Nice.......

 

I'm assuming the Jeep GC and Wrangler weren't entered because their capability is unassailable. It was the perfect opportunity to showcase the newer Jeeps and Ram.

 

Kinda wish there was an event where they would set the standard at what a Wrangler can do and then grade accordingly when vehicles fail.

 

If the Grand Cherokee showed up might have been a clean sweep -1

 

My wife has a Buick Encore...glad to see it did ok. Not a rugged vehicle by any stretch (the AWD shut off when I drove over a curb), but it is very good in the snow.

The Renegade did very well, not surprised. More good press is always a good thing.

 

WOW! 5 of 7 Classes Ain't Too Bad !

 

I keep thinking the Trailhawk Renegade is a no brainer. The upgrade to Trailhawk does not require an arm and a leg, but it gives you a leg up on the Latitude. Two things keep it from being parked in front of my house. 1. Approximately 90% of the Trailhawks within 200 miles do not have the cold weather group. 2. The one that did was 250 miles away, and was sold out from under me. Now the question is do I upgrade to leather interior and red, and have the local dealer try to make a trade for one....?

 

Does the Trailhawk come with a spare tire standard, the model we looked at in the showroom did not. More modern car sillyness.
The first thing I did with our 98 ZJ Grand and our 98 Subaru Outback was get rid of the space saver spares and put in full size ones.

 

My Mustang of course did not come with a spare, only a lousy can of fix-a-flat. Every time I go to the dealer I mean to ask for a spare, but I always forget. Hopefully it doesn't bite me in the behind. They said it was a weight-saving measure. Come on, how much does the spare weigh? 20 lbs max? Like you said, sillyness...and cheapness.

 

20 lbs is pretty significant in the world of increasing gas mileage standards.

 

Poppycock, I say! For no reason other than to say poppycock...lol. I get what you're saying, but I'll be pretty ticked if I'm stranded somewhere after shredding a tire in one of the many car-sized potholes in Philly with nothing but a useless can of fix-a-flat to quell the endless stream of expletives. At that point the extra 20 lbs won't seem all that significant to me.

 

The Trailhawk I saw had a spare but I cannot be sure it is standard on the Trailhawk.

 

I drove a 2015 Cherokee lattitude the other day and saw from the salesman that Cherokees do NOT come with a full size spare without a TOW PACKAGE option. They are equipped with a temp doughnut only and a package holding shelf over it. The tow package includes full size spare and removes the package divider shelf.

 

The off-road vehicles usually do come with real spares.

 

Including the Wrangler Rubicon would have made it unfair.

 

My old hometown airport and backyard where my sister lives. Will have to ask the sisters if they heard anything about it, am sure the sister and brother in law were aware of the Tahuya run, a good chance they attended if open to the public. Cool.

 

Update, I picked up my Red Trailhawk yesterday and it is a great little vehicle. We have only driven a couple hundred miles, but it feels very solid and sure on the road. We will find ourselves over the posted 29 MPG on the highway, and combined we are sitting around 28. We drove to my hometown today and stopped along the way at gas station. A Subaru owner mentioned this article and video and sounded like he wished he waited for the Renegade. I am so glad I bought this vehicle, I can't wait to test out MOST of the 4X4 capability. I can however wait as long as possible before trying it out in snow.

Oh by the way, the spare is there, believe me.

 

I had to go back the the dealer yesterday to sign a trade assistance letter (they asked FCA to take part of the hit on the sale on my old 500L I guess) and had a chance to sit in a Renegade. To me, the seating areas up front were too narrow compared to the Cherokee. Otherwise, it looked like a decent vehicle with funny tail lights. The vehicle that really caught my eye was a black Durango R/T but for $47k it sure should be an eye catcher.

 

The 500L was wider in those areas?

 

Awesome FCA... Having the Power Wagon in the mix is interesting, there is no compitition to it.
This spare tire issue is new to me... I thought only street cars come with space savers... but I guess we only buy with tow packages so floridaman2013 is on to something. The nearest big center to us is 740Kms away so the thought of a space saver makes me kringe.

 

Try getting a spare from U-Haul. They won't do it, instead they give you a service contract which always makes me weary. If I have a flat in CA, Nevada, or Utah, I am hundreds of miles from the next location, waiting hours for a spare to be delivered.

 

Since were on the topic of spare tires and possible flats... what does everyone think of the tools that come with there vehical to change a flat. I know that the gear in my Ram is useless anywhere but maybe a cement driveway, so I carry big truck tools just in case (blocks of wood,Larger Hyd jack, ratchet..etc.)

 

I think I said it earlier in this post, but the Trailhawk edition is a no brainer. You get the spare, the improved ride height, approach angles, rock mode, and TFT screen without a major upcharge compared to the Latitude. There is no sacrifice for mileage, and you only lose the ability to lower the floor in the back. On our trip there were three not-so-small guys, all about 6'2" or so, and 230-250 pounds. The seating was comfortable for me whether I was driving, front seat or rear seat passenger.

One great omen to my trip happened when I stopped at my cousins cabin on the lake. I had asked some friends for input on a nickname for my Renegade and the winner was RedHawk. We were visiting with family when we saw two Hawks flying above. Then a young eagle swooped down to the lakeshore and snatched up dinner. I knew then I had found a perfect nickname for my TH.

We then drove north to see Judy Garlands birthplace before heading home t o Duluth. Their Ruby Slippers were notoriously stolen a few years back so the RedHawk was there to represent for the color for a few moments at least.

 

We then drove north to see Judy Garlands birthplace...

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

I see a lot of vehicles with flats. A good portion of them are ruined tires so no can of fix a flat is going to do any good.
I don't know if the shorter sidewalls are to blame for the wheels cutting through the tire by the time drivers can pull to the side of the highway or what.
All I know if I want a full size spare.
I'll do without a lot of the so called features and conveniences in order to have a full size spare if it means I don't end up stranded.