The 31-MPG Cherokee Trailhawk Built for the Trail Above Aspen

Jeep has given the 2027 Cherokee Trailhawk a hybrid powertrain rated at 31 miles per gallon, and it has kept the hardware a Trailhawk badge is supposed to stand for. Underneath is a transfer case with two speeds, so the driver has a low range for steep, slow ground. The rear axle has a locker, which makes both rear wheels turn together when one of them loses grip. There are 9 inches between the underbody and the dirt, and the truck can ford water up to 24 inches deep. In Colorado, that combination makes sense. An owner can drive the highway out of Denver on a fuel figure that would suit a commuter car, then take the same SUV up a rutted forest road toward Aspen, or across a creek swollen with snowmelt, without changing vehicles. Those numbers come from Jeep's specifications. We have not driven the car, and we will not describe how it behaves on the trail until we have.

With reporting from Road & Track.