2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 – First test

Willow Springs Raceway probably isn’t the first place that people think of while testing Jeep limits. 9 turns of road high-speed course is far removed from the famous trails like Hell’s Revenge or Rubicon as you will get, but this does not mean that the company famous for go any where automobiles can not go here with some help from the performance brand of Chrysler’s.

Ralph Gilles, the CEO and president of SRT Chrysler group says that the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is delicious. He is the man behind the 5150-pound 6.4-liter, yuppie-stomper; it will certainly scare the pedestrians and make bros do the high 5 thing. I totally agree that this cheesecake is yummy and are 3 other new SRT automobiles apart from this one. This is a steaming platter thing containing chili fries served in cheese and the words yummy and delicious certainly don’t do justice here. This one is much better.

When you pound the accelerator off the line, this SRT is much less brutal than what you’d think. It shoots out and squats from the dig, but there are no slams and there is nothing uncontrolled. This AWD Jeep is damn fast. Previous SRT8 went to 60 miles per hour in less than five seconds, but 2012 contains more power and the handling too is efficient. The coarseness is shifted and this shows age of 5-speed automatic. The engineers had explained before that shifting is harder in the manual mode; it is done for increasing sportiness. The performance isn’t improved, but in my testing, I was certainly sportier. Back in to the auto mode.

Turn 1 is an up hill big, open, and left hander. While I was coming out of pits and still pressing the accelerator, I barely lifted going in to turn. On a lap which flies this will be biggest test for brakes. Turn 2 is right-hand skid pad. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are roller coaster of left, double apex right, left, right, along with large changes of elevation. 7 is barely there as kink in back stretch; 8 is of high speed test of bravery; and 8 is decreasing radius turn which I call Car Wrecker.

Getting out of 9 on warm up lap it was a bit hard on throttle. The end of the straight climbs uphill as I head into Turn One’s braking markers. End of straight were climbing up hill when I was heading in to the braking markers of Turn One. 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 was still pulling pretty hard before I applied the brakes. Brembo gives 4-piston rear and 6-piston front calipers. Front rotors are big fifteen inches and rears are a big 13.8 inches. The stopping power is really good, with a good feel of the pedal, and they travel big on long side. This car goes around a bit, but things were pretty predictable while going in to Turn One before turning in, I was off pedal. Front end yearns for quick change of the direction, but the rest of the body struggles for it.

Rear was still hooked up and during my test; it pushed and missed the apex by some feet. This isn’t expected from some thing which Jeep labels as “Track Rated.” The line is tightened up by getting on throttle. ZF and SRT team have made electronic rear differential which pushes power from one side to the other for adjusting the rotation of vehicle in turns. Front end uses open standard differential and for most extreme conditions, the system of stability control uses brakes for correction of course.

Accelerating hard of turn 1, the approach in to 2 is down hill. My entry was trail-braking deep and hot in to turn considering that I have the electronics close to me. When torque stability control and vectoring systems register high steering angle in braking, they lock up rear diff and the car is rotated. Suddenly this big girl can now dance. Rear starts swinging around and front end too digs in but this does not feel like it is getting away. 2 is long, and unfortunately it is fast only in the first third of my turn. Coming back on throttle and my Jeep settled with good roll. It feels quite neutral with a lot of grip from 295/45ZR20 Pirellis which are used in all the 4 corners. You can be make 2 in to single arc, but for getting most out of exit, a 2 apex line is good enough for Jeep. For the floor, things are pretty flat. This Jeep is not about just precision – you won’t find the millimeter of accuracy which you get on European rivals. Precision comes with a price though. You can get 2 Jeep SRT8s for price of single Porsche Cayenne Turbo. So will be able to run Cayenne right to the track’s edge but Jeep needs some error margin. You should aim for foot right from edge as you may end up on that particular edge anyways.

