最近谍照记者拍到了接近量产的大切诺基Trackhawk，该车的车头进行了伪装，遮盖了硕大进气口和格栅下面额外增加的散热孔，其主要目的是为引擎降温。该车搭载一台取自道奇 Charger和Challenger Hellcats的6.2升V8引擎。在那两款车上，其功率为527千瓦/707马力，扭矩880牛米，但目前还不清楚在Trackhawk上是否也能达到这样的功率和扭矩。有一件事可以确定的是，该车将采用升级悬挂，这从照片上就可以看出来。尺寸更大刹车盘和其他硬件升级以适应引擎的强劲功率输出。即便该车功率不能达到707马力，也会比搭载6.4升V8 HEMI引擎的475马力SRT版本功率高得多。吉普已经宣布，该车0-96公里/小时加速时间仅需3.5秒，比SRT版本还快1.1秒。车厂并未透露该车最高时速，但肯定会超过SRT的253公里。当大切Trackhawk在明年7月上市时，新车和现行版两款车将同时在售，当然新车价格可能会超过SRT的65495美元。预计该车将于明年初，很可能会选择在1月的北美车展首次亮相。
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk spied with beefy parts to handle 707 hp
Europe has its Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 and BMW X5 M, while America is about to get this, the insane Jeep Grand Cherokee “Trackhawk.” The latest batch of spy images is depicting a near-production prototype with a camouflaged front end masking the beefier air intakes and the extra vent positioned below the grille to cool the engine.
Speaking of which, lurking underneath the hood is the mighty supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine taken from the Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcats. In those two, the Hellcat motor unleashes 707 horsepower (527 kilowatts) and 650 pound-feet (880 newton meters), but it will be interesting to see whether the Trackhawk will get the full power.
One thing is for sure, the range-topping Grand Cherokee is going to adopt an upgraded suspension with extra bracing as evident in the attached spy images. Enlarged brakes and a series of other hardware tweaks are also in the works to match the immense power generated by the engine. Even if it won’t get all 707 ponies, the new crown jewel of the range will have substantially more oomph than the 6.4-liter V8 HEMI engine inside the 475-hp SRT variant.
Jeep has already announced the high-powered SUV will be able to deliver some mind-blowing performances, with the 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) sprint set to take only three and a half seconds. That’s going to make it 1.1 seconds faster than the SRT version. There’s no word about the top speed, but an increase over the Grand Cherokee SRT’s 157 mph (253 kph) seems likely.
The two performance-oriented models are expected to co-exist once the Trackhawk will go on sale in July 2017 at a significant premium over then $65,495 SRT. We probably won’t have to wait until then to see it, since Jeep will likely have it ready for an official reveal in the first months of the year. Here’s hoping it will be on display in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.