Story by Pat Matterson; Photos by Pat Matterson and Sam Wilson
I, like many, had tempered expectations of the capabilities of a Renegade Trailhawk. However, after traveling thousands of miles and conquering some of our favorite scenic trails in Colorado, I was pleasantly surprised, outside of a few caveats.
For the initial road trip part of this adventure, we traveled roughly 1000 miles. We had loaded all the provisions we needed to support us for the week. Despite the compact size of the Renegade, we could easily pack enough for Sam, me, and our dog, Tengu. The large crate for Tengu took up the entire rear cargo area. Our return trip was more cramped when we added my uncle for the journey back to Missouri.
Our first trail was Hermit Pass, climbing up a rocky slope through stunning scenery overlooking Horseshoe and Hermit lakes to reach 13,077ft above sea level. This trail is 8.1 miles of what Alltrails.com calls “moderately challenging terrain” and recommends beginners avoid. Having run the trail in various stock and modified vehicles before, I would consider this an easy trail. While every driver may not be ready for its challenges, most stock 4x4s with decent clearance and 4-Low can easily make this trail. It is, however, very rocky, with many loose rocks for almost all of the trip, so it can seem a bit unrelenting. Airing down, controlled descents, and line choices are key to avoiding a rough ride, damage, or even stoppage in lower clearance vehicles.
We found ground clearance was a factor early on, and the skid plates on the Trailhawk would get some use. Through careful line selection, the skids were only used “lightly” a handful of times. This careful line selection to prevent hard hits on the skids or possibly getting high centered on the skid plate made the trail more exciting but more laborious, for sure.
One thing that seemed to hold the Renegade back a bit on the trail was the “Low Range” 4wd that the Trailhawk features. I was surprised that it wasn’t lower. Even with the more powerful engine option now standard in the 2022 Trailhawk, it lacked enough power and gearing to crawl up a contacted obstacle from a full stop while on a steep, uneven grade. This led us to hit obstacles rolling, or to roll back slightly and “bump it” to use momentum instead of a more stable controlled crawl quite frequently.
I liked how the Renegade’s smaller size and tight turning radius allowed me to pick lines that zigged and zagged across the obstacles to avoid becoming high-centered. Many times, I felt the “Active Low Range 4wd system” adjusting wheel speed at each corner while we held a line that stayed atop the taller rocks, some of which were loose and shifting. I was amazed at how well it held the lines I chose, preventing us from dragging the skids or potentially becoming high-centered. With mindful line choices, Hermit Pass pushed the Renegade right up to its stock capabilities without exceeding them or risking unnecessary abuse or damage.
It was a fun day; we made it past the rockiest sections and almost to the top before we yielded to snow on the track. Over the years, we have run into seasonal deep snow and a few storms that snuck up on us on this trail, as is expected at these altitudes. While the vehicle is capable, I would say if you are not an experienced driver, I would not recommend Hermit Pass in your stock Renegade Trailhawk. There were quite a few opportunities to pick a bad line or fall off a line and become high-centered or take hard hits to the skids that many owners would not be comfortable with.
Our next trail day was more challenging and a trail we had only completed only a handful of times. It is less known, but information about it is available on OnX Off-Road. The information and pictures there were provided by Sam Wilson after she came across it planning a previous trip of ours. Cloverdale Mine is a gold mine founded in 1922 and sits at an elevation of 11,473ft. The rocky trail starts with a similar difficulty and terrain as Hermit pass. There are some amazing things to see on your way, including the shorelines of Ballman Reservoir and Rainbow Lake, the ruins of an old cabin, and an old, single-cabin basecamp that all make for some really enjoyable places to stretch your legs or relax and take it all in.
Once you pass that old cabin, the trail rises in difficulty with a few lulls in between. Then just before the top, there is an obstacle that acts as a gatekeeper for less experienced drivers and less capable 4x4s. We have been able to do this obstacle in a few stock Wranglers and Gladiators relatively easily with experienced drivers, but it was a real challenge in the Renegade. Conquering this final hurdle earns you a glimpse into the past as you walk around and enjoy the unique buildings of the intact old mining camp. The camp has a great view of the mine just across the creek and up the mountainside. This place is an experience, and we want it to be there for people to enjoy. So please, look and don’t touch, tamper, or break into these historic structures, mining relics, or even the old shell of a Dodge van converted to a 4×4 that has been there a very long time.
The demands of the trail to Cloverdale Mine are a little beyond what I consider reasonable for the capabilities of a stock Trailhawk. The larger rocks on this trail pose high potential for body damage to the rockers, lower doors, fenders, and bumpers. As well as low spots deep enough to far exceed the articulation of the independent suspension and lift tires off the ground significantly enough for you to at least consider the possibility of a flop or roll. It was exciting, and we had to accept that a couple of the uses of the skid plates were going to be more strenuous to ensure we did not get high-centered. We did conquer the trail with minimal, not really noticeable, damage, including a hit to the rocker that the plastic hides very well. Steel rocker protection would have been a great feature to include in the Trailhawk package, especially with its clearance limitations.
If you take the Renegade TrailHawk for what it is and operate within its sweet spot of capability vs. practicality, it just might be your “go-to” vehicle for daily and weekend sporting and adventure use. It is an affordable, safe, all-weather commuter with good gas mileage and makes for a stable, compact, maneuverable, light to medium-duty adventure rig.
