SUV Comparison: Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk vs Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

Article content

Clayton Seams: Crossovers are all around us. Several manufacturers don’t even offer a car-shaped car anymore because of the overwhelming popularity of small vehicles with raised ground clearance and four driven wheels. But despite being surrounded by tall AWD vehicles, very few are designed to actually go off-road. The Bronco Sport Badlands and Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk are unique among the dozens of CUVs on offer in 2021 because they can actually do what the rugged and outdoorsy styling of their segment’s competitors promise. 

Article content

Both the Cherokee and the Bronco Sport are the ‘little brothers’ to their makers’ more capable offerings. Jeep sells the ultra-capable Wrangler off-roader and the highly anticipated Ford Bronco (not the Sport) promises to be a very serious off-roader as well. 

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

SUV Comparison: Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk vs Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Back to video

These two CUVs may be small, but their price tags aren’t. As-tested, the Bronco Sport comes in at $45,349 and the Cherokee Trailhawk carries a hefty $49,280 price tag. Can these crossovers cut it as real off-roaders, or are you better served spending a little extra money to buy a more dedicated offering?

Elliot Alder: This Cherokee has been around for a while now, first appearing as the squinty-eyed oddity in model year 2014 and continuing with minor updates along the way. Trailhawk tow hooks and big tires aside, they have come to look non-threateningly suburban. It’s got some pointy bits, but it’s otherwise something of a soccer field blob. 

Article content

The Bronco Sport, on the other hand, is a still-exciting new model cashing in on a storied nameplate. Though the serious-business Bronco is still yet-to-come, this decidedly parental crossover seems to confer a certain assumption of credibility. 

We both came into this test with similar expectations. Jeep has done a good job setting themselves apart from parent Chrysler’s history of questionable quality, but we didn’t expect to be particularly impressed. And while the Bronco Sport is effectively just a successor to the old mid-sized Escape, it just seemed the more probable favourite. 

But then came the spec sheets – and the seat time. 

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 8 Photos

1 of 8

All 8 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

CS : On paper we can see that the Bronco Sport was aimed clearly between the headlights of the Jeep Cherokee. The Bronco Sport starts at $32,199 and the Cherokee rings in at just $171 more for a base model at $32,370. In trail-ready trim they are also close price competitors. The Bronco Sport Badlands starts at $40,190 and the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk (great name) runs you $1,605 more at $41,795. The largest gulf in price between the two is for the as-tested amounts. Our Bronco Sport Badlands with options came in at $45,349 while our Cherokee ended up at $49,280. These are some pricey compacts! 

The lesser Bronco Sports use a 181 HP turbocharged 1.5 L three-cylinder engine but the Badlands trim uses a more powerful (and more conventional) 2.0 L turbocharged I4. The Badlands’ engine makes 250 HP and 277 lb-ft of torque. The Jeep Cherokee can be had with three different engines depending on the trim level you select. You have your choice of a naturally-aspirated 2.4 L I4 making 184 hp, a turbocharged 2.0 L I4 making 270 HP, or in the case of our tester the 3.2 L ‘Pentastar’ V6 making 271 HP and 239 lb-ft of torque. So the Bronco makes more torque, but the Cherokee makes more horsepower. However the Bronco is 245 kg lighter than the Jeep so it bests the Jeep to 100 km/h by about 1.3 seconds. But enough with the spec sheets! How do they drive on the road?

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

16. 

17. 

18. 

19. 

20. 

21. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 21 Photos

1 of 21

All 21 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

EA: Chrysler is the reigning king of comfortable thrones, and the Cherokee is no exception. This up-trimmed Trailhawk coddles drivers and passengers with nice, cushy bucket seats and ample bolstering. Ventilated seats kept me nice and breezy on long highway stretches, while the side support was appreciated when the terrain got tippy. These touches don’t help the Cherokee’s weight, but it must be said that Jeep has put that mass to good use. 

The Bronco is comfortable enough, but never felt quite right to either of us. The seating position is good, but all the adjustment in the world couldn’t get things anywhere near the natural comfort of the Jeep. The seat bottoms are also notably shallow and seemingly catered toward shorter folks. We’re both ~5’8”, and both of us noticed the lack of support toward the end of our thighs. It’s also worth noting that even in this brand-new Bronco Sport which hadn’t even turned the fifth digit of the odometer, the seat bottoms already looked tired and stretched as though the car had been in use for years. 

Article content

On the road, the numbers that Clayton outlined really do matter. The Bronco feels sporty – indeed, that 6.5-second 0-100 time makes it faster than dedicated sports cars like the Toyota 86 . I couldn’t have imagined that it would be so nimble and exciting through twisty roads, but I was pleasantly surprised. The heavier Cherokee, on the other hand, leans and lumbers much as one would expect. The Pentastar gets it up to speed reasonably, but it almost feels like it’s working harder for it. It’s fine, but the contrast against the Badlands is noteworthy.

