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Trackhawk
The Jeep brand is well known for building vehicles to handle just about any type of terrain. Now we can add another type of terrain to the Jeep repertoire – the race track. No, Jeep hasn’t announced plans to go racing, but it would certainly be competitive with this aptly-named Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. This supercharged Jeep makes its world debut at the New York Auto Show.
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707 Horsepower
Taking a page from the Hellcat guide to horsepower, the new Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will boast a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine putting out a ridiculous 707 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque, teamed with an upgraded high-torque capacity TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission. This engine has already proven itself in the Dodge Charger Hellcat and Challenger Hellcat, but this will be the first application in an all-wheel drive vehicle.
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Fastest of them all?
With that much power on tap driving all four wheels, the acceleration figures are quite astounding. The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will hit 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. For a little perspective, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S ($161,000) is about three tenths slower to perform the same sprint.
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Very Quick
With a top speed of 180 mph and the ability to reach a quarter mile in just 11.6 seconds, Jeep claims the Trackhawk is the most powerful and quickest SUV on the market. We don’t see any reason to argue. “The new Grand Cherokee Trackhawk delivers astounding performance numbers, backed by renowned SRT engineering that combines world-class on-road driving dynamics with luxury, refinement and an array of innovative advanced technology,” said Mike Manley, Head of Jeep Brand – FCA Global.
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Stopping Power
Of course, if you’ve got power to go fast, you need equal power to stop. Performing this task are new high-performance Brembo brakes with 15.75-inch vented rotors up with 6-piston calipers up front and 13.78-inch with four-piston calipers in the rear. Calipers are painted yellow to help this Jeep stand out from all other Jeeps. With these new brakes, the Trackhawk can stop from 60 mph in just 114 feet.
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Drive Modes
Drivers can choose from five different drive modes that include Auto, Sport, Track, Tow and Snow. Each of these can alter shift times, stability control functionality, torque split from front to rear and suspension. For example, track mode reduces shift time to just 168 milliseconds, suspension is set to its firmest setting and 70-percent of the torque is directed to the rear wheels. On the other hand, tow mode directs more power to the front wheels and adjusts the suspension to better handle pitch and yaw of trailer towing. When properly equipped, the Trackhawk can tow up to 7,200 pounds.
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Something Special
Now if you buy a Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, you’ll want people to know you have something special. This high-performance Jeep rides one inch lower than the typical Grand Cherokee and features body-colored wheel flares, side cladding and a sculpted hood with dual heat extractors. The Bi-xenon headlights are surrounded by LED running lights, but fog lights have been removed to optimize air flow and cooling. The quad exhaust and 20-inch titanium wheels complete the look.
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Luxury Surroundings
Inside are standard Nappa leather seats, black chrome and carbon fiber trim and the requisite flat-bottomed steering wheel. Front and rear seats are heated, with ventilation added for front seats. There’s also Berber floormats with the Trackhawk badge, premium headliner and leather-stitched instrument panel, doors and center console. A dual-screen Blu-ray rear-seat entertainment system will also be available.
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Safety Features
The Trackhawk will also feature all of the latest advanced safety features, including Advanced Brake Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind-Spot Monitoring, Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning and Full-speed Forward Collision Warning with Crash Mitigation.