What's the news?
In an answer to a question that literally no-one asked, you will soon be able to buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee with over 700hp. Entitled 'Trackhawk' (a play on the usual 'Trailhawk' moniker), the SUV features the 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engine from the Hellcat and pushes out nearly 875Nm of torque. That means a 0-100km/h time of just over 3.5 seconds and a top speed of almost 290km/h, in a vehicle shape that has similar aerodynamic properties to a wardrobe.
Cornering forces up to 0.88g are said to be achievable, and massive Brembo brakes take care of stopping. Chassis-wise, the Trackhawk has heavily-strengthened drivetrain components and five different driving modes including Sport and Track, with revised gearbox software allowing faster shift times and Bilstein adaptive dampers all contributing to the huge performance.
There's even a launch control function that performs some neat trickery with the ignition timing and the supercharger's bypass valve to ensure that a huge wave of torque can be accessed from standstill. Ergo, you can expect to see a few red-faced supercar owners when a massive American SUV blitzes them off the line...
It certainly looks tougher, riding 25mm lower than the regular Grand Cherokee models and festooned with lots of black detailing, more menacing-looking bumpers and new 20-inch wheel designs. Nine colours will be available, while the inside gets the bespoke treatment as well with plenty of performance-inspired trims and finishes.
The Trackhawk will be available in the States later this year, although it's not known if any will make it across the Pond just yet.