The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 will make its official debut on the floor of the 2011 New York Auto Show today and, according to Chrysler, it's the fastest Jeep ever built. How does 0-60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds on its way to a governed 155-mph top speed sound? For those of you who live your lives a quarter mile at a time, the big Jeep will down the strip in the mid-13-second range.
Even with performance numbers knocking on supercar territory, not to mention a 465-horsepower 6.4-liter Hemi V8, Jeep claims the new SRT8 gets 13-percent better fuel economy than its predecessor. To keep the gas mileage respectable, Jeep has employed a new active exhaust system that lets Chrysler's cylinder-deactivating Fuel Saver Technology operate over a wider RPM band. The fuel economy numbers are so good that the SUV can now travel up to 450 miles on a single tank before needing another drink of dinosaur juice.
Straight-line numbers and (relatively) impressive MPGs aren't this big SUV's only trick. Thanks in part to Jeep's new Selec-Track system with five distinct drive modes (including Sport), Chrysler says the new Grand Cherokee SRT8 will also hold on for a .90-g skid pad performance. Even better, it can haul itself down from 60 mph in an abrupt 116 feet.
Inside there's a list of standard features as long as your arm, including SIRIUS satellite radio, a DVD and MP3-capable stereo and new steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Options include a 19-speaker, 825-watt Harmann-Kardon stereo complete with a 10-inch subwoofer, a dual-pane tinted sunroof and a power liftgate.
Look for the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 to hit dealerships this summer, and stay tuned for live shots of the new SRT8 direct from the 2011 New York Auto Show floor later today. In the meantime, there's more details in Jeep's lengthy press release after the jump.
XJ Cherokee
HG Premier
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 arrives as quickest Jeep ever made
I would be pretty happy with it as a crazy fast yet useful daily that could also haul a buggy around.
