HEMEEE
02-11-2006, 01:38 PM
http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/images/cherokeesrt8-logo.jpg (http://www.cherokeesrt8.com)
Grand Cherokee SRT8 shows muscle
BY WARREN BROWN
The Washington Post
Call it a hellion: the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, the most powerful Jeep ever made and one of the most powerful sport-utility models sold in America today.
It came with a standard 6.1-liter, 425-horsepower Hemi V-8 engine, and accelerated from zero to 60 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds. DaimlerChrysler engineers say the Grand Cherokee SRT8 can move much faster, from zero to 60 mph in five seconds flat. But they do their testing on a track. I drive on the highway, where there are certain impediments, such as other motorists and state troopers.
The virtuous among you might ask why a company would make a monster such as the Grand Cherokee SRT8. It has something to do with competition.
The Grand Cherokee SRT8 exists only because two other German-developed sport-utility vehicles, the Porsche Cayenne and the BMW X-5, exist. The Cayenne and X-5 are very fast, very powerful midsize sport-utility vehicles.
They're also very expensive. The V-8 Porsche Cayenne models are priced from $57,200 to $90,200, with the top model, the Cayenne Turbo, capable of developing 450 horsepower. The V-8 BMW X-5 sport-utility vehicles are priced from $53,600 to $71,100, with the top model, the X-5 4.8is, capable of developing a maximum 355 hp.
Automotive engineers are competitive by nature. So are their bosses.
The people at the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division of DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group figured they could match or beat the Porsche Cayenne and BMW X-5 in performance. They knew they could beat them in price. They went to DaimlerChrysler's parts bins, selected and redesigned various components, such as the engine, transmission and suspension parts, and came out with an, all-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicle that carries a base price of $39,300. There is no redeeming value in any of this. Redemption is not and never was intended to be the aim of this exercise. The goal is to enhance corporate bragging rights. With the Grand Cherokee SRT8, DaimlerChrysler will be able to do that. In a number of track tests, the Jeep model outran its competitors from Porsche and BMW. It also handled as well as its more costly rivals. That one-upmanship is bound to bring a response from Porsche and BMW. Competition is like that; and sometimes competition makes no sense. But they both make money. And the likelihood is that the Grand Cherokee SRT8 will haul in the cash for DaimlerChrysler, even in an era of rising fuel prices and vocal opposition to all things sport-utility vehicle.
The people who will buy the Grand Cherokee SRT8 aren't concerned about fuel economy any more than many invading armies are concerned about liberation. They are intoxicated by power, seduced by the possibility of getting more for less. It redeems nothing. But it sells well.
http://www.charleston.net/assets/graphics/blank_gray_1px.gif
This article appeared in The Post and Courier and updated online at Charleston.net on Friday, January 06, 2006.
Grand Cherokee SRT8 shows muscle
BY WARREN BROWN
The Washington Post
Call it a hellion: the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, the most powerful Jeep ever made and one of the most powerful sport-utility models sold in America today.
It came with a standard 6.1-liter, 425-horsepower Hemi V-8 engine, and accelerated from zero to 60 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds. DaimlerChrysler engineers say the Grand Cherokee SRT8 can move much faster, from zero to 60 mph in five seconds flat. But they do their testing on a track. I drive on the highway, where there are certain impediments, such as other motorists and state troopers.
The virtuous among you might ask why a company would make a monster such as the Grand Cherokee SRT8. It has something to do with competition.
The Grand Cherokee SRT8 exists only because two other German-developed sport-utility vehicles, the Porsche Cayenne and the BMW X-5, exist. The Cayenne and X-5 are very fast, very powerful midsize sport-utility vehicles.
They're also very expensive. The V-8 Porsche Cayenne models are priced from $57,200 to $90,200, with the top model, the Cayenne Turbo, capable of developing 450 horsepower. The V-8 BMW X-5 sport-utility vehicles are priced from $53,600 to $71,100, with the top model, the X-5 4.8is, capable of developing a maximum 355 hp.
Automotive engineers are competitive by nature. So are their bosses.
The people at the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division of DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group figured they could match or beat the Porsche Cayenne and BMW X-5 in performance. They knew they could beat them in price. They went to DaimlerChrysler's parts bins, selected and redesigned various components, such as the engine, transmission and suspension parts, and came out with an, all-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicle that carries a base price of $39,300. There is no redeeming value in any of this. Redemption is not and never was intended to be the aim of this exercise. The goal is to enhance corporate bragging rights. With the Grand Cherokee SRT8, DaimlerChrysler will be able to do that. In a number of track tests, the Jeep model outran its competitors from Porsche and BMW. It also handled as well as its more costly rivals. That one-upmanship is bound to bring a response from Porsche and BMW. Competition is like that; and sometimes competition makes no sense. But they both make money. And the likelihood is that the Grand Cherokee SRT8 will haul in the cash for DaimlerChrysler, even in an era of rising fuel prices and vocal opposition to all things sport-utility vehicle.
The people who will buy the Grand Cherokee SRT8 aren't concerned about fuel economy any more than many invading armies are concerned about liberation. They are intoxicated by power, seduced by the possibility of getting more for less. It redeems nothing. But it sells well.
http://www.charleston.net/assets/graphics/blank_gray_1px.gif
This article appeared in The Post and Courier and updated online at Charleston.net on Friday, January 06, 2006.