Jeep has just unveiled its fastest and most powerful product ever: The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.
Combining Jeep's legendary capability and utility with advanced performance engineering from Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) outfit, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is the American carmaker's ultimate performance sport-utility vehicle.
Underneath the bonnet of this high-performance Jeep Grand Cherokee is a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 that produces 465hp and over 630Nm of torque, 45hp and 61Nm more than that produced by the 6.1-liter Hemi V8 it replaced.
With those kinds of figures, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is capable of running from a standing start to 100kph in just 4.8 seconds with the quarter-mile distance being reached in the mid-13-second range before top speed is attained at nearly 250kph.
Despite this kind of power, Chrysler's fuel saver technology and a new active valve exhaust system allows the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 to run on just four cylinders over a wider rpm range. This combination reportedly allows the vehicle to go as far as 724 kilometers on a single tank of petrol.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 also comes with a new SRT-tuned, adaptive damping suspension that, in sync with the new Selec-Track system, interacts with several different systems to automatically tune the dynamics of the vehicle. The vehicle also comes with Jeep's Quadra-Trac active on-demand four-wheel-drive transfer case and an electronic limited slip differential that eliminates rear wheel slip and improves handling.
To complement all this hardware, Jeep gave the Grand Cherokee SRT8's exterior the look of a high-performance sports car by lowering the vehicle an inch and slapping on it new, SRT-exclusive body-color wheel flares and side sill cladding. A body-colored front grille with a black screen background, integrated lower front grille painted in gloss black and chrome bezel inserts add to the aggressive look. Capping off the redesigned front end is a newly sculpted hood with functional dual black heat extractors for added engine cooling.
At the rear, SRT's work is continued with a new liftgate spoiler that reduces drag and improves downforce, a unique one-piece rear fascia which includes a separate air diffuser and a dual-sport exhaust system with 4-inch exhaust tips.
SRT's sport touches continue inside with the all-new leather-wrapped steering wheel with its flattened bottom surface which showcases the SRT logo, SRT-styled Nappa leather and suede seats with the sculpted bolsters and adjustable headrests, the embroidered SRT logos and contrast stitching accent to the two front seats, and the carbon-fiber accents integrated into the instrument panel and door trim panels.
CATS Motors, the exclusive distributor of Chrysler in the Philippines, once sold the previous-model Grand Cherokee SRT8 here. We can only hope that once the all-new Grand Cherokee SRT8 comes out later this year, CATS Motors won't hesitate to bring it here soon after.
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