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 7 Photos

1 of 7

All 7 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

All of that torque comes with a cost, however. We recorded pretty similar economy figures between the two vehicles, averaging around 10.9 L/100km in both. The Badlands’ turbocharged EcoBoost engine demands premium gasoline, however, so factor up to 20% for the Bronco’s fuel cost over the Cherokee’s V6. 

The Bronco Sport’s directness also has its drawbacks. The ride is surprisingly bumpy, and the firm seats don’t do much to dampen the shocks. Rough tarmac and heaves through construction zones will splash your coffee, though at least there isn’t any carpet for it to stain. The Cherokee sails through similar obstacles without significant shakes or suspension noise. 

Smooth highway miles disappear with ease, however, and both are available with similar suites of driver assist technology including adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. The Jeep system is traditional and straightforward, keeping you on track without raising much on which to comment. The Ford system seems more advanced and forward-looking, but its adaptive cruise bears some unusual traits. Ford has managed to deploy an impressively accurate GPS-based speed limit display system, but the cruise uses those to blare nanny-isms that even bothered granny-driver Clayton. Set the cruise more than 5 km/h over the speed limit and it will flash an incessant speed warning. This annoyance may well encourage people to slow down and drive more safely, but if you’re following highway traffic at 108 km/h the distraction in your peripheral vision will get old after one minute – and drive you nuts after an hour. 

Article content

Following from this, the cruise automatically drops your speed setting the moment you enter a zone with a lower speed limit. The car’s GPS should know that a change is coming, but rather than easing off in advance and gently coasting down to the new speed, this last-second change results in abrupt automatic braking. It might have sounded good on paper, but it’s not ideal in the real world. 

These utes weren’t just made to run on the road though. Let’s hit the dirt. 

CS: After being coddled by these two pint-sized runabouts for almost a full week in and around town, neither of us expected the sheer magnitude of off-road capability that both possess. We challenged them with steep climbs, off-camber corners, deep mud holes, diff-crunching ruts, and even some bumpstop-bashing sand moguls. 

Article content

Multiple times during the day we pondered how hardcore you’d have to go before you’d prefer the more burly versions of these two off-road. In many cases their small sizes were an asset and we squeezed them places that a 4-door Wrangler or Bronco wouldn’t dare go. 

But ultimately we both agreed that the Jeep is the off-road champ between the two, and the reason boils down to just two words: low range. 

Unlike the Bronco Sport, the Cherokee Trailhawk has a dedicated 2-speed transfer case with low-range functionality. This super low gearing means you can crawl slowly over obstacles without burning up your clutch or torque converter. Because of this, the Cherokee was able to idle up some obstacles that had the Bronco Sport huffing and puffing. 

Article content

Another area in which the Cherokee pulls ahead is underbody protection. We were surprised to find almost the entire underside of the Cherokee covered in protective skid plates. The Bronco Sport has some skid protection, but nothing nearly as extensive or reassuring as those found on the Jeep. Approach, departure, and breakover angles of the two were pretty much a dead heat. Now we agree that off-road, the Jeep is the champ. But which is the better off-roadable CUV overall?

Toggle full screen mode Previous Gallery Image

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 

Next Gallery Image Toggle gallery captions

View All 15 Photos

1 of 15

All 15 Photos for Gallery

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 

Function Not Available

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

OK

Article content

EA: It’s not the answer we expected or that I necessarily even wanted to come to, but it’s got to be the Jeep. Make fun of that platform if you must, but this comfortable highway cruiser is an equally well-planted hill climber. The Bronco is more nimble and skips about respectably, but the Trailhawk simply felt better in every test and application we put the pair through. 

To be sure, the upcoming ‘big’ Bronco will likely trounce Jeep’s unique little crossover and give daddy Wrangler something to worry about. Within the crossover segment, however, the Bronco Sport comes out feeling novel yet disappointingly average, and rather like a used car. And while the Cherokee may be dated, it feels like a lot more vehicle for the money. 

Article content

Ultimately, most consumers will be well-served with either. Both are perfectly good vehicles capable of far more than most drivers will ever demand of them. The Bronco’s rubberized interior is better-tailored toward dirty outdoor activities and it will gain points with some for its fashionable novelty, and the 290 L seat-down cargo capacity advantage over the Cherokee’s 1,550 L is worth bearing in mind. But if you’re fine looking like the rest of the neighbourhood as you trek between errands, our recommendation lies with the Trailhawk. 

CS: I agree with our friend Mr. Elliot. We both went into this comparison expecting to love the Bronco Sport and feeling  kinda  bad for the underdog Jeep. The Bronco impressed us with its smart detailing, attention to detail, and attractive styling. But all the smart details and styling in the world can’t hide the basic limitations of its lightweight, light-duty platform and the Cherokee was the undisputed best all – rounder of the two.  Of course  we tested only the most off-road focused versions of the two and if we were to try out the more pavement-oriented variants the tale may end differently. But the winner of this comparison is the Jeep Cherokee  Trailhawk .