BASED ON BADASS GRAND CHEROKEE PRESENTING SMALL BROTHER OF GRAND CHEROKEE - JEEP COMPASS

What is it?

In a nutshell, the Trailhawk is the most rugged version of the Jeep Compass you can buy. The ‘Trail Rated’ logos on the SUV are no less than badges of honour from Jeep affirming this version’s off-road ability. The Trailhawk sits higher off the ground, its 4x4 system benefits from the new 9-speed automatic transmission's short gearing and the off-road mode selector see the addition of a dedicated ‘Rock’ mode, all to keep you covered for any off-road eventuality. But that’s not all that makes the Trailhawk special. It’s also the first Compass in India to get a BS6 emission norms-compliant version of the 2.0-litre Multijet II diesel. This upgraded engine and automatic transmission will also be rolled out to everyday versions of the Compass in the months to come.

What’s it like on the outside?

From a distance, the Trailhawk can pass off as any other Jeep Compass. The basic look is the same and it’s only when you get closer that you see the Trailhawk-exclusive elements. There’s an additional 27mm of ground clearance (now up to 205mm) though it’s most noticeable at the wheel arches where there’s more of a gap between the body work and tyres. Talking tyres, the Falken All Terrain rubber is unique to the Trailhawk and comes wrapped around sleek dual-tone 17-inch wheels. See the black decal on the bonnet? It adds distinction to the Trailhawk’s look but is primarily there to cut glare – a huge help on inclines. What’s missing on the India-spec Trailhawk are the trademark red tow hooks up front. The reason? India’s latest pedestrian protection norms don’t allow for protrusions of any sort on the front end. The single tow hook at the rear, however, is rated to pull 1.5 times the vehicle’s gross weight.

Of the other things, the front and rear bumpers have been reshaped to allow for improved manoeuvrability. The Trailhawk’s approach, ramp breakover and departure angles read 26.5 degrees, 21.2 degrees and 31.6 degrees, respectively. Jeep has also repositioned the air intake to enhance water wading depth to 483mm, from the standard version’s 330mm. Also, hidden from view are the Compass Trailhawk’s skid plates that provide essential protection under the engine, floor and exhaust.

What’s it like on the inside?

Again, there’s nothing new to report of about the Compass Trailhawk’s interior. The all-black cabin theme is really the biggest point of difference to the standard Compass. The darker hues (also seen on the Black Pack edition Compass) might make the interior seem less airy but will be less of a pain to clean up after an off-road session that involves some level of muddied boots and attire. Red double-stitching on the seats, steering and door pads, and red accents around the instrument cluster, gear lever and speakers add some colour to the Trailhawk’s cabin. Fit and finish are just as good as before, with generous use of soft materials upping the ambience. And just like the standard Compass, the Trailhawk is easy to get into and out of, comes with well-padded seats and offers reasonable space for four large adults.

Interestingly, while the Trailhawk sits at the top of the Compass range, it isn’t the best-equipped version of the SUV on sale. It misses out on a powered driver’s seat as well as auto headlights and wipers, features that are part of the package on the Compass Limited Plus. The latter’s massive panoramic sunroof is also a Rs 70,000 option on the Trailhawk. The Trailhawk does come with standard-fit bi-xenon headlights, keyless go, cruise control and an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with onboard navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. A 7.0-inch multi-information display and engine start/stop are unique to the Trailhawk while side and curtain airbags, ESC, traction control, hill-start assist, hill descent control and an electronic parking brake make up the SUV’s safety suite.

What’s it like to drive?

We’ll get to what the Jeep Compass Trailhawk is like off-road in a bit. For now, let’s talk of what it’s like in mundane, everyday driving conditions. The news is good. Jeep engineers have used the emissions upgrade as an opportunity to also fine-tune other aspects of the powertrain and the very first point of note is how much quieter the engine is. The harsh clatter at idle has been muffled, the whistle from the turbo is gone and there’s less boom in the mid-range too. The characteristic Multijet drone is still present but, in general, you hear much less from the engine bay.

Also different is how the engine delivers its power. The BS6 version of the engine makes the same 173hp at 3,750rpm and 350Nm of torque at 1,750-2,500rpm but the power comes in in a milder and more linear manner. Low-speed drivability has improved, and the engine stays likeable higher up the rev band too, but what’s missing is the older BS4-spec engine’s rush of power at 2,000rpm. Jeep has also recalibrated throttle responses to quicken low-speed responses and you can feel the difference in city driving

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Undoubtedly, what makes the biggest difference to the driving experience is the 9-speed automatic transmission. Constant on-off throttle inputs can result in some shift shock but on the whole the torque converter gearbox is smooth and shuffles through the gears with ease. The gearbox is tuned to shift up early and, in turn, helps refinement by keeping engine revs under 2,000rpm for the most part. A steady cruise on the highway in ninth gear has the engine spinning at a relaxed 1,500rpm. Convenient as the 9-speed unit is, it isn’t the quickest on the draw, in either auto or manual modes. There’s no Sport mode to speed things up and manual shifts commanded by the gear lever (there are no paddleshifters) aren’t particularly snappy either. In our acceleration runs, we managed a 0-100kph time of 12.5sec, which is down on the Hyundai Tucson AWD’s 10.05sec time.

