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By
EWAN KENNEDY
28 August 2006
The market for big-power off-road 4WDs isn’t a large one, but
those that do play in this fast field love their vehicles dearly. So now
Jeep has entered the fray with an SRT8 version of its big Grand
Cherokee.
Aimed at buyers considering a Range Rover Sports, an AMG ML55
or a BMW X5 4.8is, but who can’t afford their huge price tags,
the $85,990 Jeep is not for the faint hearted.
Or for the person who wants to go off-road. Because that huge
front spoiler is going to look very secondhand if it encounters
anything more than minor undulations. Presumably it will perform
well enough on dirt roads, but on-road running is going to be the
natural life of a Grand Cherokee SRT8.
Hard on-road running, because there's a more than sufficient
313 kilowatts on tap from the big 6.1-litre V8 engine that’s a
close relation to the one we recently admired in the Chrysler 300C
SRT.
Except that the advantage of 4WD gives superior traction off
the line and the Grand Cherokee can lay down a standing 100 km/h
time in the low to mid five-second bracket. That’s on its way to
a top speed of about 245 km/h where circumstances permit.
Jeep's Australian chief, Gerry Jenkins, says with a smile,
"the SRT is aimed more at the race track than the mud
track".
Just what a 2.3-tonne 4WD, even one with carefully reworked
suspension and Brembo brakes will feel like on a race track we
aren't sure. This latest SRT has only just been announced and we
haven’t driven one at this stage.
It’s not all muscle and guts, though. The Grand Cherokee SRT8
is a relatively civilised machine, with such luxurious features as
an upmarket audio system with six Boston Acoustics speakers, not
to forget dual-zone climate control.
This isn’t a car for everyone. Indeed we suspect the
environmentalists will hate it – just as much as the oil
companies will love it. In its favour it will be sold only in
small numbers, with about 60 being slated for import to Australia
in the balance of this year.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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