Payne: Odd couple, Cherokee Trailhawk vs. Toyota RAV4

Posted by hpayne on July 2, 2015

The 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk screams adventure

In the case of the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk and Toyota RAV4, you can tell a book by its cover.

Named for the Appalachian Indian tribe, my Cherokee looks ready to saddle up for some serious, deep woods deer-tracking. The RAV4 (short for Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive, if you gotta know) on the other hand, could just as well be the name of the Brother MFC-J5620DW inkjet printer that sits in my office.

The Trailhawk screams adventure, the RAV4 hums reliability. But the marvelous thing is that both are available in AWD trim for less than $30K in the small crossover department. Sport ute shopping is getting fun.

Small utes were once as useful as a microwave and just as sexy. Boxy lookalikes like the RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Escape pioneered the segment. But then the Escape got a notion in its tinny brain that utes could be stylish. Crossovers started cross-dressing in sedan clothing — a fast-backed roofline here, a creased body panel there — and next thing you know utes are threatening sedans for most-bought-vehicle supremacy.

Utes are where all the cool kids are, so Jeep has jumped in the pool and now it’s really a party.

The ’15 Trailhawk (introduced in 2014) brings the usual stubble-faced Jeep swagger to crossover utes. Knobby tires apparently hijacked off a Mars rover. Five-terrain modes so you can take the creek bed back from the grocery store. Front tow hooks to pull Chris Christie from a pool of quicksand. But upon closer inspection, the Cherokee is as radical a departure from Jeep as it is from the average ute.

Jeep styling has never strayed far from Uncle Wrangler. The square-jawed, boxy look was as much in Jeep’s DNA as four-wheel-drive. But Cherokee is something out of a Hollywood makeup shop. Catch the Jeep from behind and you might mistake its smooth, round tookus for a Ford Escape. Swim alongside and its long nose tapers like a tiger shark.

Look it in the eyes and it’s unforgettable. The slit running lights glow where headlights normally should be, while the actual headlights hide next to the grille. It’s Jeep’s famous seven-tooth grin no doubt. But it’s less grin and more Hannibal Lecter in a mask. Unlike Wrangler-esque, little brother Renegade, the anti-Jeep Cherokee isn’t festooned with Jeep tattoos either. No homage-to-WW2-gas-can “X”s carved in the taillights. No little Jeep silhouettes crawling up the windshield.

The RAV4 isn’t nearly as hip. But neither is it old-fashioned.

While cousin Camry has grown a goatee and started crashing weddings to get noticed, the fourth-gen, 2015 RAV is clean-shaven, fit and well-tailored. The kinda guy you’d take home to Mom. The face won’t give you Hannibal nightmares, but neither will it leave an impression.

It’s a sure-fire cure for insomnia. The Toyota logo is flanked by a two-port grille. As I recall. Um, it’s fading from memory already. … The torso is more interesting with sharp beltlines and an aerodynamic greenhouse. No one will mistake RAV for a boy toy like my “Mango Tango”-painted Trailhawk tester (complete with macho “TRAIL RATED” badge), but the “Hot Lava” orange RAV I tested was no wallflower.

The chiseled torso suggests RAV has spent some time in the gym. Its 3,610 pounds is some 500 less than Cherokee’s 4,108. With Washington nannies forcing autos to reach 54.5 mpg by 2025, RAV has ditched its previous-gen 6-cylinder option for a 4-banger only, while Jeep continues to offer Chrysler’s workhorse, 3.2-liter, 271-horsepower Pentastar 6-shooter.

Forget the nannies — I like a confident V-6 in an SUV. The Trailhawk’s 6 won’t light Woodward on fire but it has nice, smooth power — until the fuel-efficient, nine-speed tranny (another nanny nod) kicks in like a mule on upshift. Given Jeep’s near-bottom rating in the latest JD Power Initial Quality survey, this may make customers pause. Especially as Toyota is a perpetual front-runner.

Personality or reliability? As in dating, it’s nice to have the choice.

But different as they may be outside, the Cherokee and RAV4 are similarly straightforward inside. Crossover customers want convenience and the pair aim to please. Both boast gadgetry— blind-spot warnings, voice recognition — that used to be luxe exclusive. The Jeep boasts Chrysler’s terrific UConnect system and an organized interior décor that would make Martha Stewart proud. The Toyota, by contrast, is a mason’s stack of building materials– my RAV4 XLE had layers of aluminum trim on top of stitched vinyl on top of faux carbon fiber – with console elements that seem to have been assembled from Micro Center’s shelves. Yet the pieces all fit together simply and intuitively. No one understands how Americans live in

their cars better than Chrysler, but Toyota at least speaks the language.

Most refreshing is RAV’s open interior architecture.

I drove a Camry recently with a center console aluminum bezel that carved my knee in half. Not the comfy RAV which separates dash from console providing enough leg room for an elephant up front. Or two. Ahhh, sweet legroom for my long legs on a long journey Up North.

But interior storage benefits as well — particularly in front of the shifter where a nifty triangular slot begs for smart phones so you can easily follow nav instructions or screen your phone calls. Cup holders are cleverly split with one fore (for the driver) of the shifter, the other aft for the passenger. All this space allows room for a full hand-brake, which is much easier to locate in a panic than today’s trendy e-brakes. RAV only disappoints in the connectivity department where its single USB port and 12-volt charger aren’t as generous as Cherokee’s multiple offerings.

The roominess obsession continues in RAV’s palatial backseat. I could easily sit behind myself (can we have Toyota design Delta’s coach class seats, please?), and the seats recline to boot. Fold ’em flat and interior cargo room expands to an impressive 73.4 cubic feet.

The Cherokee can’t match the RAV’s room, but why bother when you can etch “Jeep: Since 1941” on your steering wheel. We all know what 1941 means.

Jeep rides that patriotic heritage into every new segment it tackles. That identity was good for a healthy 176,000 in sales last year as the new Cherokee hit the trail running. So what is Toyota’s subcompact identity? That printer-like RAV4 badge has gotta go. May I suggest ROOMY-for-4 instead?

2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 4X4

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front or all-wheel-drive, five-passenger sport ute

Price: $30,890 base ($37,614 as tested)

Power plant: 3.2-liter Pentastar V-6; 2.4-liter, Tigershark inline 4-cylinder

Power: 271 horsepower, 239 pound-feet of torque (V-6); 184 horsepower, 171 pound-feet of torque (4-cyl)

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph: 7.2 seconds (V-6, Car & Driver); maximum towing: 2,000 lbs.

Weight: 4,108 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway/22 mpg combined

Report card

Highs: Dude, you’re lookin’ good; go-anywhere rugged

Lows: Heavy; tranny gets the yips

Overall:★★★

2015 Toyota RAV4

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front or all-wheel-drive, five-passenger sport ute

Price: $26,935 FWD XLE as tested ($30,735 for AWD Limited, comparable to Trailhawk)

Power plant: 2.5-liter, double-overhead cam 4-cylinder

Power: 176 horsepower, 172 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph: 8.7 seconds (Car & Driver); maximum towing: 1,500 lbs.

Weight: 3,465 as tested (3,610 for AWD Limited)

Fuel economy: EPA 24 mpg city/31 mpg highway/26 mpg combined (FWD as tested); EPA 22 mpg city/29 mpg highway/25 mpg combined (AWD Limited)

Report card

Highs: Roomy; reliable as a collie

Lows: Themeless interior; how about a kick-actuated liftgate?

Overall:★★★

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