If not for outright performance, you’ll like the Trailhawk for its ride quality. The standard Compass’ suspension was already an excellent starting point and the Trailhawk’s reworked setup (to compensate for more weight and higher ride height) takes things up a notch. Gentler rebound has addressed much of the standard Compass’ low-speed firmness and even at higher speeds the Trailhawk feels better damped; body movements are really well contained. The Trailhawk is also nice to steer, though the tyres squeal in protest even in medium corners. Push hard into a turn and the Trailhawk will venture into understeer.     

Then again, the Trailhawk isn’t as much about high-speed dynamics as it is about low-speed off-road ability. And this is an area that the Trailhawk absolutely nails. Jeep’s chosen trail for the media drive was fairly serious off-road fare, with rutted tracks, steep ascents and descents, a mild water crossing and rocky paths making up the course. To the Trailhawk’s credit, the course didn’t feel as threatening as it looked. While the Compass’ relatively small size, fair articulation and impressive approach and departure angles were a boon in the wild, we were also deeply impressed by how far the Selec-Terrain system’s Auto mode could take us. On the real tricky stuff though, 4-Low was summoned. With 4-Low engaged, the Compass Trailhawk seemed unstoppable and even chugged up, down and around a rock-laden incline with surprising ease. Sorry for the cliché but the 20:1 crawl ratio really does give the Trailhawk the abilities of a mountain goat.

Should I buy one?

If you are big into off-roading and find the existing selection of ladder frame SUVs too unwieldy (and/or expensive), the Jeep Compass Trailhawk is tailor-made for you. It lives up to its billing as a go-anywhere SUV, and how. It’s a hardcore Jeep through and through and one you’d confidently take to explore the expanse of our country in.

But for all its attitude and ability, the Trailhawk’s main selling point is likely to be its gearbox, at least till such time Jeep rolls out the automatic transmission on the regular Compass. Judged as an automatic SUV, then, the Trailhawk scores well adding in convenience to an already well-liked package. The improvements to refinement and ride comfort only make the deal sweeter still.

The Jeep Compass Trailhawk has been priced at Rs 26.8 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). While the Compass Trailhawk is pricey for an SUV of its size, the fact is that few models can match the its breadth of abilities. If you want an SUV that does it all, this is it. 

Ground Clearance: The ground clearance of the regular Compass is 155 mm (laden) and 178 mm (unladen). According to the powerpoint presentation they gave, the Trailhawk has a 30 mm suspension lift.

Superior Approach / Breakover / Departure angle: There is a huge improvement in the approach (26.5), breakover (21.2) and departure (31.6) angles.

Skid Plates: Trailhawk has high-grade, heavy-duty steel and high-quality black e-coated skid plates covering the cooling module, engine, transmission oil pans, front suspension and fuel tanks.

Hill Descent Control: This feature activates front and rear brakes while going down a slope, ensuring a very controlled descent. However, this feature won’t activate unless the angle is steep enough.

Improved water wading depth: The Trailhawk’s water wading depth is 483 mm, which is much improved compared to the 330 mm of the other variants.

Torque: The Trailhawk's axle ratio is 4.33, while it is 3.73 for the Limited 4x4. The first gear ratio is 4.7 for both 4x4 variants. That makes the maximum crawl ratios 20.35 and 17.53 for the Trailhawk and the Limited 4x4 respectively.

The Trailhawk also claims to have 4WD Low, but in a very non-traditional way. Usually, 4WD Low refers to additional torque multiplication provided by the transfer case gear. That is not the implementation you will find on the Trailhawk. In the Jeep Compass Limited 4x4, the crawl ratio of 17.53 is achieved by multiplying the axle ratio of 3.73 with the first gear ratio of 4.7. Since the Limited 4x4 came only with a manual transmission, the first gear was easily accessible. This variant has only 4WD High, with a crawl ratio starting at 17.53, and only going lower at higher gears.

In the Trailhawk, the only available transmission is the 9-speed automatic. However, the car starts in 2nd gear (ratio 2.84) when in automatic mode. That is considered as 4WD High, with a crawl ratio of 12.29 achieved by multiplying the axle ratio of 4.33 with the second gear ratio of 2.84. The first gear is engaged only when the Trailhawk is put into 4WD Low, to give the crawl ratio of 20.35. In other words, the 4WD High of Limited 4x4 has a much better crawl ratio than 4WD High of Trailhawk. The Trailhawk 4WD Low has just a 16% better crawl ratio than the Limited 4x4 variant. That is not a great improvement. When compared to other 4WD vehicles equipped with a transfer case, it has only half as much a crawl ratio. For example, the Mahindra Thar has a maximum crawl ratio of 40.3 in 4WD Low. Even if you consider the Trailhawk's 350 Nm of torque vs the Thar’s 247 Nm, by having half the crawl ratio of the Thar, the Trailhawk appears to be a weaker offroader on paper.

