“Is it lunacy or plain brilliance?” Thoughts several petrolheads might share when the story dropped that the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 might soon become just another “tame” vehicle, following the news that there might be a Hellcat version on the way.
Unofficially confirmed rumours surfaced, indicating that the Fiat Chrysler Group might stick a 530 kW version of their 6,2-litre HEMI V8 in the nose of the SRT8. All-wheel-drive and an eight-speed auto ZF transmission will come as standard, but it is not yet known whether there will be a system to reign in the torque, or not.
Performance-wise the figures are enough to make your hair stand on end. The 0-100 km/h acceleration run could take under three seconds (!) and it will run out of breath at nearly 320 km/h. Apparently the all-wheel-drive system has also been beefed up, hence the acceleration figures.
An updated Jeep SRT8 should arrive sometime in 2016 and power will be up to 370 kW. If the Hellcat-powered Jeep will be confirmed for production it will be launched for the 2017 model year.
Wishful thinking or ludicrous marketing, this is some mighty fine entertainment.
Source: Motor Authority
