HOT ROD TO HELL
This article is from our archives and has not been updated and integrated with our "new" site yet... Even so, it's still awesome - so keep reading!
Published on Sun, Apr 12, 2009
By: The LACar Editorial Staff
© All photos by Harvey Schwartz
HOT ROD TO HELL
The 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is not for the faint at heart. It is a bold,
powerful sport utility vehicle that will solidly plant you into your seatback
and will make you pay for the fun and excitement of driving it since it only
achieves 11mpg/city and 14mpg/highway.
Today's driving thrills don't come cheap, so it is a factor that you will have
to make before purchasing the vehicle. On the plus side, with a base price of
just $42,500, it is much less expensive than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S listed
for $124,000, or the Supercharged Range Rover listed for $95,000 - both of which
get about the same gas mileage.
Chrysler Street and Racing Technology (SRT) has demonstrated that it knows no
boundaries when it created the first four-wheel-drive SRT vehicle in 2006. It is
the quickest, most powerful Jeep vehicle ever, offering astonishing on-road and
all-weather ability and power. With a 0-60 mph time under 5 seconds - in wet or
dry conditions - it is just as fast as the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S or the
Supercharged Range Rover.
Powered by a 6.1 liter HEMI V8 producing 420 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of
torque, the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 delivers a complete performance
package with exceptional ride and handling, world-class braking, race-inspired
interior appointments and functional-oriented exterior enhancements.
Upgrades to the 2009 model include a rear-window opening button on the key fob,
Performance Pages reconfigurable display with readouts including longitudinal
and lateral g-force, 0-60 mph acceleration time, 1/8-mile and 1/4-mile
acceleration time and speed and braking distance, a new nine-inch rear DVD
pull-down viewing screen, leather added to the upper front and rear door
bolsters and armrest, leather-wrapped cluster brow on the instrument panel, and
a new shift knob cap with 'Jeep' name.
Uniquely styled, the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8's bold exterior design makes
it stand out in a crowd of lesser sport utilities. The bold front fascia not
only looks good, but provides aerodynamic benefits by reducing lift and drag,
while providing sufficient air flow to cool the 6.1-liter HEMI V8 engine. Quad
lamps with halogen bulbs light up the road at night while powerful round fog
lamps on the sides of the front bumper also come standard. The front fascia also
helps increase brake system cooling through integrated air ducts.
From the side you'll notice a sweepback windshield, deep side extensions and a
flat roof to help it more easily cut through the air and provide added down
force. The flared fenders are stuffed with unique Alcoa forged aluminum wheels,
20X9 up front and 20X10 in the rear. These stunning wheels are wrapped with
Goodyear 255/45R20 front and 285/40R20 rear Eagle RS-A run-flat performance
tires for added grip and traction.
The rear fascia incorporates an aggressive a unique center cutout to accommodate
dual four-inch exhaust tips and a flip-out tinted rear glass hatch to make
loading or unloading small cargo items easy.
The roomy cabin features the SRT signature race-inspired interior. Race-inspired
seats with added bolstering and a performance fabric insert to keep all
occupants firmly in place during spirited driving times. A dark slate gray
interior color, accent stitching on the seats and a unique SRT-designed
leather-wrapped/tilting/telescoping steering wheel, bright aluminum foot pedals,
full instrumentation with the signature SRT logo is trimmed with a unique blue
accent, chrome-ringed shifter gate, leather-wrapped parking brake lever, a
center console with dual cupholders, storage slots, storage bin, tasteful chrome
accents on all of the easy-to-reach dials, switches and buttons, carbon-fiber
technical finish on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, instrument panel brow,
and shift knob, together with the refined aluminum finish on the center stack,
shifter and door-switch bezels all give the interior a more luxurious feel and
shows how well Jeep is paying attention to detail and craftsmanship.
For rear-seat passenger comfort and convenience, the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee
SRT8 continues to offer the optional SIRIUS BackSeat TV that features three
channels of respected children's TV featuring many of the most well-known kids'
programming. The rear also features air ducts behind the center console to more
directly channel air into the rear, a pull-down armrest with storage, pull-out
dual cupholders, and grab handles with reading lamps.
SRT engineers created the first SRT vehicle with full-time four-wheel-drive by
creating a new transfer case. They used the front half of a Jeep transfer case,
chose for its capability and light weight, and mated it to the rear half of a
heavier-duty case, chose for its ruggedness and ability to house electronic
full-time, four-wheel-drive system components.
Under normal driving conditions, five-to-ten percent of torque is directed to
the front wheels, but as much of the 6.1 liter HEMI V8's torque that's needed
can be directed forward when additional traction or stability is required.
Remaining torque is sent via a heavy-duty driveshaft to a Dana 44 rear axle.
Providing horsepower and torque to the unique SRT four-wheel-drive system is a
specially tuned version of the 6.1 liter SRT HEMI V8 engine, which was developed
by adding more displacement, increasing the compression ratio and redesigning
the cylinder heads, intake and exhaust systems for better flow and increased
engine speed. Power from the SRT 6.1 liter HEMI is sent through a special torque
converter to an SRT-upgraded, five-speed automatic transmission with specially
calibrated driver-selectable Auto Stick, which offers full automatic or manual
shifting.
