Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology division is still in the game making regular Chrysler product much more interesting. How much more interesting? Well Chrysler has just revealed the new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 will be the fastest Jeep ever made.
The all-go Jeep will get a 6.4 litre Hemi V8 generating 465 horsepower. 0-100 will take only 4.8 seconds. That’s supercar level of performance! It even comes with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters. Keeping in line with every other automaker, Chrysler’s new V8 is also more fuel efficient despite being more powerful. It will be 13% more efficient thanks to help from cylinder deactivation technology and a new active exhaust system. 13% may not sound like a whole lot but considering the regular Grand Cherokee isn’t winning any awards for fuel efficiency in the first place, 13% is very much welcomed when you throw a Hemi in the engine bay.
However, what is probably the most impressive number is the 0.90 g skidpad rating the SRT-8 Grand Cherokee gets. During my test drive of the Grand Cherokee Laredo X, I noted that one of the downfalls was the lack of handling abilities (along with poor fuel consumption). Looks like Chrysler was able to fix the top-heaviness by incorporating a new Select-Trak system which allows the driver to choose between five suspension modes, one of which being ‘sport’ mode. I have to assume that the Grand Cherokee SRT-8 needs to be in sport mode to achieve those skid pad numbers.
Brakes weren’t ignored in the tuning process either. The Grand Cherokee SRT-8 can stop in just 116 feet from 100 km/h. Considering the weight of this thing, that’s mighty impressive.
So, it seems like there isn’t a whole lot that the Grand Cherokee SRT-8 can’t do, eh? Well, there’s one thing. It will almost certainly be somewhat useless offroad, which is blasphemy to say of any Jeep. But with a lowered ride hide, body clad add ons, massive chrome rims and performance tires, you won’t be getting too far in the mud or a rocky mountain. Still, for those crazy people that demand an SUV somehow perform like a supercar, this looks pretty good on paper. Especially considering the competition in this market is in the form of the BMW X5 M, the Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG, the Range Rover Supercharged and the Audi Q7 V12 TDI (which we can’t even get here in Canada). Those cost likely twice the price (although you get a lot more power, refinement and handling abilities). I don’t really get this market at all.
If you don’t get why anyone would want a performance capable SUV either, then Chrysler has another option for you. The 300 SRT-8 sedan. Click past the jump for more info and pics.
[Chrysler]
Chrysler put the same 6.4 litre 465 horsepower and 465 pound feet of torque engine into its flagship. Even better is you can get an additional 80 pound feet torque at 2,900 RPM. And unlike the Grand Cherokee SRT-8, this engine gets 25% more fuel efficiency all while using the same cylinder deactivating technology and and active exhaust. Why the difference in efficiency improvement? Well because the 300 doesn’t weigh nearly as much as the Grand Cherokee does.
Also, the 300 SRT-8 uses Active Damping Suspension, which can adjust the suspension automatically according to the car’s speed, angle, brake torque and acceleration. Driver’s can also choose from suspension firming sport mode, or comfort mode. To ensure this big sedan is able to stop on a dime, the 300 SRT-8 is also fitted with Brembo brakes.
So, which would you rather? The SRT-8 version of the Grand Cherokee or the 300?
I wouldn’t take either. Granted Chrysler is making huge strides of late (thank you, Fiat)but the fact of the matter is there are still way better vehicles out there