The ultimate Grand Cherokee can do more than just go fast. It can outrun exotic SUVs costing nearly two to three times as much.
The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk answers the question, What would happen if Jeep put the supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 into a Grand Cherokee? Now we have the answer to the question, How much will Jeep charge for the Trackhawk?: $85,900.*
That buys you 707 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque routed through a beefed-up TorqueFlite 8-speed auto and driveline components enhanced to handle all of that grunt. The Jeep Quadra-Trac on-demand four-wheel-drive system with a limited-slip rear differential transmit it to a set of 20-inch Titanium-finish wheels wrapped in either Pirelli 295/45ZR20 Scorpion Verde all-season or optional Pirelli P Zero three-season tires with a higher
speed rating.
A five-mode (Auto, Sport, Track, Snow, and Tow) Selec-Track system allows you to choose how smoothly or savagely the Trackhawk flies down the road. An adaptive Bilstein damping setup processes inputs from the pavement. When the road runs out, the Trackhawk’s high-performance Brembo brakes – including the largest standard front brakes on a Jeep ever – help it stop from 60 mph in 114 feet.
Flat out, the Trackhawk can get from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, hit the quarter-mile mark in 11.6 seconds, and top out at 180 mph. Those aren’t just great numbers for a Jeep. They’re figures certain luxury import SUVs (albeit less powerful ones) would envy. The $102,550 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63’s 550 horsepower officially enable it to get to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The $161,600 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S has 570 horsepower and accelerates to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. The $220,000+, 600-horsepower Bentley Bentayga needs four seconds to get to that speed, although it has a higher top speed of 187 mph.
Jeep dealers will start accepting orders for what Jeep calls the “most powerful” and “quickest SUV ever” on August 10. Look for the 2018 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk on showroom floors in the fourth quarter of this year.
*MSRP excludes $1,095 destination fee.
Looking for a good deal on a new Jeep? Get insider information here.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