The frame is a high-strength steel unibody construction for extra strength and
torsional stiffness. The chassis setup for the vehicle employs front SLA
(Short/Long Arms),
SRT-tuned Bilstein coil over monotube dampers, unique sway bars and specially
tailored coil spring rates and suspension bushings. Front suspension knuckles
were redesigned to accommodate high-performance braking and steering systems. A
1in. tubular strut tower brace across the top of the engine enhances front
rigidity and gives the truck ultra-quick response to your inputs. The rear setup
features a live axle, link coil with track bar, gas-charged Bilstein shocks and
a stabilizer bar that keeps the wide tire patch fully flat on the road surface
and keeps body lean to a minimum. The ride height of the vehicle is one inch
lower than the regular Jeep Grand Cherokee, which lowers aerodynamic drag as
well as the center of gravity, and contributes to the vehicle's stability and
aggressive stance.
The world-class braking system features four-piston performance brake calipers
developed by Brembo, finished in red. These calipers work with 14.2-inch front
and 13.8-inch rear vented rotors to quickly and safely slow the vehicle down
from speed. Standard ABS and Brake Assist further enhance control and braking
power.
Piloting the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is fun, exciting and easy thanks to the
performance gear that is added to the power-assisted rack & pinion steering
system. It gives you a better feel for the road with excellent on-center feel
and very quick response to your inputs. With four-wheel traction you feel as if
you are riding on rails.
Standard equipment in every SRT8 Grand Cherokee includes leather-trimmed seats
with eight-way power adjustable driver seat and four-way adjustable
front-passenger seat, AC, cruise control, variable intermittent
wipers/washers/rear washer/wiper, power windows with front express up/down,
leather-wrapped steering wheel with steering wheel mounted audio controls, AM-FM
stereo radio with in-dash six-CD/DVD/MP3 player, Boston Acoustics sound system
with 6-speakers, auto dimming rearview mirror, power-remote/heated sideview
mirrors, dual map lamps, sunglass holder, trip computer, thick-cut pile
carpeting with front/rear floor mats, under-floor rear cargo storage, remote
keyless entry, dashboard mounted ignition, and power-adjustable foot pedals.
My Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 came fully loaded with SRT's High-Performance Audio
and Navigation system that includes 11 Kicker SRT high-performance speakers,
200-watt Kicker SRT subwoofer, 276-watt Kicker SRT amp, Hard Disc Drive,
ParkView rear backup camera, touch screen display monitor, SIRIUS satellite
radio, front seat memory for two drivers, heated front seats, rear heated seats,
AC with dual-zone control, self-dimming sideview mirrors, rain sensitive wipers,
cargo cover, HID headlamps, 115-volt auxiliary power plug, rear entertainment
system DVD/SIRIUS backseat TV, a power sunroof and HomeLink universal home
security system transceiver.
Standard safety features include active turn signals, multi-stage front airbags,
LATCH system for child seats, digressive load-limiting seat belt retractors,
three-point safety belts for all seating positions, electronic roll mitigation,
electronic stability program, all-wheel traction control, energy-absorbing
steering wheel and column, enhanced accident response system, head restraints in
all outboard seating positions, interior head support protection, knee bolsters,
seatbelt pretensioners, Sentry Key engine immobilizer, side-curtain airbags with
roll detection system, tire pressure monitoring with warning indicator.
From the moment you turn over the engine and hear the beautiful rumble of the
HEMI engine, to when you are pushed hard back into your seat, to when you turn
the steering wheel and the vehicle immediately follows your commands, to the
quick, short and controlled stopping ability, to the beautifully appointed
sporty and comfortable interior, to the large cargo space, you know that you are
driving a very exceptional sport utility vehicle. The 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee
SRT8 has it all for just $50,670 fully loaded, saving you tens of thousands of
dollars compared to the competition from Porsche, BMW, and Land Rover.
If you are looking for a sport utility that features super high performance you
owe it to yourself to check out the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.
© Words and pictures by Harvey Schwartz
For more information about Jeep products, go to
www.jeep.com
More photos from Harvey Schwartz can be found at
www.autofotos.com
SUMMARY JUDGMENT
The Grand Cherokee SRT8 is a helluva performer, but it has the utility and
creature comforts to match. Dana Andrews would have loved this hot rod.
SPECIFICATIONS
Name:
2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
Price:
$42,500.00 base/$50,670.00 as tested
Horsepower:
420 at 6,200 rpm
Torque:
420 at 4,800 rpm
EPA mileage:
11mpg/city, 14mpg/highway
Drive configuration:
Front engine/all-wheel-drive
Transmission type:
5-speed automatic OD with AutoStick sequential shifting
Front suspension:
Independent, SLA, monotube gas-charged Bilstein shocks over coil springs,
upper/lower control arms, stabilizer bar, tuned by SRT
Rear suspension:
Live axle, link coil with track bar, Bilstein gas-charged monotube shocks,
stabilizer bar, tuned by SRT
Wheels/tires:
Front: 20X9 forged Alcoa machine aluminum wheels/255/45R20 Goodyear RSA tires
Rear: 20X10 forged Alcoa machined chrome aluminum wheels/285/40R20 Goodyear RSA
tires
Brakes:
Front: 14.2 in. vented discs/4-piston Brembo calipers
Rear: 13.8 in. vented discs/4-piston Brembo calipers
ABS
Total length:
195.1 in.
Total width:
84.3 in.
Total height:
66.7 in.
Curb weight:
4,819 lbs.