A new range-topping version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee is expected to be finalized next year and to go on sale in July of 2017.
Rumored over these past few months on several occasions, the high-performance SUV was confirmed by the brand’s boss, Mike Manley, who spoke to WheelsMagazine on the subject: “We talked about launching a higher performance vehicle which we’ll do next year which will feature the Hellcat engine.“
Sitting above the Grand Cherokee SRT, the new Jeep model will not use the Hellcat badge, according to Manley. Whether it will be called the Trackhawk, as some reports claims, remains to be seen.
It will be offered alongside the SRT and will use the most powerful regular-production V8 engine ever produced in the United States, a 6.2-liter supercharged, borrowed from the Hellcat versions of the Challenger and Charger.
Regardless of its final output, which might differ from the 707 HP and 650 pound-feet (880 Nm) of torque in the two Hellcats, one thing is certain, the Trackhawk or whatever it’s called, will be considerable more powerful than the Grand Cherokee SRT, which uses a 6.4-liter V8 HEMI, producing 475 HP and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque. It’s expected to become the fastest accelerating SUV in the world, needing around 3.5 seconds to do the 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) sprint.
Note: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT pictured
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