The SRT will loaf around town 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-Trac 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.
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 that in 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 in some competitors, there is no superknob with which to control the screen; everything is by touch, which smears up the screen with fingerprints, especially if you like to eat and drive.
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
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