The ultimate Jeep thrill
2018 jEEp gRanD chEROkEE tRackhawk matthew hayward
UNDERSTATED is not a word anyone would expect to crop up while talking about a 707bhp Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s the most powerful production SUV ever built, in fact, but in a subdued colour the Trackhawk actually has a whiff of Q-car about it.
Discreet plastic wheelarch spats indicate that the 20in wheels, hiding vast 400mm front brakes with yellow Brembo six-pot calipers behind them, might be a little wider than normal. The centrepiece, though, is concealed under the scooped bonnet: a supercharged 6.2-litre ‘Hemi’ V8 engine, borrowed from the Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Marketed as the ultimate performance Jeep – sitting at the other end of the spectrum from the Rubicon Trailoptimised, off-road Trailhawk – its mission is to outgun the most outrageous high-performance SUVs on the market.
The test car we have just picked up is less than subdued in Velvet Red Pearl, especially when sitting on the optional satin-black wheels. But what grabs your attention immediately as you drive off is the distinct whine emanating from the large IHI supercharger.
The chassis does a reasonable job of coping with Oxfordshire’s muddy, greasy and potholed roads but you can tell it’s set up for smoother surfaces. The ride does settle as speed rises, and the quality of damping from the Bilstein adaptive suspension proves acceptable. There are three levels of firmness, but the intermediate Sport setting is as stiff as you’d want to go on these roads. With some heat in the immense 295/45 ZR20 Pirelli tyres there’s a lot of grip to play with, thankfully.
Cycling through three driving modes – Auto, Sport and Track – makes significant changes to the car’s character. It’s when delving into the customisable engine, transmission, torque-split and suspension settings that you begin to see a more devilish side to the Trackhawk. At the most extreme it can send up to 70% of its 645lb ft of torque to the rear wheels, but you’re always aware of the 2429kg it has to lug around. There’s no denying that this Jeep is at its best when demolishing a long, straight piece of tarmac.
We didn’t attempt to use the launch control on the road, but we have no reason to doubt Jeep’s claims of an 11.6-sec standing quarter-mile and 3.7-sec 0-62mph time. At full throttle, acceleration is savage with a linear and unrelenting power delivery. The supercharger whine intensifies into an eerie, spine-tingling howl which can surely be heard for several miles around. Jeep claims a top speed of 180mph with no form of electronic limiter. Not bad for an SUV.
The refreshing thing is that the Trackhawk is not pretending to be a sports car. It’s an unashamed musclecar. It might lack the premium feel of its rivals – although a leather-trimmed dashboard helps to lift it above other Cherokees – but at £89,999 it’s significantly cheaper than any of them. Just 20 right-hand-drive cars will be brought into the UK initially, with a possibility of around 100 more in 2019.
There’s something quite lovable about the Trackhawk. It is undeniably American and unpretentious in its focus, but my lasting memory will be of that incredible engine and its supercharged soundtrack. If you were to ignore the fuel bills, this might just be the perfect tow car.