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THE Dodge Hellcat-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will lay claim as the world’s most powerful production four-wheel-drive when it is revealed at the New York Motor Show later this week.
Boasting a 527kW/874Nm supercharged 6.2-litre V8, the Trackhawk will be even more powerful than the 430kW/760Nm twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 under the bonnet of the Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S. It will also hand the quick German a serve of humble pie, sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds, a whole 0.6sec quicker than the Benz.
The 2.2-tonne beast will also hit top speed of 290km/h for one very memorable school run.
Stopping power is equally impressive, with the Brembo braking system bringing what Jeep claims to be the “quickest and most powerful production SUV on the planet” to a halt from 100km/h in just 36 metres, thanks to pizza-sized, 400mm two-piece vented rotors with six-piston calipers at the front, and 350mm vented rotors and four-piston calipers at the rear.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk also comes with five dynamic driving modes: Auto, Sport, Track, Snow and Tow, enabling drivers to choose a vehicle setting that ideally meets the environment. The drive modes separately control the four-wheel-drive system, transmission, paddle shifters, electric power steering and Bilstein adaptive suspension system. There’s also a “Custom” mode that allows the driver to personalise the vehicle’s performance.
The Trackhawk also stands out thanks to its lower ride height, body-coloured wheel flares, side sill cladding, sculpted bonnet with dual heat extractors, and a gloss black rear valance with four-inch black chrome quad exhaust tips. And just to ensure there is no doubt, there are “Supercharged” badges on both front doors and a Trackhawk logo on the hatch.
Inside, there’s all the bits that say sportscar rather than SUV, including carbonfibre highlights and a three-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel with paddle shifters. Nappa and suede-accented sports seats are embroidered with the Trackhawk logo.
Despite its race track leanings, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk comes with much of the same active and passive safety gear used in the regular SUV, including the ability for the driver to check on a towed load while driving.
If that’s the case expect to see, and hear, it on local roads by the end of the year.
