2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Review: 4WD Theme Park

‘Go fast, go fast, go fast, pleeease?,’ said the miniature voices from the back seat as we inundated city streets with supercharger whine and V8 rumble.

You might as well call the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk the five-passenger Viper, but that would actually be an understatement because it’s so much more than that. The savagery that’s unleashed by its 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine in combination with its intricate all-wheel-drive system is something out of this world. Or to put it in my kids’ own words: “It’s pretty freaking awesome.”

I found myself piloting Jeep’s newest and hottest machine to Sam’s Club in order to gather the necessary goods for Thanksgiving dinner. The short drive there included a four-mile highway stint and another mile or two in city streets, and so far the Trackhawk hadn’t shocked me one bit. The cabin was quiet, the seats were comfortable, and aside from a slightly firmer suspension, the overall driving dynamics were nearly identical to those in the normal Grand Cherokee.

After fighting hordes of people to snatch the last few champagne bottles and disposable dinner plates, my wife and I took advantage of all 36.3 cubic feet of cargo space the trunk had to offer. In fact, on a separate trip we had to lower the second row to fit a whopping 30 cases of bottled water (nearly 1,000 pounds). A few hours into my temporary ownership of the world’s fastest and quickest SUV, none of its alleged capabilities had manifested.

Interestingly enough, even with a price tag of $90,880 (as-tested), the Trackhawk doesn’t look like the expensive piece of sheet metal that it is. Aside from a tweaked front fascia, hefty brake rotors with six-piston Brembo calipers in yellow, and Trackhawk badging on the sides and rear, it’s nearly identical to its less expensive SRT sibling. Just as my brain began to create a logical explanation for the Trackhawk being an utter waste of money, it was time to pick up the kids from their last day of school.

Backpacks were thrown in the back and butts were planted on the seats, and because my kids aren’t oblivious to dad’s career they knew that this wasn’t a normal Jeep. They quickly began clamoring to be shown the SUV’s darker side, because after all, there’s nothing exciting about being picked up from school in a plain ‘ole Grand Cherokee. But a Trackhawk? Absolutely.

With five programmable driving modes, the Trackhawk is able to adapt to whatever life or mother nature throws at it. Auto, Tow, Snow, Sport, and Track. In this case, life called for dad to be cool and make some noise, so Sport mode it was. A quick shift to neutral and a stab of the throttle as we exited the school pickup line shook the parking lot like Armageddon was upon us. I was blown away by the velocity at which the digital rpm needle moved toward the redline. It was just a little taste of what the Trackhawk contained under the hood.

Jeep toiled tirelessly to keep this SUV masquerading as a supercar usable and comfortable during everyday life. Despite dropping a Hellcat motor into the engine bay, the iconic manufacturer didn’t lose touch with who their target buyers were: moms and dads. The sound-deadening material remains and so does the comfortable ride height and quality. Furthermore, the engine mapping makes sure the Trackhawk is buttery smooth and doesn’t snap necks at every stop sign on the way to soccer practice. Unless you want it to, of course.

I drove home while the kiddos in the back tinkered with all the options, and boy were there many. With ambient temperatures hovering around 29-39 degrees, my backseat drivers appreciated the heated second-row seats, as well as the large vents for their end of the cabin. In order to keep them extra-comfy on longer hauls, the second-row backrests recline considerably. Oh, and I can’t forget the two USB ports for their charging needs.

Eventually, we all grew comfortable with the beast and began poking it and making it angrier and angrier. The supercharged Hemi responded to our teasing with loud engine growls and harsh exhaust barks. Finally, I clicked the left paddle shifter to bring the ZF-derived eight-speed transmission into a lower gear, and I gave it the beans.

Innocence is the best attribute of being a kid, one that goes hand-in-hand with honesty. I know that my children have experienced more vehicle shenanigans than the average six-, eleven- and fourteen-year-old, and for that very same reason, I know that the shocked looks on their faces were legitimate. Not like my son’s screaming and hollering while the Trackhawk was under full acceleration didn’t give it away, but you never know — kids can be sneaky. Ultimately, you can watch the videos and judge for yourself.

Traffic becomes a blur if one dares hold the throttle down for longer than five seconds. The engine screams with anger as the 5,360-pound Jeep dives like a hawk into the invisible barrier created between itself and the air. With or without the aid of the Trackhawk’s launch control system, the occupants, young or old, are viciously thrown against their seats and against their will. The 3.5-second 0-60-mph time claimed by Jeep is real, and in fact, it’s beatable. We recorded a 3.4-second 0-60 and an 8.1-second 0-100-mph run on a 27-degree morning, and with five thrilled occupants onboard. Imagine what a lightweight test driver on fresh tires and a light fuel load on a 75-degree sunny day could do?

ALSO SEE: What the Forum Says About Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

As far as the kids, they’re amazed. They laughed, they screamed, and they had a blast experiencing something that very few will ever get the chance to. They may not comprehend that the Trackhawk single-handedly defies the laws of physics when it launches itself forward aided by 11.6 psi of boost, but they do understand that “it’s pretty freaking awesome.”

Photos for JK-Forum via SG.Photo & Napcar Photography

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