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The 707hp Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Is The SUV You’ve Always Wanted

I never thought I’d want a family SUV with any sort of power until I saw this.

It’s a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but it’s received a present from Dodge in the form of the supercharged Hellcat 6.2 lite Hemi V8. This means it’s boasting some pretty extraordinary numbers, and an extra title. Trackhawk.

You’re begging to know the numbers aren’t you? Let’s all indulge a little:

0-60 is 3.5 seconds from the same amount of horsepower and torque as any other Hellcat variant, 707hp and 645 lb ft. It can run the quarter mile in 11.6 seconds, and will top out at 180mph. On the skid pad it achieved .88G. A pretty useless figure with these heavy cars as it’s all about how the weight is handled when changing direction, but for now, these stats are looking ridiculously good. Especially for a car that’s most at home taking the kids to school. Those days are long gone!

Of course you can’t just chuck a load of power at a car and expect it to come out the other end smelling of race fuel and performing like a Ferrari. Jeep have made plenty of other changes to make sure the Cherokee doesn’t bend itself into a pretzel under the vast amounts of power.

Starting with the chassis, which has been strengthened to stop the pretzel thing. The same 8-speed transmission has also been beefed up, as have the rear driveshaft and axles to cope with the stress. It stays four-wheel drive with an electronically controlled diff at the front and a torque split system that allows a 30/70 split font to rear in the sportiest setting. Four-wheel drifting? Oh I’m sure of it.

The launch control system has been taken straight from the legendary Dodge Demon, giving the Cherokee the perfect launch each time by optimising its torque output as to not spin the wheels, but to give you the highest amount of power available. This is the magic behind its quarter mile times, and we are oh so grateful.

With great power comes great responsibility… in the form of the biggest brakes ever fitted to a Jeep. 400mm, vented, six pistons, bright yellow for the extra horsepower, and of course made by Brembo.

The SUV’s slightly wider too with a more aggressive body shape, more air intakes around the front bumper allowing the monstrous V8’s 92mm throttle body to breathe freely and cooling vents on the bonnet to expel the hot air the engine will inevitably create.

It’s even got four exhaust tips at the rear, just like a Ferrari!

The interior has been spruced up as well to mirror its intriguing performance via leather and suede. And the ‘Trackhawk’ emblem is plastered throughout, just in case the thunderous howl of the V8 doesn’t remind you of where you’re sitting. There’s an air of German elegance in the cabin with all sorts of technology readily available like Apple CarPlay, and there’s with carbon fibre, and what looks like aluminium scattered from end to end.

If there’s ever been a car that has no real point to it, then it’s this one. But that’s what makes it so cool.

You may not need this car, but you sure do want it.

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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