Sunday Star-Times

Grand on and off road

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Jeep will soon be unleashing what it claims is ‘‘the most powerful and quickest SUV ever’’ on New Zealand roads: the mighty Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

Packing the same 527kW supercharg­ed V8 as the Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcat, the Trackhawk also gets an upgraded high-torque-capacity TorqueFlit­e eight-speed automatic transmissi­on.

It achieves a staggering 0-100kmh time of just 3.6 seconds.

As well as the impressive 527kW of power, the supercharg­ed 6.2-litre V8 also pumps out an even more impressive 874Nm of torque and features high-strength, forgedallo­y pistons and powder-forged connecting rods with high-loadcapaci­ty bushings and diamondlik­e, carbon-coated piston pins.

The Trackhawk is equipped with the Jeep Quadra-Trac on-demand four-wheel-drive system, which includes an electronic limited-slip rear differenti­al and a single-speed active transfer case.

The new, full-time active transfer case uses forged steel chain sprockets and a wider chain for added strength and durability.

Inside, the Trackhawk boasts a new 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscree­n that features phone mirroring and Performanc­e Pages that present an array of performanc­e timers and gauge readouts, including a new engine dynamomete­r screen that measures instantane­ous horsepower, torque and current transmissi­on gear.

The dynamomete­r screen also includes a new snapshot function for owners to save their readouts on a USB. Pricing is yet to be announced.

 ??  ?? Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: new king of on-circuit off-roaders?
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: new king of on-circuit off-roaders?

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