokee to the top of your list." But then we got to wondering, is the Cherokee still the king of the soft-roader hill? The Toyota RAV4 Adventure trim level now gets a Jeep-ish Multi-Terrain Select dial of its own, Mud & Sand and Rock & Dirt settings, hill descent control (HDC), a new dynamic torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system, and increased ground clearance (8.6 inches versus other RAV4s' 8.4). Is this enough to dethrone the Cherokee in this segment of the segment? To find out, we ordered up one of each and headed to our local off-road park to find out
Before setting out, we carefully examined each ute from top to bottom (using our lift) to assess their off-road bona fides. Our going-in assumptions about the Jeep were reinforced by its two front and one rear recovery hooks, all of which are open so they can accept a fabric loop or a metal hook on the end of a recovery strap. It carries a full-size spare tire of the same specification as the tires on the ground, mounted on a steel wheel (note that this eliminates the bi-level cargo floor, which adds 1.8 cubic feet on Cherokees with mini-spares). Off-road buttons actuate a genuine 2.92:1 low range, a rear differential lock, HDC, Selec-Speed control (off-road cruise control to maintain a steady, slow pace), and a five-position Selec-Terrain knob (Auto, Snow, Sport, Sand/Mud, Rock). The transfer case even includes a neutral mode to allow flat-towing. The engine air intake is located high in the right front fender to enable deep fording (the spec is 20 inches, but we went deeper), and nearly every vulnerable component, hose, or line running underneath the Cherokee is protected by steel skidplates. Of course, all of this gear adds weight—some 740 pounds of it relative to the Toyota—which explains its 8/9-mpg city/highway fuel economy penalty with our tester's base 3.2-liter V-6. (Spending $500 for the optional 2.0-liter turbo only shrinks those deficits by 2 mpg.)
The RAV4 by contrast features a compact T165/90D18 spare tire and no skidplates; that silver thing in front is a plastic falsie, and the plastic underbody sheathing is strictly for aerodynamics. Worse yet, it offers no recovery points whatsoever—no screw-in recovery eyelets in the bumpers and no shipping tie-downs underneath. (Ours was built in Canada.) All Adventure models are prepped for 3,500-pound trailer towing (bigger radiator, oil and trans-fluid coolers), but ours had no hitch, either. So before pulling the RAV4 off the rack, I attached a tow strap to the rear suspension subframe and vowed to have the Toyota lead the way into any potentially "sticky situations" so the Jeep or our Toyota 4Runner recovery vehicle could tug it out using this strap. Doing this after getting stuck would be super un-fun. On the upside, there is a 110-volt outlet in the cargo area for powering campsite compressors and the like.
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Location: Kochi, Kerala, India

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