Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 2012 review: snapshot

There's something gloriously inappropriate about the new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.

In a world where many people spend their lives worried about saying the wrong thing, where whole departments have been established devoted to playing it safe, the big, bad Jeep sends all the wrong signals and makes all the wrong noises but that's why we love it.

Background

Producing 10 per cent more power and 10 per cent more torque than its predecessor, the SRT8 is a product of Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology arm  a bunch of crazy guys and gals who spend their days turning Chrysler, Dodge and Jeeps into the equivalent of Olympic athletes.

Explore the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee range

• Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 2012 review: road test
• Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 3.6L 2012 review
• Jeep Grand Cherokee AWD 2012 review
• Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 2012 review
• Jeep Grand Cherokee STR8 2012 review
• Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 2012 review: snapshot
• Jeep Grand Cherokee 2012 review

And, like its predecessor, the five-seat Grand Cherokee continues to sit on the same platform as the Benz ML SUV, even though the two have parted company  the chassis is incidentally 146 per cent torsionally stronger.

Value

Eager buyers have been stumping up $20K deposits for this vehicle, even before knowing the price. No one would have predicted a $76K price tag $7000 less than the old one. For the price, nothing else comes close. The SRT8 is choc full of equipment befitting a luxury vehicle. It rates highly for safety too, although missing out on a five star rating.

Technology

It's a 6.4-litre Hemi V8 that delivers 344kW of power and 624Nm of torque, 90 per cent from 2800 revs. The previous 6.1-litre V8 produced 313kW and 569Nm. The engine is hooked up to a five-speed sequential auto with smallish steering wheel mounted paddle shifts. But, given the amount of torque that it produces, they're unlikely to see much use.

A rotary control enables the driver to dial in more aggressive settings, with Sport and Track modes. Drive of course is to all four wheels. At 189mm it sits 25mm lower than the already good looking standard model, with LED lights, a deeper front dam and more aggressive stance.

Ducts provide air to the brakes and take the heat away from the engine. The car rides on 20 inch alloys fitted with big, beefy 295/45 series Pirellis. They're run flats too, which means if you get a puncture you just keep on driving to the nearest servo even though a full sized steel spare is provided.

The adaptive Bilstein suspension is controlled by the Selec-Track system and the stoppers are Brembos, 6-pot at the front and 4 at the rear because if you're going to go fast you need to be able to stop fast too. They certainly haven't skimped with this one.

It's rated at 14.1 litres/100km. The rating is helped along by the Multi-Displacement System that shuts down four of the engine cylinders when not required to help reduce consumption by as much as 20 per cent.

Twin pipes

The twin centrally located Boxster-style exhaust was such a defining feature of the previous model we're sad to see it go. This one still has twin exhausts but the pipes have been pushed out to either side. The good news is that you can now tow a boat (you couldn't before because the location of the exhaust precluded a tow bar from being fitted). It can tow 2268kg by the way.

Driving

Jeep claims the car will do the dash from 0-100km/h in less than 5.0 seconds. Our best run was 5.2 but the record is 4.8 seconds. It handles too. We were able to put the SRT8 through its paces at Anglesea proving ground outside Melbourne, with glimpses of the new Commodore passing in the background. It's perhaps not as sharp as Porsche's GTS Cayenne through the twisty bits but hey, it costs half as much. In a straight line, however, there's not much in it.

Limited edition

Jeep is building only 4000 of these cars worldwide this year. Australia has been allocated just 250 of them, but is hoping to get another 1000 next year. Unfortunately most of this year's allocation is already spoken for.

Verdict

It looks fantastic, it goes extremely well and in this segment represents a real bargain. Start shopping it against the likes of Range Rover Sport, BMW X5 M or the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG and it's a walk up start.