Jeep’s Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe gets a PHEV makeover

The stupendously weird, but undeniably passionate annual Easter Jeep Safari saw the launch of a range of off-roading options.

The 56th annual Easter Jeep Safari, debuting an impressive lineup of custom-built 4x4 and 4xe concept vehicles, including the all-electric Jeep Wrangler Magneto 2.0 concept.

Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Americans display an admirable level of passion for things that ignite them. Whether it’s their flag, their food or their founding fathers, they get fired up, in the loudest way possible.

There’s no doubt you’ve noticed that they love their cars too, but their passion for one particular brand, Jeep, may surprise you; it certainly surprised me when I travelled to Moab, Utah — population 5480 — which hosts a stupendously weird, but undeniably passionate, annual gathering called the Easter Jeep Safari.

It’s a nine-day, off-roading, dirt-spitting extravaganza that draws in more than 20,000 frothing Jeep fanatics to a staggering, wild-west landscape that has played backdrop to movies such as John Wayne’s Rio Grande, Thelma & Louise, and, er, Kangaroo Jack.

We were in town for the 56th running of the event and to see, and drive, the seven exciting new concept Jeeps that the company had brought to wow the already-delirious crowd.

Jeep Wrangler Magneto 2.0 Concept

Jeep’s “home away from home” showcase included a showstopping all-electric Wrangler dubbed ‘Magneto 2.0’, which boasts a whopping 1150Nm of torque from its custom-built axial flux electric motor and four lithium-ion battery packs, roughly enough to tow the moon to Jupiter and back.

There was also the Jeep ‘41 (a Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid that draws its inspiration from the 1941 Willys MB four-wheel-drive, the World War II-era legend that gave birth to the brand), and the ‘Eagle Brown’ Birdcage plug-in hybrid, which makes up for its lack of windscreen by offering some nifty, WWII-pilot-styled goggles.

Jeep 41 Concept at the 2022 Easter Jeep Safari in Moab

Deciding to go big, as is the American way, I made a beeline for the vast and slightly mad Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) concept, which, despite being classified as a large SUV, looks about as large as a car park of Australian-sized SUVs parked on top of one another.

While the Grand Cherokee model is celebrating its 30th birthday this year, instead of looking back, it‘s gazing forward to an electric future (one that may concern the hard-core, fuel-burning faithful) where giant, gas-guzzling SUVs will eventually be phased out.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk PHEV Concept

Modelled on the Grand Cherokee 4xe, Jeep’s first-ever PHEV — which will arrive in Australia later this year — the Trailhawk 4xe PHEV (“Trailhawk” being the more extreme off-road level in Jeep world) is being billed as “the most 4x4-capable and sustainable Grand Cherokee ever.”

Boasting an eight-speed automatic transmission, the Trailhawk 4xe concept combines twin electric motors powered by a 400-volt battery pack with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine, resulting in an impressive total system output of 280kW and 637Nm.

The claimed “electric-only” range is a modest 40km, but it’s enough to give Jeep the chance to brag that the Trailhawk 4xe has successfully completed the famed and fearsome 35km Californian off-road track where it tests its toughest vehicles; the Rubicon Trail. And it did the lot while driving in pure-electric mode.

The Grand Cherokee certainly looks cut out for the job, with 33-inch mud-terrain tyres sitting underneath widened flares flagging the Trailhawk 4xe’s off-roading bona-fides.

It also has a disconnecting front swaybar that enables extra wheel articulation when things get a little bit boulder dash.

Besides a custom Industrial Blue exterior that stands in stark contrast to the dusty desert setting, Jeep has added several other touches that are sure to delight off-roading aficionados, including a scratch-proof roof rack coated in Rhino liner (the same durable material found in ute tubs), which has integrated tie downs, protective rock sliders, custom fog light bezels, and Lagoon Blue tow hooks.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk PHEV Concept

Remember being a little kid and having your parents let you sit in the driver’s seat, just so you could experience what it feels like? You get a similar sensation behind the wheel of this oversized beast, which feels like it has enough space to store every 10-gallon hat in Texas.

The interior’s design is pleasing enough, with its saddle-coloured upholstery and Surf Blue stitching, but my eyes remain fixed on the 10.1-inch infotainment screen in the centre of the dash, which displays directions to my next destination: State Route 128, a scenic 70km highway which runs along the Colorado River.

The Trailhawk 4xe’s off-road capabilities are given a good workout as I leave the rugged terrain of a remote area dubbed Courthouse Rock (not an Elvis song), with the Quadra-Lift air suspension handling some tricky climbs and descents with ease.

Before long, I’m absorbed in the stunning scenery along State Route 128, and letting the Trailhawk 4xe stretch its legs a little in all-electric mode.

The rumble of the engine might be absent, but the power certainly isn’t, and the twin electric motors provide enough instant torque to remind you that this vehicle is almost as powerful as it is heavy.

With my mind drifting into a Wild West fantasyland, thanks to a landscape I’d only ever previously seen in Hollywood movies, I failed to notice that, after an hour or so of blissful driving, the battery powering the electric motors was just about spent.

Fortunately, I was in a PHEV, and the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine seamlessly kicked in to safely get me back to Moab, along with what seemed like an endless convoy of Jeeps flocking to the Easter Safari-like enormous metallic ants returning to their nest.

As I hit Main Street and its flood of Jeep enthusiasts, I was struck by the surprising feeling that sometimes bigger is perhaps better. The average American would surely agree.