You heard it here people, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is as good as confirmed for the Australian market, and since it’s going through dealership channels there, there’s a very real chance New Zealand will see a handful shipped to our shores.
But for those of you scratching your heads as to what the hell a Trackhawk actually is, let us tell you now: it’s the most ridiculous production SUV ever built. It may look rather unassuming from the outside, however, it hides a supercharged 6.2-litre Hemi under the bonnet, backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission, ripped straight from the Challenger SRT Hellcat.
Boasting 527kW, and said to click up 0-100kph in a blistering 3.6-seconds, it also tears down the quarter-mile in just 11.6 seconds — ya know, the kind of stats you need when you’re dropping 7-year old Billy off to school …
While Jeep Australia hasn’t officially confirmed the Trackhawk’s arrival, Jeep’s parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles hasn’t been quite as tight lipped on the subject of exporting down under.
Chris Cowland, the head of Chrysler’s Advanced & SRT Powertrain, says Chrysler’s SRT division has commenced work on Australia-specific tuning. As Australia is classified as a ‘hot’ market in terms of temperature, concessions must be made with regards to the cooling and ignition systems, as well Australian fuel quality and ensuring the Trackhawk will pass Australian noise requirements.
“We want to make sure the knock system is robust against these fuel grades and no damage will happen to the engine,” Cowland mentioned.
Australian media are reporting that 200 are expected to land in the final months of the year, with prices set for more than $120,000 — we eagerly await their arrival here …