This, ladies and gentlemen, is the new Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, which the brand bills as the most powerful production SUV ever built.
Its 6,2-litre supercharged V8 heart (yes, borrowed from the Dodge Challenger and Charger, in Hellcat flavour) is worth a whopping 527 kW and 874 N.m, sent to all four corners via a suitably upgraded eight-speed automatic transmission. That’s substantially more power than the 447 kW, W12-equipped Bentley Bentayga, and much more than all of the big Germans, too.
The obligatory 0-100 km/h time of this new Trackhawk? Somewhere in the region of 3,6 seconds, with the quarter-mile taking a claimed 11,6 seconds and top speed coming in at 290 km/h.
Built in Detroit, the 2018 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is scheduled to arrive in Jeep showrooms in the US in the final quarter of 2017. No word yet on the (seemingly slim) possibility of local introduction [UPDATE: Chrysler Group SA says the Trackhawk is “still under consideration for the South African market”].
Noteworthy features include an electronic limited-slip rear differential, a strengthened rear drive shaft, a stronger rear axle, launch control, a hefty Brembo braking system (with the largest standard front brakes ever offered on a Jeep), and five driving modes.
The Trackhawk derivative sets itself apart by riding 25 mm lower than non-SRT Grand Cherokee models, and comes complete with body-coloured wheelarch flares, side-sill cladding and a sculpted bonnet.
The signature seven-slot front grille is flanked by adaptive, bi-xenon headlamps with a gloss black background. The redesigned facia does without foglamps, which are replaced by vents for cooling and air induction. From the rear, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk features a gloss black rear valence that draws attention to the (already hard-to-miss) quad exhaust tips.
The cabin, meanwhile, gains plenty of “light black chrome” finishes, a smattering of carbon-fibre, a seven-inch driver information display instrument cluster and a new 8,4-inch Uconnect touchscreen (with performance timers, gauge readouts and the like, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto).
The new Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will make its official bow at the New York International Auto Show this week.
