The body is painted in Argent Pearl high-gloss, with the flares and lower body a slightly darker low-gloss variant. At the base of the windshield is a seven-slot cowl screen that reprises the grille. The vehicle’s upper structure is set onto the lower body, encased by a crisp, chamfered 360-degree molding that runs around the greenhouse, accenting the high, arching beltline. The taillamps mimic the look of the headlamps, including the striped turn signals, with the surface of the liftgate carved away. “We immediately noticed the hawkish expression, hence the name ‘Trailhawk.’” “Like other concepts, we first viewed the math surface of the grille and headlamps together in the computer” added Vardis. In front view, the left and right lamps evoke the hooded eyes of a bird of prey. “They peer out from an angled brow, giving the vehicle its bold, sinister look. “The main headlamp units are cropped diagonally across the top,” said Vardis. Beneath their clear flush lenses, HID projector beam quad lamps nestled into twin “telescopic” polished aluminum barrels light the way forward while LEDs, configured in parallel stripes provide park and turn signals. Bracketed between the grille and the flares, the chamfered headlamps mimic the lean-back stance. The Trailhawk’s long hood is fronted by a signature seven-slot Jeep grille angled rearward to match the lean-back surface of the forward flares, with the slots filled with a mesh texture. A tall trapezoidal vent, located at the front fender-front door cut line, is home to the circular Trail Rated badge. Tucked beneath this horizontal element is a recessed running board, accented by a silver molding. The lower body, which kicks outward along the bottoms of the doors, intersects the flares crisply.
The specially-crafted tires are accented by a red stripe, with the red color repeated on the exposed brake calipers.
The flares enclose large 22-inch, five-spoke wheels, each with a hefty 34-inch overall diameter. The body in turn tapers toward the front in plan view to expose more of the flares and accent the wide stance. “Each presents a ‘long side’ angled toward the center of the body.” “The flares are stretched and pulled taut at one end,” Vardis said. Partly trapezoidal in shape, yet not asymmetrical, these angular, crisply-contoured wheel flares reinterpret one of Jeep’s fundamental design cues. The stance is broad, and the wheels, pushed to the corners of the vehicle, are enclosed in robust flares dramatically offset from the body.
The forward motion of the body is further accented by the drive of the raising beltline. Vardis said the body side is muscular and broad-shouldered, with the sheet metal pulled into shape, much like a drawn arrow in the bow of a skilled archer. The dash-to-front-axle dimension is dramatically long, giving the vehicle a sense of forward motion, while the front and rear overhangs are tight and abbreviated.“
“The key to the look of the Trailhawk,” said Nick Vardis, Principal Exterior Designer, “is the vehicle’s distinctive proportions, due in part to its 116-inch wheelbase. Built off the new Wrangler platform, the Jeep Trailhawk is a more refined highway cruiser without sacrificing any of Jeep’s legendary off-road capabilities. The Jeep Trailhawk concept merges the spectrum of the Jeep brand by combining the core off-road features of the new body-on-frame four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the refined sophistication of an all-new on-road open-air concept vehicle, providing a unique and fresh expression for Jeep. Chrysler Auburn Hills Studio design team under Trevor Creed