The 4x4 system of the Trailhawk is exactly the same as the Limited 4x4, but with an additional mode called Rock. The Rock mode operates in the new 4WD Low setting since it requires the maximum crawl ratio available. If the driver switches to Tiptronic shifting in 4WD mode, he/she can move between the 1st and 2nd gears only:

Traction happens to be the most important aspect of offroad driving. That is the sole reason why offroad vehicles have 4-wheel drive instead of 2-wheel drive. In a two-wheel drive vehicle with an open differential, if one tyre loses traction, that tyre starts spinning and the other tyre will stop turning. This is because an open differential sends the same amount of torque to both wheels. The tyre without traction demands just enough torque to spin the wheel, and that is the amount of torque sent to both the drive axles. That amount is not enough to move the tyre with traction, so it just stops. This puts very little load on the engine, which generates just enough torque to spin the tractionless wheel, and nothing more. To put this in numbers: let’s say 10 Nm of torque is required to overcome the traction of one of the tyres, then the engine will generate 20 Nm of torque, and the differential will send 10 Nm to each drive axle. It doesn’t matter if the engine is capable of generating 100 Nm or 200 Nm or 400 Nm of torque. The torque generated is entirely dependent on the load, which in turn, depends on the traction. The maximum torque generated is also limited by the engine capacity, that goes without saying.

At maximum load (say steep uphill) and with perfect traction, we can calculate the force put out by the Trailhawk and the Thar to the road surface. We are picking the Thar for comparison since it is the only other offroader in the market that also claims the legacy of the WWII Jeep

In other words, if the traction is good, the Mahindra Thar has a clear edge over the Trailhawk. However, offroading is mostly about going into trails with bad traction. When the tyres start losing traction, they start spinning, which reduces the load, and all the above calculations turn meaningless. Now the advantage goes to the vehicle that can make best use of the available traction to any of the wheels.

The Mahindra Thar has open front and rear differentials, but the front and rear propeller shaft are locked together in 4WD mode. Therefore, if one tyre in the front loses traction, the front propeller will deliver very little torque. Instead, all of the torque will be delivered to the rear propeller, provided both the rear tyres retain traction. Similarly, if one of the rear tyres loses traction, all the torque will be delivered to the front propeller. That means, if any one tyre loses traction, Thar turns into a two-wheel drive vehicle. If one tyre in both the front and the rear lose traction at the same time, then the vehicle is a sitting duck. This happens often enough on offroad trails. Drivers often overcome this by using momentum, or putting weight on the slipping side, etc. Therefore, driver skill becomes very important in mechanical offroad vehicles.

The Trailhawk too has open front and rear differentials, and their propeller shafts are effectively locked together in 4WD lock mode. But it has more. It has sensors at each wheel to detect whether the wheel is turning faster than the car is moving. It also has computer-controlled individual disc brakes on each wheel. When a tyre loses traction and starts to spin, it is detected instantly by the sensor. This enables the computer to apply brakes to that wheel so that speed matches the other wheel with traction. The lack of traction is compensated by the brake resistance. So the load will increase and torque will continue to flow. That means if any one tyre loses traction, the Trailhawk turns into a three-wheel drive vehicle, not two-wheel drive like the Thar. If one tyre in both the front and the rear lose traction at the same time, then the Trailhawk continues to send torque to the remaining two wheels with traction. It will also send an equal amount of torque to the tractionless tyre that is under brake resistance, which is dissipated as heat. A Thar would be immobile at this point, but the Trailhawk keeps moving. Furthermore, if 3 tyres lose traction, all of them will encounter brake resistance, ensuring that the only tyre with traction will get 1/4th of the torque generated by the engine. None of the above requires any driver input or skill. This is the first clear advantage the Trailhawk's electronics have over mechanical offroaders.

When an offroad vehicle travels on slippery terrain, the traction offered to each tyre keeps changing continuously. In a mechanical offroader like Thar, the driver has to continuously watch, anticipate, avoid, compensate or recover from situations where vehicles can get stuck. On the other hand, the Trailhawk's wheel sensors will be continuously watching for loss of traction in all four wheels. When loss of traction is detected, it will apply brake resistance instantly and individually to compensate, and release the brakes instantly when the traction is restored. Since the traction status of all the wheels is available instantly, the computer can use complicated algorithms to compensate for it. For a given terrain setting (Auto, Snow, Sand, Mud & Rock), the Trailhawk has custom algorithms to compensate by using a combination of braking and gearing. Even the most vigilant driver will not be able to match this electromechanical control system. This is the second clear advantage the Trailhawk's electronics have over mechanical offroaders.

Just like how computers can beat any human at chess, electronics (and software) now have a clear advantage over human drivers in salvaging most traction on slippery terrain. And these algorithms and electronics will continuously get better with every iteration. The torque and the crawl ratio matter only if the vehicle can hold on to some traction.