Autoweek did a long term update on the SRT8 Jeep and Loved it! Automobile magazine put it up against the Cayenne Turbo, MB ML63, RR Sport, and BMW x5, Loved it and said quicker then any of the European bluebloods, including the twice as expensive Amg ml65!!! Check the new magazines out!!!

autoweek:

http://autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070508/FREE/70507009


THIRD QUARTER
AS-TESTED PRICE: $44,390
MILES DRIVEN (quarter/to date): 8225/22,038
FUEL MILEAGE (quarter/to date): 14.7/14.7 mpg
FUEL COST (quarter/to date): $1,490.45/$3,261.50
DAYS OUT OF SERVICE (quarter/to date): None/none
MAINTENANCE: 16,000-mile service, including oil change, front- and rear-axle fluid change and inspection ($269.95); 21,000-mile service, including oil change and inspection ($99.95)
There are craftier Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 owners than us. After our second-quarter update revealed our failed acquisition of stock-size snow tires, we heard from numerous owners who had improvised with more readily available 19-inch snow tires on aftermarket rims.

As for our SRT8, we hammered through another quarter on the stock tires and survived some tough winter conditions. “I was happy to learn that the SRT8—despite the wide and low-profile performance tires—was a dog sled in the snow,” said one editor after a ski trip to northern Michigan. “I ran into a few snow squalls on the freeway and roads covered in deep snow in ski country, and the Grand Cherokee plugged through it like, well, a Jeep.”

The tires did, however, meet their match on an ice-covered I-94 trip to Chicago. A few wild slides kept our speed around 40 mph for half of the nine-hour ordeal from Detroit.

While everyone in the office remains addicted to the HEMI’s punch, some continue to wonder about the chassis’ rough-and-tumble personality over long-distance slogs. “I’d likely question my sanity if I had to drive this dude for a few thousand miles on a road trip,” said one editor. He later stuffed the Cherokee with his family and a week’s worth of luggage and embarked on a 2500-mile round trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama, only to come back and eat his words. “I take it all back. Turns out the Grand Cherokee does some of its best work on the wide-open road, where it can breathe freely, ride on smooth pavement and attend to its occupants’ needs with little muss or fuss.”

Another high point was that highway fuel economy regularly averaged 17 mpg—a full 2 mpg above EPA highway estimates. The truck’s vehicle information center was praised for its help in planning fuel stops, and the rear-seat entertainment system kept young passengers occupied with PlayStation guitar duels.

With three months of duty remaining, the Jeep has been marred mechanically only by the development of loud squeals from the Brembos during low-speed braking. At the last scheduled maintenance, the dealer inspected the brakes and discovered scored rotors. New rotors and pads are on order. Besides that, reliability has been rock-solid, and the interior is still rattle-free; with luck, it will remain so until we turn in the keys.

...........MAINTENANCE: 16,000-mile service, including oil change, front- and rear-axle fluid change and inspection ($269.95); 21,000-mile service, including oil change and inspection ($99.95)..............
With three months of duty remaining, the Jeep has been marred mechanically only by the development of loud squeals from the Brembos during low-speed braking. At the last scheduled maintenance, the dealer inspected the brakes and discovered scored rotors. New rotors and pads are on order. Besides that, reliability has been rock-solid, and the interior is still rattle-free; with luck, it will remain so until we turn in the keys.

Great article. Sounds like they were able to score new brakes at the 21K mile service. Some of us may need to refer back to this when the new TSB comes out this month if it has the 12k mile cap.

Automobile recorded the follwoing #'s for GC SRT8:

0-60: 4.4
0-100: 11.4
0-120: 17.7
30-70: 5.1
1/4 mile: 13.2 @ 105mph
70-0: 173 ft

FYI the ML63 posted the following #'s:

0-60: 4.5
0-100: 10.9
0-120: 15.9
30-70: 4.4
1/4 mile: 13.1 @ 109mph
70-0: 171 ft

good read. thanks. and will also look fwd to those new brakes at 21K

Automobile recorded the follwoing #'s for GC SRT8:

0-60: 4.4
0-100: 11.4
0-120: 17.7
30-70: 5.1
1/4 mile: 13.2 @ 105mph
70-0: 173 ft

FYI the ML63 posted the following #'s:

0-60: 4.5
0-100: 10.9
0-120: 15.9
30-70: 4.4
1/4 mile: 13.1 @ 109mph
70-0: 171 ft

What did the Cayenne post?

