Speed skater
2018 Jeep adds Grand Cherokee Trackhawk to the top of the lineup
Normally when you hear the term “over the top” in the same sentence with Jeep, you figure it’s about the top of a mountain pass.
But if you are talking about Jeep’s new-for-2018 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, it’s over-thetop with a simply silly level of power. By putting the HEMI V-8 engine which powers Dodge’s Hellcat, the kids can get dropped off at school in a 707-hp., allwheel drive sports ute. Why do it? Why not? This whole fast ute thing starts quite a while ago. In 1998 Jeep created their first one, the Grand Cherokee SRT. In 2018 for those who simply want a taut and fast ute, the Grand Cherokee SRT is still on sale.
But for those who want the ultimate, and are willing to pay for it, Jeep has invented the Trackhawk. It takes the SRT, tweaks the suspension and stuffs the Dodge Hellcat’s engine in it. The result? Jeep says the Trackhawk will turn a 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds, a quarter mile in 11.6-sec and has a top speed of 180 mph. Oh, and it will tow 7500-lb.
Interestingly, there’s not a lot of difference to the exterior. There are only rather subtle statements – a Trackhawk badge and one proclaiming quietly that the vehicle is supercharged. Other than that, being a Trackhawk makes 20-in. wheels standard, either performance or allseason tires are available.
Where the foglamps are on the front fascia of other trims, the Trackhawk has an air intake and oil cooler. The brakes are upgraded to Brembo which will stop the car from 60 mph in 114 ft. Anything suspension-related is now controlled by new software.
But the truly important thing about the Trackhawk is the 707hp HEMI engine. This supercharged 6.2-liter version of the HEMI V-8 sends that herd of horses and 645 lb.-ft. of peak torque through a hefty eightspeed transmission. This is a strengthened version of the second generation of this tranny.
To get this level of power, Jeep modified the engine’s camshaft so that the engine retains idle stability. The exhaust is new, and other small touches to help the vehicle under more severe motion are added. For example, the crankcase is baffled to reduce oil slosh under seriously heavy acceleration.
The Trackhawk sends its power to all four wheels through a strengthened Quadratrack system. This all-wheel drive system is set up specifically to handle the power of this engine. That means it gets a new transfer case and rear differential, as well as a thicker and stronger drive shaft.
So, owners won’t embarrass themselves, Jeep has equipped the car with launch control, which keep wheel spin to an absolute minimum – about a half a revolution of the wheel. Without launch control, most folks, when flooring the accelerator, would simply sit there and smoke the tires. But using this system, I recorded a 0-60 mph time of 3.4 seconds, a tenth faster than Jeep says it will do. Another journalist recorded a 3.3-sec.
Since nobody would even consider going that fast except – as we did, on a race track – Jeep incudes Selec-Trac to configure the power flow for specific situations. Those systems include the Auto setting, which splits the power 60 percent to the rear and sets the suspension to its most comfortable settings. Pick Sport and the shifts are faster and 65 percent of the power in in the rear. Track mode brings out the firmest suspension settings, fastest shifts and 70 percent of the power in the rear. There is also a Snow setting, Tow setup and finally a Custom position.
But it is a Grand Cherokee and must be comfortable. My driving partner and I spent four hours driving in the mountains of New Hampshire, driving mountain roads and village byways. Even if you merely get in, turn the key and drive away, the car is comfortable and smooth.
Unless you are being silly, only the engine note will let you know that there are serious ponies waiting to get turned loose. The suspension is comfortable in a slightly Euro way. On the mountain roads the rising and falling twisties were a delight. Unfortunately, the suspension and the sound of the engine did tend to urge more speed, but some adults can certainly control this urge.
We then spend a couple of hours on a new race track just opening in the Mt. Washington area. This track features a mix of slow, technical and fast sweeping corners, all with serious elevation change. The Trackhawk was truly at home.
The Trackhawk with its power, but equally important engine and suspension management, keeps this car safe through corners: at speeds which aren’t approachable in any other sports ute. Plus, if you are a person with a pre-existing condition of going to race tracks and driving your car fast, the Trackhawk offers a second value. You can tow your race car and drive both on the track.
Jeep doesn’t expect to sell many of these – it is the halo car for the nameplate. The Trackhawk’s price starts at $85,900, but no one buying that expensive of a vehicle is getting a base model. The car I drove through the New Hampshire countryside came with a sticker price of $99,965.
So the question is, are there people willing to pay $100,000 for a Jeep Grand Cherokee? The Trackhawk goes on sale towards the end of the year, so we will soon know the answer.