Jeep Compass Trailhawk Driven: Found Its Bearings!

When the Compass Trailhawk made a grand debut a few years ago, we called it the Compass we all wanted! It offered promising off-road credentials, and finally an automatic gearbox for a class of SUV that was asking for one. But it also lost a few features from the existing top end models and asked for a big jump up in the pricing for all the extra bits. Then the rest of the range was updated with more features as well as the 9-speed auto box, and frankly, the Trailhawk lost its sheen and a solid reason to buy one. The New Trailhawk is now fully loaded and just as capable, but will it be more desirable as well? 

Bright Feathers

Differences to the Trailhawk are subtle, but the main differences are more in line with the update that took place with the rest of the Compass range. So the Trailhawk gets a new grille, decal on the hood with the Trailhawk branding in bright red, and the DRLs have shifted from above the fog lamps to over the new headlamps. Another even more subtle, but significant change is to the front and rear bumpers that have allowed Jeep to improve the approach and departure angles even more. A change in ride height has also allowed Jeep to get a better break over angle into the equation.   

A bigger visual impact to the side profile comes from the all new design of the 17-inch alloys that are shod with Falken Wildpeak H/T tyres that are more suited to the action our urban SUVs see on a day-to-day basis; but if you want to explore the abilities of the 4x4 Trail Rated badging on the Trailhawk, switching to some A/T tyres can be considered. 

Get latest updates on
the automobile community

Login Now

As before, signature elements of the Trailhawk variant are the aforementioned 4x4 Trail Rated badge, red accented Compass badging on the front doors, another Trailhawk badge on the tailgate and a red coloured toe hook in the rear bumper.  

The Trailhawk also gets the usual hard wearing plastic cladding, running all around the car rather than the body coloured cladding that’s there on some of the regular variants. We feel that this looks a little cooler and more 

Fully Loaded 

So while the changes on the outside weren’t a big departure from the Trailhawk before it, on the inside, this SUV has seen a big change. The earlier trailhawk was paired down a bit, losing out on things like auto wipers and auto headlamps, and the front seats weren’t powered as compared to the existing top of the line variant. This time around, the Trailhawk gets exactly the same dollop of niceties as the S variant. So the powered front seats are now cooled, the auto headlamps and wipers are present and it even gets the lovely panoramic sunroof that we loved in the Limited Plus and S variants. Other comforts include dual zone climate control, 9-speaker sound setup, 6 airbags and 360-degree camera to mention a few highlights.

In terms of the rest of the interiors, they’re the same as the regular compass with reasonable room and comfort and a useful 408-litre boot. 

Capable on and off road

The Trailhawk, unlike other off-road focused SUVs, rides a lot like the regular Compass – and that's a good thing. Since the engine and gearbox are the same for the most part, we'll start with the one thing that is the most different from the regular compass. The suspension has been tuned for protection off the road but that hasn't seemed to affect the on-road performance too much. There is a hint of stiffness over small bumps and imperfections at speeds over 40-50kmph, but you would literally have to drive the two cars back to back to really be able to point out differences. At slower crawls inside the city, the Compass rides nice and cushy and is quite adept at going over bigger bumps and speed breakers without any complaint. 

As we mentioned before, the 170PS and 350Nm motor is the same as the regular diesel auto equipped to Compass, save for a change to the gearbox to give the Trailhawk a very low 1st gear. This means that in most regular drive modes the car starts off in 2nd gear, and only when you shift to 4x4 lock and 4x4 rock mode does it engage in 1s.

 

The steering is on the firm side but perfectly manageable in the city. However, the brake pedal could do with a little more feel. The initial bite is there but quicker stops require a bigger push on the pedal and is something to get used to.  

On the road, the engine is smooth with plenty of mid range push. The gear shifts are also smooth when driving normally, but if you rush the gearbox, like other 9-speed transmissions, it feels a little slow to shift. 

When going off road, the Trailhawk feels effortless with the shorter 1st gear managing to climb pretty steep rocky inclines, and the hill descent control working like a charm when climbing down them. It feels reasonably capable to take you to your farm house, into the forest for an adventure and is even happy cruising down any highway without batting an eyelid. That said, more focused off roaders like the Thar and Ghurka and the Wrangler with more fancy locking differentials, or just dedicated low ratio gearboxes, will most likely go further off the beaten path. But they won't be as comfortable on the road.

Verdict

When the first trailhawk launched, its price was a big jump up of over two lakhs. This time we expect there to be a much smaller step up, around a lakh over the existing S, but that means it will still cross the 30 lakh mark. 

In this avatar, the Trailhawk feels complete, giving you all of the premium SUV experience and the bragging rights of that trail rated badge. More importantly, it justifies the price premium better. But you will still have to prioritize its additional off-road abilities over the regular 4x4 Compass, which honestly is no slouch either. For most people, the 4x4 S would be enough,is but if you are the sort that must have the Pro Maxes, the Ultras of the world, then the Trailhawk could be for you.