Jeep Trackhawk or Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
From a purely visual standpoint, the Trackhawk and the Grand Cherokee SRT8 are very similar. The two models share a basic body format, but the Jeep Trackhawk is equipped with a much more sophisticated powertrain and suspension. If you saw the Jeep Trackhawk and the Grand Cherokee SRT8 parked alongside one another; you would notice that the Trackhawk has no fog lights and the SRT8 does. That’s because the supercharged Trackhawk requires more ambient air for cooling purposes. The Trackhawk utilizes the fog lamp openings to draw cool, dense air from outside the engine compartment.
The Trackhawk uses quad-exhaust tips where the SRT8 is equipped with dual tips. Trackhawk badging adorns both front doors and the tailgate of the Trackhawk. Not so on the SRT8. Yellow Brembo brake calipers are visible through the wheels of the Jeep Trackhawk (all-four corners).
You might not be able to see it with the naked eye, but the Trackhawk has one inch less ground clearance than the SRT8. It sits lower.
Doesn’t seem like a lot, huh? Truth is, the Trackhawk and the SRT8 are vastly different. While both engines are hemispherical (HEMI) in design, the Trackhawk is supercharged. The supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI of the Trackhawk requires more air and more cooling capacity than the 6.4-liter naturally aspirated HEMI of the SRT8. It also has the capacity to produce much more horsepower and torque.
While the fog lamp delete option provides a bit of extra cool air for the Trackhawk, it needs even more. The Chrysler SRT development team rectified this need with innovative engine oil cooling, transmission cooling and differential cooling systems developed from racing models. The on-board air conditioning system was also used to provide more cool, dense air for the supercharged HEMI.
The extreme levels of horsepower and torque produced by the Trackhawk required a stronger torque converter, transmission, transfer case, driveshaft, rear end and axles. When the smoke cleared, the Trackhawk had been redesigned (mechanically). The Jeep Trackhawk has become a (sort of) big brother to the SRT8. Everything about it is bigger, faster, stronger and lighter than the SRT8, even though it is (aesthetically) very similar.
Despite the supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine of the Jeep Trackhawk, daily driving conditions can be managed effectively using selectable driver mode options, including Auto, Sport, Track, Snow and Tow. Once the driver makes a selection, on-board systems such as Quad-Trac Automated All-Wheel Drive, Bilstein Adaptive Dampening Suspension and Selec-Trac Traction Control automatically adjust weight distribution, torque placement and ride height in order to optimize driving efficiency. Additional features like Launch Control and Torque Reserve provide an even greater edge for the Trackhawk on the dragstrip.
