On Thursday, JK-Forum will be attending FCA US LLC’s “What’s New Media Event” at the company’s Chelsea Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Michigan.
As satisfying as it is, the WK2 is certainly not new. Neither are its Trailhawk and Summit trim lines. However, the 2017 versions of the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and Grand Cherokee Summit are.
The newest Trailhawk is equipped with the Quadra-Drive II 4×4 system, an Electronic Limited Slip Differential, a Trailhawk-specific version of the Quadra-Lift air suspension that offers improved articulation and suspension travel, skid plates, a unique anti-glare hood decal, Kevlar-reinforced off-road tires, and 10.8 inches of ground clearance. And don’t forget those red tow hooks.
For 2017, the Grand Cherokee Summit features an updated front end; new 20-inch wheels; a full-leather interior with a Nappa leather-wrapped dashboard, center console and door panels, and Laguna leather seats with Range Rover-esque piping. Other interior touches include a sueded headliner, acoustic windshield and side glass, premium Berber carpeted floor mats, and an 825-watt 19-speaker Harmon/Kardon audio system.
We’ll be driving both models off-road over Lyman Trail. If you have any questions about our experience in them, feel free to put them at the bottom of this post via Facebook, in the dedicated forum thread below, or on our Twitter page. Just know that our driving impressions might be under embargo until Thursday, September 1. We’ll find out in a couple of days. Whatever we can publish before September we will publish.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
