2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 | Retro Review

MotorWeek is made possible by Lucas Oil Auto Value and bumper to bumper and tirerack.com steimler Chrysler Street and racing Technology Group specializes in pumping up the power but until now it's concentrated on cars and trucks wearing the Dodge and Chrysler brands well now it's Jeep's turn and the first SUV to get the SRT treatment is the Grand Cherokee their SRT8 is a hot rod Jeep aimed squarely at the street foreign is normally associated with the toughing it out trail rated moniker but with the arrival of the street and racing technology group's new 2006 Grand Cherokee SRT8 we can add Street rocker to the Jeep image that's because srt's first Jeep project has received the full hot rod tuner treatment under the hood the normal 5.7 liter Hemi V8 gives way to a big bore 6.1 liter Hemi with 420 horsepower and a thumping 420 pound-feet of torque SRT Engineers boosted the hemis compression added more aggressive cams new heads a larger diameter intake manifold and then boosted Peak engine speed by 20 percent to put all that power down without shedding bearing shafts and gears SRT beefed up the five-speed automatic transmission as well as the drive shaft rear different differential and transfer case with a full-time single speed four-wheel drive system new sport tuned dampers sway bars and springs drop the SRT8 by an inch while big 20-inch Alloys wearing high performance rubber add extra stick for the pavement punch the go pedal hard and you'll hit 60 and only 4.9 seconds the quarter mile rocks by in 13.5 seconds ending at 102 miles per hour easily the quickest jeep ever with so much torque the SRT8 really Springs off the line there is a touch of rear wheel spin until the four-wheel drive connects extra power to the front from there it's pure adrenaline with big Power on tap anywhere in the Rev band The full-time system also provides high levels of traction in Corners more than we ever expected for a Jeep turn in is Coupe quick with only a touch of front plow the rack and pinion steering is also quick but a bit short on feed feedback the tail will break loose if you're not smooth on the throttle but recovery is amazingly easy with only mild body sway braking shines as well with the SRT8 stopping from 60 in an average distance of only 125 feet impressive for more than two tons of SUV the big ABS equipped Brembo disc and four piston calipers fight hard but again deliver minimal feel through a soft pedal on real world roads the Grand Cherokee SRT8 is as Nimble as it is on the track it can also tow a reasonable 3 500 pounds of trailer the ride is quite firm and noise levels are higher than its more sedate siblings this is one rumbling Jeep it's thirstier too EPA fuel mileage numbers of 12 City and 15 highway our lead-footed test drivers averaged only 11 miles per gallon but trips between gas stations will be short and comfortable thanks to the Grand Cherokee's well-equipped cabin SRT trim adds deep suede insert sport seats up front power adjustable pedals a combination of carbon fiber look and aluminum accents on the steering wheel Dash and doors and analog gauges that feature a 180 mile per hour speedometer the Grand Cherokee SRT8 also rocks with a 276 watt audio system with six disc CD changer and Boston Acoustic speakers the options list include satellite navigation and radio as well as hands-free Bluetooth Communications outside the SRT package adds a deeper front fascia designed to reduce Aero lift and improve cooling plus side seal extensions to help improve down force and a lower rear fascia with a center cut out for a pair of fat 4-inch exhaust tips it's an aggressive Jeep from any angle one guaranteed to surprise any car driver who thinks that all SUV bees are slow and clumsy now if you'd like to pack some Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 power in your garage the price starts at 39 995 dollars not bad in a world full of far slower 50 Grand plus SUVs 44 615 will bring our well option tester home just watch for speed traps along the way the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is not just the first Jeep to receive the SRT treatment it's also the first Jeep aimed exclusively at high performance Street drivers and as such it starts the Jeep ran down a new road an asphalt only Avenue that's past Furious and loads of fun foreign [Music]

Channel: MotorWeek

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Keywords: MotorWeek, MW, car, truck, suv, cuv, crossover, auto, automobile, vehicle, motor trend, review, drive, first drive, video

Id: VeCS0ndcEkU

Length: 5min 47sec (347 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 13 2023