Going in to turn 3, I had to apply a big brake stab. I got deeper in to ABS in here and the car wasn’t unsettled either. I just eased off the pedal for getting some rotation. Track shot up hill and there was late apex. The banking and up hill means that it is pulling over G here is possible and this is verified by performance onboard computer. Jeep here employs all the suspension travel and the tires are loaded up as if they are going in to thick mud. Bump stops are never hit and this is good. Bilstein from adaptive suspension lets the jeep soak up cornering forces when it is dealing with the bumps on track. If you get hard on throttle here, the back end will get out while climbing hill. Some of the cars tend pick up understeer and front end, but Hemi having a torque of 465 lb-ft comes alive in such conditions and works in conjunction with rear end.

When coming over hill top, things were quite natural just like any other Jeep. However, things weren’t really fun when I was trying to rotate all the 5150 pounds while in to Turn 4. For me, it felt like the car was chasing the apex and when I went past it, pulling back in line was a bit difficult. This Jeeps likes muscling but only when it is in a fight where it will win. I unwinded the new thick-rimmed flat-bottomed SRT wheel and then things were composed. A foot down got me down that hill very fast. It is recommended that you stand on brakes and do not run over 5. It’s down hil but does come back for meeting the apex. I got the wheel straight and then pulled the Jeep out of 5 just like freight frightened train.

Apex of Six is close to rise’s crest. Aerodynamics are reworked on SRT8 but the physics still win. Deep front valence usually keeps Jeep at high speeds. On the straight roads, Chrysler has rated the highest speed at 160 miles per hour. Just touching the triple digits over the rise, it’s possible to get the tires off pavement. Even with handicapped rubber, this Jeep feels pretty safe. For these speeds, I was wondering if there is anyone brave enough for sitting on the back seats. SRT front seats are about living room recliners size but back seat people have almost as much space as the front-seated passengers.

Reaching about 125 miles per hour at end of back straight, all I had to do was touch the brakes for setting up eigth. It is right hander long and fastest turn for this track. 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 was driving pretty happily at 110 miles per hour. It took deep set on out side wheels and I stayed in middle of track as it’ll move a bit. Then I scrubbed enough speed for staying on gas for the turn. Jeep uses electronically controlled center clutch pack differential for moving power front to the back and hence I didn’t need to worry about torque which was blasting my rear tires. For normal operation, the power was split 65/35 rear/front but you can put it where ever it will be used for the best. If you stay power then the car will be stabilized and allows torque vectoring rear differential will be allowed to do what it has to. Some bumps were harrowing but my biggest concern was the exit. Average here is above 0.8 g. The big bolsters were looking good on new seats and I was sliding around with them. I unwound and then drifted out when braking for the 9. I might have showed some bravery and pitched up side ways for scrubbing speed, but the Jeep was pretty confidence-inspiring and going on SUV with over 100 mph is a real test of nerves.

9 is pretty tough and it wanted me to suck inside before apex. You need patience here. I kept it out there for a little longer till I thought I was gonna die and then turned in. Even at such speeds, the automobile will rotate if brakes are carried inside. I rejoiced when I realized that I was going out alive. I clipped the apex with out sticking tire in rut and grabbing boot full of the throttle. There is whooptie close to apex which unsettles the vehicle even more. I call this Car Wrecker out of affection. You should aim for pit entrance. Jeep will unweight, but will stays more composed as compared to some of the sportier cars that I have had experience of scaring myself. It rotates a little from bump and then points right down straight.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 has some improvements which were not made for the quicker track times. 6.4-liter new Hemi V-8 also saves on gas. Exhaust system is redesigned for utilizing volume variable muffler letting new deactivation system of cylinder for using with greater operation range. Engineering team claims 13 percent improvement in the high way fuel consumption and this automobile can give you 450 miles from a single gas tank. Some people give a lot of importance to fuel consumption but I don’t think they will buy from these.

Mr. Gilles might reiterate that this vehicle is delicious but I think that my description should contain some expletives too. This certainly is not any cup cake. It is more like steak cooked over fire. It is a full meal and not snack. If I need to keep it very clean, then you will go with the succulent.