2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT: Track-Driving The Monster

Drive the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT on the Formula 1 track in Austin, Texas?  Profane the Circuit of the America's with a 5,000 lb, four-wheel drive SUV from a brand better known for building unstoppable off-road rigs than tarmac-tearing terrors?  When I was given the chance to do exactly this - to put the pedal down on close to 500 horses of Hemi power without a single traffic cop in sight - you can bet I jumped at the chance.  Along the way, I had some of my preconceptions about high performance sport-utility vehicles blown apart, and some of my own personal automotive preferences thrown into question.

A New Transmission Highlights 2014 Redesign

The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT - like the standard Grand Cherokee - has been given a once-over by Chrysler stylists and engineers that sees several new additions made to the vehicle's spec sheet.  First and foremost is the new eight-speed automatic transmission that takes the place of last year's five-speed unit.  It's impossible to overstate how much this gearbox has improved the driving experience of the SRT model, in all possible situations.  Lashed to the same 6.4-liter eight-cylinder engine that was found under the hood of the 2013 Grand Cherokee SRT, the transmission is far more capable of handling the 470 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque that motivate the mighty SUV.

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This was evident in both track driving and when puttering around the rural highways and byways that connect Austin, Texas with the COTA facility.  No longer does engaging Track mode ensure jerky, rock-hard shifts between a mere five cogs - there are now the requisite shades of grey required by serious performance driving when a powerful engine is locked up behind an automatic transmission.  Not only does the engine automatically blip the throttle when downshifting, regardless of whether the lower gear is engaged by the SUV's computer brain or the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, but additional smoothness can be found by the half-steps between the bottom and top ratios that were simply missing from the older version of the Jeep.

Launch Control - All Systems Go

Another new feature aimed at those who favour straight-line drag strips over twisty road courses is a launch control system that cages and then releases the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT's explosive power so as to maximize traction off of the line.  Engaged by pushing the drag tree-decorated button on the vehicle's center console (next to the dial that also engages Track, Sport, Auto, and Snow settings for the four-wheel drive system), launch control gives drivers a five second window to peg engine revs at 2,000 before slipping off the brake and enjoying a sub-five-second ride to 100 km/h.  With all four tires clawing at the pavement the Jeep delivers drama-free acceleration denoted by the roar of its exhaust rather than the squeal of rubber.

Plotting A Course

The line of  2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRTs sitting in the spic-n-span pit lane at the Circuit of the Americas was an incongruous sight when considering the ultra-light race cars that the twisty track was conceived for.  That, however, is the point: SRT has tuned these particular Jeeps to perform above and beyond their stock specifications and make believers out of those who would scoff at their tubbiness.

How successful has SRT been in its mission to deliver track-day thrills in a tow-ready (up to 7,200 lbs) package?  The answer is more nuanced than the snarl of the Grand Cherokee SRT's Hemi engine would suggest.  I personally am a fan of fish-out-of-water muscle car shenanigans, and so once ensconced in the cockpit of the SRT I gamely fired up its V8 and called on the vehicle's electronic nannies (set to minimal intervention for the most fun), four-wheel drive, and massive Brembo brakes to keep me out of trouble should I zig when I should have zagged.

The Jeep put a brave face on the entire morning, doing its best to haul in close to the apex cones, track out to the lip of the asphalt, and screech to a near-halt when entering a 90-degree bend.  The considerable mechanical grip offered by its tires was welcome, even when heat generated by two tons of protesting mass rendered them a slippery mess by the time the noon-day sun had risen, and acceleration along the track's 800 metre back stretch had me recalculating my braking point with each successive lap.  The SRT never felt like it was even close to putting me in danger despite rocketing me to speeds of over 200 kilometres per hour.

Just Because We Can, Doesn't Mean We Should

Of course, guaranteeing my safety isn't quite the same thing as showing me a good time.  The problem with a relatively competent, extremely heavy automobile riding high above the track is that it just doesn't offer the same symphony of feedback, call, and response that a well tuned, low-mass car can provide.  The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT is a comfortable, slick-looking guided missile that ploughs across the finish line at hair-raising full throttle instead of dancing through the corners like an agile boxer.

This is perfectly fine.  The SRT remains an accomplishment based on the effort it makes alone, because truth be told almost no one is going to be buying this SUV for the sole purpose of joining their local lapping club.  This hot rod Grand Cherokee is a stoplight bruiser, an intimidation machine par excellence that will have local gearheads quaking in their boots when it pulls up beside them on a lonely stretch of late-night road.  If you have your heart set on taking it to the track, make sure it's a drag strip, because that's where you'll have the most fun.  After all, not many people can competitively field both their quarter mile monster and the truck that towed it to the paddock.