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Jeep has put its fastest ever SUV, the V8-engined Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, to the ultimate test in straight-line speed – adrag race against two of the most iconic pin-up performance cars ever built.
Racing against a classic 1991 Audi Quattro and TVR Griffith, the V8 Grand Cherokee went head-to-head against the iconic performance cars to celebrate a limited run of models going on sale, and to pay homage to the legendary poster cars of yesteryear.
READ: All-new 2020 Jeep Gladiator: The most capable, mid-sized bakkie built on a tough heritage
With the combination of a supercharged 6.2-litre HEMI V8 engine, launch control and a torque reserve system, the Trackhawk boasts a blistering 0-100km/h time of 3.7 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 11.48 seconds, turning the traditional sense of a supercar on its head, and positioning Trackhawk as a true Supercar SUV.
Reaching a blazing 191km/h over the quarter-mile distance, the Trackhawk’s challengers finished with equally quick times, the Audi Quattro and TVR Griffith crossing the finish line in 18.48 seconds and 13.81 seconds respectively.
The Trackhawk in detail
The supercharged V8 unit, delivering 522kW at 6 000rpm and 868Nm of torque, is combined with an upgraded high-torque capacity TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission to give it ground-breaking performance: 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds, a top speed of 180mph, and a 0-100km/h braking distance of 37 metres thanks to its new Brembo braking system.
World-class on-road driving dynamics and handling come courtesy of the Selec-Trac system with five dynamic modes and Bilstein active damping suspension.
The exterior of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is both aggressive and functional and is set apart with body-coloured flared wheel arches, a sculpted bonnet with hood vents and quad exhaust tips.
Image: Newspress
The signature seven-slot upper front grille is flanked by adaptive, bi-xenon headlamps that are surrounded by an LED character lamp treatment. The headlamps on the Trackhawk model feature a unique Gloss Black background to accent their jewel-like appearance.
All you need to know
New 20" titanium finish wheels, revealing distinctive yellow Brembo brake calipers, complete the look, along with a 'Supercharged' badge on both front doors and a 'Trackhawk' badge on the boot.
Drawing inspiration from the sports world, the racing-inspired interior is designed to provide a comfortable environment. Crafted in premium quality soft-touch materials, it is enhanced by exclusive finishes and carbon fibre inserts.
Image: Newspress
The standard interior for the UK features Laguna leather seats with an embroidered 'Trackhawk' logo. A new premium metal package is also standard and enhances the vehicle's interior with high-quality real metal accents.
Active Noise Cancellation, leather stitched instrument panel, doors, centre console and armrest, Berber floormats with Trackhawk badge and 825W Harman Kardon sound system with 19 speakers including subwoofers are also included as standard.
A sporty dashboard features a 7" driver information display (DID) and an instrument cluster which features the tachometer in the centre and the 200mph speedometer on the left.
The instrument panel centre stack with new 8.4" Uconnect display features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Trackhawk-exclusive Performance Pages that showcase immediate feedback on the car's performance.
