Instrumented Test
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A fast way to move a lot of metal.
Logic goes right out the window with a vehicle like the Grand Cherokee SRT. You start with a fairly capable off-road family vehicle, then slap on huge tires and slam the suspension. You take a 470-hp, 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 that should be in a lake roadster, pair it with an eight-speed transmission that might just tame its fuel appetite, and then stick both in a 5331-pound slab of hot pig iron that couldn’t get good fuel economy if it went everywhere six inches behind a FedEx truck.
The circles of utility and performance overlap just enough in the $63,990 Grand Cherokee SRT (the “8” in “SRT8” is gone for 2014) to create, well, a boulevard bomber of the sort that Arabian princes favor for their security teams. Asking it to feel agile or to drive well seems a bit unsporting, like asking the Hulk to use an iPhone. Eventually, everything’s just going to get smashed.
Good Stats
Yet, shockingly for such a big and heavy vehicle, you do get some impressive numbers. Next to the T-bar shifter of the new-for-2014 eight-speed automatic resides a simple button that allows for launch-control starts. When engaged, the SRT knocks out a 4.6-second run to 60 mph. This was BMW M5 territory not that long ago. It’s also 0.4-second quicker zero-to-60 than the 2012 SRT8 model hooked to a five-speed automatic. As with the previous-generation 2012 version, we went 157 mph in the 2014 SRT, no speed limiter in sight. Making 0.88 g around the skidpad, the 295/45 Pirelli P Zeros (an $895 option) return grip on par with most German sports sedans.
The SRT will loaf around town just making deep rumbling noises, the eight-speed changing gears with no more shock than if it were moving beads on an abacus. You have to push through the softness to untap the rage, or switch the Selec-Track drive mode control to the Track position. That primes the boosters, including the torque-varying all-wheel-drive system, for your thrashing, and you can shift manually via the steering wheel paddles. But save that setting for running from terrorists. Or, well, actually legging it out on a track.
Even then, the Grand Cherokee feels so large that the speed sensation is subtler than the numbers promise. It doesn’t give the impression that it’s as fast as it is, so you might be tempted to wonder if it’s worth getting just 14 mpg everywhere you go. Well, that’s between you and your credit card. One more note on that before moving on: Our longest trip between fill-ups was 347 miles. And then we pumped in 23.6 gallons. Of premium.
Thankfully, the brake pedal is firm and trustworthy and the Brembo calipers stop the big brute with less drama than should be possible (big points here for the meaty P Zeros, too). At 162 feet, the stopping distance from 70 mph is remarkable, and so we are remarking upon it. Less remarkable is the steering, which is reasonably quick but highly insulated. However, we weren’t expecting miracles and the SRT met our expectations.
Inside the Beast
The basic Grand Cherokee’s sophistication shines through all the go-fast gloss. That means a tight and rattle-free structure and a well-executed interior that puts the controls and display screens in short reach. This is the most expensive (Chrysler Group) vehicle to receive what is basically the same 8.4-inch Uconnect navigation/entertainment console as the Dodge Dart, with a few enhancements specific to the SRT, including track times and lateral acceleration. But the system works well enough once you learn the menus, and now you can load apps such as Pandora to make music streaming easier off your mobile phone. Unlike some competitors, there is no super-knob to control the screen, everything is by touch, which smears up the screen with fingerprints, especially if you like to eat and drive.
A special three-spoke SRT heated steering wheel and carbon-fiber trim made out of actual fibers of carbon are included in the SRT interior appointments. The bucket seats are firm and supportive although they can fatigue the back after a long sit. The major options are expensive: a high-output audio system and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, for $1995 each, and a dual-pane sunroof for $1595. More-practical people may go for the $995 towing package, which makes the truck ready to yank 7200 pounds.
As it always was, the SRT version of the Grand Cherokee remains glorious overkill for people who like their performance served in size XL. There are a surprising number of competitors, from the Porsche Cayenne to the BMW X5 M to the Mercedes-Benz ML63, the latter of which shares some DNA with the Grand Cherokee. All of those German-branded performance SUVs are more expensive, so, from a pure dollars and cents perspective, the Jeep is the wise choice.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon
PRICE AS TESTED: 68,665 (base price: $63,990)
ENGINE TYPE: pushrod 16-valve V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 392 cu in, 6417 cc
Power: 470 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 465 lb-ft @ 4300 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 114.8 in
Length: 191.3 in
Width: 77.1 in Height: 69.1 in
Curb weight: 5331 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 4.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 11.9 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 24.7 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 5.2 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 2.8 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 3.3 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.2 sec @ 105 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 157 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 162 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.88 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway: 13/19 mpg
C/D observed: 14 mpg
*Stability-control-inhibited
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