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trailhawk roadtrip Report

4K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  bfloyd4445 
#1 ·
Just finished up an epic 2,900 mile road trip with my 2016 TH. Figure I'd share some items.

The TH had 2,00 miles on the odometer at the start. I was a little concerned about getting the oil change light on during my trip. It wouldn't have been too big a deal but who wants to spend precious vacation time sitting in some Jeep dealership lobby waiting for the oil to be changed? Being that the jeep was new I also didn't want to preemptively change the oil at the 2,000 mile mark. The forums here noted that most folks have been getting the oil light at the 5,000+ mile mark, so i rolled the dice... 3,000 miles later and I still haven't got the light on :)

Ride quality.... smooth and much quieter than my little Honda Fit. I am using yakima round bars on the roof with a Curt cargo basket. The wind noise did pick up a bit from stock but I wouldn't say it got annoying at any speed up to 80mph. After a full days driving I felt better than I did using my Honda fit on equally epic roadtrips. The smoother ride and less roadnoise on the jeep made a huge difference.

So we stayed in some rural part of wyoming and had to drive on 3 miles of rough private dirt/gravel road cut through the desert countryside. Washboard the entire way with a few fun little bumps. TH handled it like a champ, was able to go 30mph with no problems, smooth ride. Hitting the bumps at 30mph made the "smooth" ride an "interesting" ride :)

Gas milage... not so good. The Jeep's trip computer, and my fuzzy math calculated 21.4mpg for the fuel efficiency. I don't have a lead foot but I will hit the posted speed limits, which varied from 60 to 80 mph. Driving from Colorado Springs "up" towards denver dropped the mpg down to 18, but that's understandable as it's all uphill with some serious climbs on I-25. The 21.4 was not what I was expecting. Ok ok don't get all riled up about my roof bars and basket, prior to having those installed I was still only getting 21.9mpg prior to the roadtrip... so yes of course those items sticking up in the wind have an effect but not one that justifies 21.4MPG down from the 29HWY or 24combined that was advertised on the window sticker. (I do realize those window stickers are published by the government can be a joke).

Seems like I had to plan a fuel stop every 250 miles, that left a little extra reserve just in case. once you're north of Denver gas stations get farther and fewer in between.

Drove Beartooth pass in Montana, up to 10,900 ft elevation. The TH drove like a champ. The altitude didn't seem to affect jeep much. It was a winding road, so I didn't get much chance to "push" the performance, but the jeep made it up and down the mountain just as I asked of it. Handled fine on all the curves. The Hill Start Assist is an AMAZING feature, especially in the mountains where I was driving. Read the owners manual to learn more about it.

The TH handled 10 hours of straight driving with out a problem. very fun vehicle to roadtrip in.

GPS... my TH has the 6.5 nav. Wow, that's the most accurate in-dash sat/nav that I have ever used. It got me to every address that I typed in and worked so well that I kept my trusty Garmin in the glovebox. I hope that getting updates for it later on will be cheap and easy.

I gotta say that no matter where I went in CO and WY the TH got some looks. Something about the TH version, roof rack, and off-roading evidence that gave it a certain "look."

Prior to the roadtrip I had installed a 36inch light bar in anticipation of the rural area I was going. But removed it at the last minute because of the excessive road noise and I wasn't too happy about the mounting solution. At anyrate, out in the boonies the stock headlights worked great. Very bright, lit everything up. The High beams really turned night into day out in the isolated desert. Can't say that I missed not having the light bar I left behind.

Overall I was very impressed with my TH on the roadtrip. I'm glad I bought it. Seems like most "expert" reviews in the car mags are bit too critical of the TH. I say ignore them and have fun in the TH.
 
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#2 ·
Got a pic of your post-purchase additions to the vehicle? I'm looking to purchase one and road trips are something I'm looking forward to doing in it! I'm discouraged hearing all the reviews regarding the gas mileage, as it appears to be a wide-spread problem of <25 highway?

Appreciate your post!
 
#3 ·
Enjoyed you comments, We have a 2015 TH in Anvil and love it. I think all these negative comments we see are TH envy by Kia Soul owners. We are at 19,000 miles and regularly get 24.8 to 29.5 on and off the highway. With this kind of MPG and the price of gas, the TH pays for itself vs the Tahoe we traded for it.
 
#5 ·
#6 ·
Went 2000 mi the other way from the Springs - south down to Houston and back in my '15 TH with 20,000 mi on it. Milage want great at 23-24 mpg while traveling at 75 - 80 mph. (Into a heavy wind all the way from Dallas to the Springs (Woodland Park) on the trip back home. No issues at all, very comfortable on the highway even for the 12 hour drive the last day. I've been in quitter riding cars that got better gas mileage (like my previous VW Passat wagon with its 2.0 L turbo that got 30+ mpg going to the Springs on premium gas) but not as much fun to drive. No problems holding speed even over Raton Pass into the head wind. Watching the tire pressures, I did notice a drop of 1-2 psi as I went from 8500 ft at home down to sea level even with the increase in temp in Texas. All in all, the Renny was a good reliable companion for the long trip.
 
#8 ·
I just did 450 mile trip on I-5 and averaged 32.4mpg at 65mph. That was all highway. Mine has almost 7,000 miles on it and is three months old. Gas mileage is not good but the best in its class for an off road capable car so I'm not complaining. I get 21.5 to 25 around town sitting at all them lights but love its ability to just go about anyplace. No raod, ok then just make one and I tend to do that often. Great on my ranch in Oregon it can run over ploughed fields and cross creeks even navigated a coup[le of nasty ditches I didn't see hiding in the grass without a hitch
 
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