Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk confirmed for Oz

Jeep Australia’s promised V8 addicts quite a Christmas present.

The company has confirmed the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will arrive this December, bringing what it calls the world’s ‘quickest and most powerful SUV’ Down Under.

That’s hard to doubt knowing the Trackhawk will smuggle a supercharged 6.2-litre Hemi V8 here in its bonnet. Shared with the Dodge Challenger Hellcat, the unit bursts with 527kW and 874Nm.

Performance for the top-of-the-line Grand Cherokee is supercar worthy. It’ll charge to 100km/h in 3.6sec, the quarter mile in 11.6sec, and muster 290km/h at full whack.

“The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will be on sale in Australia in December, and it will shatter performance SUV benchmarks,” Jeep Australia President and CEO Steve Zanlunghi said in a press release.

Changes to the drivetrain, braking system, and suspension will help it face off with benchmarks like the BMW X5M and Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S.

The Trackhawk’s braking system’s beefed up with 400mm two-piece front rotors, gnawed by six-piston calipers, while 350mm rotors and four-piston calipers feature up back.

Meanwhile track-tuned Bilstein dampers and higher-speed rated Pirelli tyres are claimed to help the Trackhawk generate .88g on the skidpad. Driver-modes can vary the torque split between 60/40 and 30/70.

Visual differences extend to its calipers, which are painted yellow, and new design 20-inch wheels. Lighter, track-option, alloys are available and shed 5.5kg per wheel.

Elsewhere, ‘Supercharged’ door badges and a ‘Trackhawk’ rear emblem help spot this range-topping Grand Cherokee, as do the unique headlight surrounds and fog-light intakes.

All units also feature a quad-exhaust system and a gloss black bumper insert.

Unique treatments to the interior include ‘Trackhawk’ seat logos and a 320km/h speedo. While the Trackhawk also features a Valet mode accessed by four-digit pin, restricting power and the launch control function.

Jeep Australia can’t yet confirm details on final pricing, allocation, or specification. But it has been reported it’s priced somewhere around $140K. Some $30K less than the X5M.

There’s also a good chance our right-hand drive Trackhawk won’t miss out on much compared to its Stateside counterparts, including a colour pallet which includes a True Blue hue.

Stay tuned for more information on the Trackhawk in the coming months.