The Cayenne Turbo (new one):

0-60: 5.1
0-100: 12.8
0-120: 18.6
30-70: 4.9
1/4 mile: 13.6 @ 106mph
70-0: 167 ft

Automobile recorded the follwoing #'s for GC SRT8:

0-60: 4.4
0-100: 11.4
0-120: 17.7
30-70: 5.1
1/4 mile: 13.2 @ 105mph
70-0: 173 ft

FYI the ML63 posted the following #'s:

0-60: 4.5
0-100: 10.9
0-120: 15.9
30-70: 4.4
1/4 mile: 13.1 @ 109mph
70-0: 171 ft

Wish they had 60' times. The guys over at the ML forum find it hard to believe that the GC will jump out to a 1.5 car lead on the ML63 (as shown in a video) before they both reach 60mph. Don't think they realize just how crazy these things are from a dig.

Here's the full data panel:

http://web1.mattlandish.com/gallery/albums/forumpix/automobilemag_perf_testing.sized.jpg

good article...I liked it much better than Karl Brauer's article from Edmunds!:)

good article...I liked it much better than Karl Brauer's article from Edmunds!:)


My mouth is full of food right now, so I'm just gonna keep it shut :)

Here's the full data panel:

Matt - so I take it you guys do not have 60' times?

I work for Edmunds but have buddies over at Automobile...I'll check with them to see what other times they captured. They may have been limited to a shorter/straight track because the article didn't seem to test top speed times so they may not have performed the full barrage of tests.

I've driven all these vehicles and It's just amazing at the neck-snapping force from the Jeep powertrain from a dig, even when it's down almost 100hp to some of its (twice-as-expensive) competitors.

-Matt

I've driven all these vehicles and It's just amazing at the neck-snapping force from the Jeep powertrain from a dig, even when it's down almost 100hp to some of its (twice-as-expensive) competitors.

-Matt

Thanks for checking!

Sounds to me that you would agree that the Jeep will put at least a car length on the ML63 starting from a stop?

Here's the Jeep write-up:

http://web1.mattlandish.com/gallery/albums/forumpix/jeep1.jpg

http://web1.mattlandish.com/gallery/albums/forumpix/jeep2.jpg

http://web1.mattlandish.com/gallery/albums/forumpix/jeep3.jpg


Comments on the last sentence?

-M

Guy obviously never took it to the track.

I happy to hear they got such great gas mileage. I'm taking my wife's SRT8 to NC this summer and was worried about it.

Can you imagine if it had the 500hp 6.4liter?!?!

Can you imagine if it had the 500hp 6.4liter?!?!

I can imagine it right now. A faster, even more fun SUV with a really cheap interior and a crappy paint job.

It seems we can never be good enough for the auto mags. Yeah maybe the interior isn't the greatest and it doesn't do so well offroad, it's always something with these guys.

The Jeep kicks a** in except 70-0 braking and then by a few feet.

The next time you see a Porsche on the Rubicon let me know. Yeah I know you won't see a srt8 on the rubicon either.

For what the Jeep costs probably the best money u can spend compared to the competition, at least I hope so cos I'm still saving to get one.

It seems we can never be good enough for the auto mags. Yeah maybe the interior isn't the greatest and it doesn't do so well offroad, it's always something with these guys.

The Jeep kicks a** in except 70-0 braking and then by a few feet.

The next time you see a Porsche on the Rubicon let me know. Yeah I know you won't see a srt8 on the rubicon either.

For what the Jeep costs probably the best money u can spend compared to the competition, at least I hope so cos I'm still saving to get one.

I got the stats that matter.... stands out in a crowd,..... 0-60 in 4.4, quarter in 13.2.... they can shove their complaints in their a**. :D

For the price of the Cayenne turbo one could purchase an SRT8, a Wrangler Rubicon, and an E39 M5.

Also its nice that a mag finally points out that the Cayenne is as useless offroad as the SRT8 off the showroom floor.

I hadn't seen this before in print. Will frame and put in garage. Anybody else seen this one? New to me. Black Jeep with stats write up - JOIN THE POWER ELITE. Seen dealer glossy photos, but nice to see this one in print.