Grand Cherokee Trackhawk to land in December
But pricing still under wraps for Jeep’s ‘fastest ever’ SUVJeep says local pricing for what it's calling "the world's quickest and most powerful SUV" is still months from being announced.
Launched in the USA this week, FCA has officially confirmed the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will go on sale locally from December. Pricing will be revealed closer to the local launch, FCA Australia says.
"I'm very excited to confirm that the Trackhawk will officially join the new Grand Cherokee range," said Jeep Australia President and CEO Steve Zanlunghi overnight.
"From the moment it was revealed in New York we knew we had to bring it to Australia. Public interest in the Trackhawk has been incredible – barely a day goes by when I'm not asked if it's coming. Now I can confirm it," Zanlunghi stated.
In the US, we already know the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is the most expensive Jeep model ever sold. Stateside it retails from $US85,900 (plus destination charges and emission taxes), or $US17,910 more than the manufacturer's recommended list price for the Grand Cherokee SRT.
It's a figure that sees the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk top both the Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcat – with which it shares an engine – by more than $15K, and places it just $US1000 shy of the fire-breathing Challenger SRT Demon.
Options (like a panoramic roof, coloured leather upholstery, tow and technology packs) can push the list price to as high as $US99,900. On-road, that makes the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk the first Jeep to ever break the six-figure price barrier.
Given the Aussie Grand Cherokee SRT retails from $91,000 (plus on-road costs) -- and that the 2016 Grand Cherokee SRT Night sold for $97,000 (plus ORCs) -- it's clear the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will attract a six-figure price-tag.
Our estimates place the number close to $140,000 (plus ORCs).
For the money it's hard to top the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk's performance. Its 6.2-litre supercharged V8 makes 527kW/874Nm, rocketing the 2500kg SUV from 0-100km/h in just 3.6sec, and on to a top speed of 290km/h.
Jeep says the figures are sufficient for a 0-400m time of 11.6sec (at 186km/h), and that its whopping yellow-painted 400mm Brembo brakes(the largest ever offered on a Jeep) mean it's just as quick to stop, hauling the Trackhawk down from 96.5-0km/h in 34.7m.
The numbers see the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk fall just shy of the all-electric Tesla Model X P100D in the dash to triple digits, though Jeep insists the EV wagon is not a rival.
Power is relayed to all four wheels via a paddle-shift-equipped TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission (which includes Launch Control) and six-mode Quadra-Trac all-wheel drive system.
The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk loses the dual-range transfer case and air suspension of its off-road siblings and is instead endowed with lowered independent suspension and adaptive Bilstein dampers all round. A toughened limited-slip rear diff is standard.
Riding on 20-inch titanium or optional forged aluminium wheels, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is shod with 295/45 ZR20 Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season tyres (P Zeros are available optionally), and is differentiated from the Grand Cherokee SRT by body-coloured wheel arch flares and side-sill cladding, and a sculpted bonnet with dual heat extractors.
At the rear the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is distinguished by a gloss black valance housing 4.0-inch black-chrome quad exhaust outlets. The tailgate incorporates a Trackhawk nameplate on a liquid chrome outline and matte black background, complemented by a pair of Supercharged badges on the front doors.
The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is available in nine exterior colours.
Inside, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk features swathes of soft-touch materials and light black chrome and carbon-fibre spear garnishes, a flat-bottomed steering wheel with paddle shifters and combination Nappa leather and suede heated and cooled seats.
The US model's instrument panel boasts a 200mph (322km/h) speedo and 7.0-inch driver instrument display, just smaller than the centre stack's 8.4-inch Uconnect system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
On the safety front, equipment runs to adaptive cruise control with stop-functionality, advanced brake assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning with crash mitigation, front and rear parking assist, lane-departure warning and a reversing camera.
The current Jeep Grand Cherokee scores a five-star ANCAP safety rating.
Local FCA boss Zanlunghi said the Trackhawk will become the flagship model of the Performance end of the Grand Cherokee range.
It should have no troubles finding homes given Australia's love for V8s.
"Australia is the second biggest market for our 344kW Grand Cherokee SRT, behind the USA. So we're confident Australians will absolutely love the Trackhawk which has even more of what makes the SRT so popular – a lot more!
"The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will be on sale in Australia in December, and it will shatter performance SUV benchmarks," Zanlunghi enthused.
Visit motoring.com.au again soon for our international launch review coverage of the 2017 Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.
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