Only available with two rows of seats, this trim level is designed for off-roading. It’s perilously close to being twice as expensive as the V6 Trailhawk, but it’s worth it.The aggressive sounding but eminently livable Trailhawk model sits smack dab in the middle of the Grand Cherokee range. A lesson in American excess which is making its way to the UK, don’t forget.īut would I have the Trackhawk, or the Trailhawk? As fun as bolder-bashing in the Trailhawk is, I couldn’t possibly say no to 697bhp. But what I love more is how all of that results in a spectacularly fast, thoroughly entertaining lesson in American excess.
We simply must geek out in full over this car’s technical aspects another time. I love all the engineering that’s gone into it - from the hardened driveline parts to the drag-inspired launch control system and the many packaging headaches the Trackhawk team had to tackle. It’s gutting, as from this extremely brief encounter the Trackhawk has already won me over. It’s a particular pity, as when pulling up to a stop, we’re informed that’ll be our only run of the day, owing to time constraints.
On the cool-down lap I’m given a chance to try out the launch control system, which frustratingly refuses to work on both occasions. All of this is accompanied by a scintillating soundtrack made up of V8 muscle and a brilliantly loud, whining supercharger. Mash your foot on the floor and you expect it to feel like the world’s ending, but what you get in return isn’t fire and brimstone, but a relentless pull interrupted only by brief and utterly efficient upshifts from the eight-speed automatic gearbox. The other surprise is the performance: it doesn’t feel quite as quick as you’d think. The fast steering’s easy to get on with too, even if it’s a little light and a little low on feedback. Yes, it does feel soft and yes, it does roll a bit, but it works on track in a way that shouldn’t be possible. No amount of all-wheel drive trickery (in Track Mode 70 per cent of power is shoved rearwards) should be able to stop a high-riding, 2433kg monster like this from wanting to push on into understeer like a Range Rover Sport SVR does, but there’s a sophistication to the way the Trackhawk moves around under you. And when the wick’s turned up, the Trackhawk’s a bit of a surprise. Lovely.Īcutely aware that our track time is limited, I try to up the pace throughout my out-lap, before making the most of the Trackhawk’s 697bhp, 645lb ft Dodge Hellcat-shared HEMI V8. A quick ride around the circuit in a Chrysler Pacifica (which I now rather wish we got in the UK) reveals a track with a long back-straight, a few tricky hairpins, and a moderately scary blind crest. It’s one of those ‘driving resort’ style places like Ascari and Bilsterberg - a rich man’s playground we’ve been given temporary access to for a few hours. I don’t have long to dwell on its lashings of less-than-luxurious plastic, as our track for the afternoon looms into view. Without a mentally taxing, rocky obstacle course to navigate, I’m also noticing the Jeep’s cheap and cheerful build quality. The 291bhp, 3.6-litre V6 sounds sufficient on paper, but when you put your foot down, you get quite a lot of noise, yet not much in the way of forward momentum. With a smooth ride and supportive seats it’s plenty comfortable, but the suspension’s so soft even with the suspension lowered as much as possible that we’re in wallowy territory. The last leg to the track is on road, where the Trailhawk doesn’t shine quite as it did off it.