It’s difficult to imagine the automotive sphere without SUVs. Ever since the late 1990s, they’ve taken a bigger and bigger slice of sales. And no SUV range is complete without a performance variant.
Jeep added a fire-breathing version to its stalwart Grand Cherokee range in 2005. The SRT8 featured a stonking 6,1-litre V8 naturally aspirated engine coupled with somewhat wayward dynamics at a bargain-basement price. Fast-forward seven years, and the new SRT8 has made its way to South Africa. In true American style, the V8 engine has grown to a substantial 6,4 litres. This makes it a rather unique proposition. BMW and Mercedes-Benz offer you more modern, more expensive alternatives, but both are turbocharged.
The prop of the SUV market?
It is difficult not to be intimidated by the SRT8’s stance, except if you drive a Scania or MAN. The nose has the now-signature seven-slot grille, and this is accompanied by LED lights and a deep air dam below the number plate. The wider wheelarches accommodate the 20-inch wheels (dressed in 295/45 ZR20 Pirelli Scorpion Verde tyres), while the double exhaust pipes at the rear complement the little roof spoiler.
Step inside and the sporty theme continues with carbon-fibre inserts, while the comfortable and wide sport seats provide the necessary support. The thick steering wheel offers satellite controls while some of the infotainment screen’s features take a while to get used to.
The information screen between the speedometer and rev counter supplies some interesting information. Apart from the usual trip computer, there is a tyre-pressure monitoring system, an acceleration timer that will give you 0-100 km/h times and a digital speedometer. Note, though, that the acceleration times are based on the car’s speedometer, and so are about 0,3 seconds faster than the GPS-verified time.
The rear seats easily accommodate adults, and knee- and headroom are ample. Fold the rear seats flat, and the SRT8 will swallow up to 1 352 dm3.
On the road
I assume the first question most people would ask is how thirsty this Jeep is. And yes, it is. But, on the open road I actually managed to get it down to 14,0 litres/100 km, which means a range of around 600 km will be possible from the huge 93-litre tank. As soon as you start to play with the throttle, you will quickly half that range, however.
Although I did venture off-road during my time with the Jeep – it is a JEEP after all – it is better suited to a sport-oriented, on-road experience.
Select the sport mode on the Selec-Track knob sited below the gearlever, and the suspension immediately firms up, turn the knob one setting further and the track setting eases the stability control. Tackle a mountain pass, and the SRT8 doesn’t feel happy in tight corners, but through faster, constant-radius corners this heavyweight starts to make some sense.
You can’t expect a rugby prop to run with finesse on the rugby field, but definitely with meaning. With four-wheel drive, it is easier to use the SRT8’s 344 kW out of corners. Although the Brembo brakes do an impressive job of curbing speed, you don’t want to be caught out carrying too much momentum into a corner. Even with so much weight moving around, the SRT8’s behaviour is predictable, though, and I have to admit to having fun when I pushed it.
The exhaust note suits the car; it is louder than Jeep’s other V8 engine. However, the powertrain is not on par with BMW’s or Mercedes-Benz’s V8 engines in terms of flexibility or the way it goes through the rev range. Having said that, there is an initial surge low in the rev range, but then you have to wind the engine up. As the revs rise the SRT8 starts to feel lighter on its feet. There is also no automatic blipping of the throttle if you gear down when using the paddles, but rather a more old-fashioned way of the engine revs rising in a lazy way.
Summary
The SRT8 is a chunky R500 000 cheaper than BMW’s X5M and Mercedes-Benz’s ML63 AMG. It is easy to see why in terms of the technology, interior finish and overall perceived quality. But, at R800 000, there is no other SUV that offers this performance and on-road fun, but which can also go off-road if the need arises. You just need to have a decent budget for that fuel bill.
Specifications:
Model: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
Engine: 6,4-litre, V8 petrol
Power: 344 kW at 6250 r/min
Torque: 624 N.m at 4 100 r/min
0-100 km/h: 5,0 seconds (claimed)
Fuel consumption: 13,1 L/100 km
CO2: 305 g/km
Top speed: 255 km/h
Price: R799 990
Maintenance plan: 3 years/100 000 km
Service intervals: 12 000 km
Test results:
0-100 km/h: 5,2 seconds
100-120 km/h: 2,2 seconds
100-0 km/h: 3,08 seconds (average of 10 braking tests)
CAR fuel index: 15,76 L/100 km
CAR fuel run: 15,5 L/100 km