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Having had the luck to drive a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, I have to say that motor does absolute wonders for an automobile. Sure, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) tuned it up a helluva lot to make the Challenger less truck-like but, boy, nothing prepares you for that 707 horsepower slap on the back.

It's just so immense in every quantifiable way.

Since the Hellcat engine appeared in the Charger and Challenger, Mopar fan boys and fan girls have been pondering a simple question: So, what happens if you slot that engine into a Grand Cherokee? Considering the SRT pumps out 475 horsepower and is the apple of most folks' eyes, what would happen if you jack up the power?

Today's the day we find out, Spies! Our friends over at CAR magazine got the chance to get behind the wheel and experience it firsthand. While we're going to provide the verdict to you, I'd highly recommend giving the story a read. 

As we're big fans of the Grand Cherokee, it's interesting to learn exactly what the most insanely conceived variant is like on the road.


Verdict

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk doesn’t handle as well as a Euro-spec super-SUV but it’s adept for a car of this bulk. The Hellcat V8 is an epic motor that sounds like two tigers stuffed in a Spitfire, and revs so cleanly you’ll need to concentrate to avoid hitting the limiter. This is not the apologetic turbo’d six-pot or diesel lump we Yurrupeans insist on fitting in our fast SUVs.

Best of all the bottom line ($86,995, which is approximate to £66,297, although UK pricing is TBC at the time of writing) means you can afford to chuck tenners out of the window at a BMW X5M driver as they disappear in your rear-view, which is surely reason enough to buy one. 

A bold and brash American SUV with a hawk on the bootlid and eye-wateringly low fuel economy is never going to sell in massive numbers over here. That’s a shame, because my goodness, what a laugh it is.
 



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DRIVEN: What's It Like To Drive A Hellcat-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk?

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