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CARS
Jeep

Jeep reveals its 707-horsepower SUV

Brent Snavely
Detroit Free Press

Jeep is taking the plunge into the deep end of the horsepower wars with the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, a version of its midsize SUV that is equipped with a 707-horsepower Hellcat engine.

The Hellcat is a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine that has become an icon for the Dodge brand since it was introduced in the Charger and Challenger in 2014.

Now it will be plugged into the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk that will be revealed to the media at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the automaker plans to reveal the long-awaited Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, a muscle car, expected to have even more horsepower.

"The Jeep Grand Cherokee is now the most powerful and quickest SUV as well,” Mike Manley, head of Jeep brand, said in a news release. "The new Grand Cherokee Trackhawk delivers astounding performance numbers ... with luxury, refinement and an array of innovative advanced technology.”

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds and cover a quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds.

The Hellcat engine is made with a cast-iron block and a forged-steel crankshaft with induction-hardened bearing surfaces. In addition to the off-the-charts horsepower, it produces 645 pound-[feet of torque.

The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk has a host of special equipment designed to help it handle all that power:

That equipment includes:

•New Brembo braking system includes largest-ever front brakes on a Jeep vehicle. The front brakes are 15.75-inch, two-piece vented rotors with six-piston calipers.
•Upgraded TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission and driveline components engineered to handle additional torque output.
•A strengthened rear drive shaft connects to a new, stronger rear axle. 
•Torque is delivered to the rear wheels via new ultra-high-strength steel half-shafts. 
•Air sources for the supercharger include a cold-air scoop in the lower front grille, which replaces the driver’s-side fog lamp.
•A beefed-up front suspension with coil springs and stronger control arms.
•The engine and transmission have software that gives the SUV the ability to switch to five different driving modes:  Automatic, sport, track, tow and snow. Trackhawk also features a Custom Mode that allows the driver to personalize the vehicle’s performance.

The Trackhawk has what the automaker says is a "driver-focused interior" with soft-touch materials, black chrome finishes and a 7-inch driver information display instrument cluster.

Fiat Chrysler did not release pricing. Built in Detroit at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will arrive in Jeep showrooms towards the end of this year.

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