The world’s most-powerful ever V8 SUV, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is on-sale now from $134,900+ORC.

THE JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE TRACKHAWK has landed. And it’s cheap. Well, cheap is a relative term, but at $134,900+ORC it’s around $20k cheaper than we thought it would be when it arrived in Australia.

With its 6.2-litre HEMI V8 punching our 522kW and 868Nm of torque, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is the most powerful V8 SUV on the planet and one of the most powerful vehicles in Australia, behind Lamborghini and Ferrari product. It out punches the Range Rover SVR which offers up 405kW and 680Nm which sees it get to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds – and it’s cheaper by around $100k. The Trackhawk get from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds.

The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk eschews off-road performance for its ability to tear up a quarter-mile strip or race track thanks to its awesome grunt, beefed up eight-speed automatic transmission, lowered ride height, and Brembo brakes. As grunty as the engine is, it’s the brakes that are probably most impressive, able to drag the thing from 100km/h to 0km/h in just 37 metres.

The Trackhawk offers a tuned version of the standard Selec-Track system and is tuned for five different modes the driver can choose from, including Auto, Sport, Track and Tow. Selecting one of these modes will adjust things like torque split, transmission shift pattern, suspension and the electric-assist power steering. The driver is also able to build their own ‘individual’ setting.

• Auto: Automatically adapts to any condition; uses a 40:60 front/rear torque split;
• Sport: Transmission shift times are reduced by 50% versus Auto Mode; stability control, four-wheel-drive and steering systems are set for typical enthusiast driving style: paddle shifters are enabled and suspension is tightened up without increasing impact harshness to deliver increased vehicle performance capability over Auto Mode; uses 35:65 torque split;
• Track: Transmission shift times are reduced 68% versus Auto Mode to 160ms; stability control, four-wheel-drive and steering systems are set for ultimate track performance; paddle shifters are enabled and suspension is set to full firm to deliver maximum vehicle performance capability on smooth, dry surfaces; uses 30:70 torque split;
• Tow: Alters torque delivery off the line for greater smoothness and adjusts suspension to combat pitch and yaw to deliver maximum towing performance: uses 60:40 torque split (the maximum braked towing capacity is 2949kg); and
• Snow: Maximises traction to deliver optimised performance on snow and ice with reduced engine horsepower; uses 50:50 torque split.

The Trackhawk sits 25mm lower than non-SRT Grand Cherokees and stand out from the SRT pack with body-coloured flared wheel arches, and dual heat extractors in the bonnet. There are no fog lights on Trackhawk to “optimise airflow to cooling modules and air induction without compromising the vehicle’s balance”. Standard Trackhawk wheels are 20×10-inch and wrapped in 295/45ZR20 Scorpion Verde All-Season rubber, while a lightweight wheel, saving 5.5kg, is also available; this wheel is wrapped in Pirelli P Zero three-season rubber.

Climb inside and there’s a 7-inch driver information display with a tachometer in the middle and a speedo to the left. The dashboard is dominated by the 8.4-inch touchscreen which offers Performance Pages, allowing the driver to scroll through lap timers, gauges and a new engine dynamometer screen that displays instantaneous power, torque and the gear. The Trackhawk offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and voice control. 

What about safety? The Trackhawk offers a valet mode which reduces power and torque and rev-limits the thing to 4000rpm, disables the steering-mounted paddles, locks out first gear and shifts gears earlier, locks the stability control on and disables launch control. Beyond this it’s also got Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop; Advanced Brake Assist; Blind-spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Path Detection; Full-speed Forward Collision Warning with Crash Mitigation; Front and Rear Park Assist; Lane Departure Warning-Plus; and Ready Alert Braking.

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Key Features:

• Price $134,900 MSRP
• Drivetrain Supercharged 6.2-litre HEMI V8 522kW and 868Nm; TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission
• Fuel consumption (L/100km) – 16.8
• Standard Features:
• Quadra-Trac Active On Demand 4×4 System 

• Rear Electronic Limited Slip Differential 

• Hill Hold Control
• Heavy Duty Engine Cooling 

• Launch Control 

• SRT Performance Instrument Cluster 

• Brembo High Performance Brakes 

• Active Damping Suspension 

• High Performance Suspension 

• Jeep Performance Pages 

• Parkview Reverse Parking Camera 

• ParkSense Front & Rear Parking Sensors 

• 7 Airbags (2 Front, 2 Side Curtain, 2 Side Seat, 1 Driver Knee) 

• Forward Collision Warning Plus 

• Lane Departure Warning Plus 

• Blind Spot Monitoring XAN 

• Rear Cross Path Detection 

• Parallel & Perpendicular Park Assist 

• Advanced Brake Assist 

• Cruise Control – Adaptive 

• Tyre Pressure Monitoring
• Active Head Restraints 

• Ready Alert Braking 

• Rain Brake Support 

• Trailer Sway Control 

• Enhanced Accident Response System 

• Premium Security Alarm 

• Engine Immobiliser 

• Selectable Steering Modes 

• Uconnect 8.4 (with AM/FM Digital Radio, Bluetooth® Phone/Audio and Navigation) 

• 4-inch T ouchscreen Display 

• Satellite Navigation 

• Apple Carplay 

• Android Auto 

• Digital Radio (DAB+) 

• 19 Speaker Harman Kardon Audio System – 825W Amplifier 

• 20-Inch Forged Polished Face Alloy Wheels

Available options: 


• Trackhawk – Signature Leather Wrapped Interior Package 

• 20-Inch Light-Weight Forged Alloy Wheels (Black) 

• Pirelli P-Zero 3 Season Tyre