2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

Description

In America, we like two things: horsepower and trucks. And nobody combines the two better than Chrysler's SRT division, which is responsible for this 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. Faster than a Porsche Cayenne and still retaining legendary Jeep 4-wheel drive, it's the all-weather hauler that moves like a sports car.

The Grand Cherokee got a pretty thorough makeover in 2008, but there's no mistaking this SUV for anything else on the road. The SRT guys made sure that the upright 2-box wagon profile was camouflaged as well as possible for their performance variant without erasing the truck's trademark looks. With revised front and rear fascias and deeper side skirts, it hunkers down on its suspension, so you should probably forget hitting the Rubicon with this one. Despite being six years old, this particular SRT8 still looks showroom new, and the silver paint glows thanks to careful ownership and pretty decent quality, complements of Mercedes-Benz. The silver paint is a nice, stealthy choice for a vehicle with this much performance, and chances are that you'll go largely unnoticed in the parking lots and suburban streets, which is entirely the point. As a fairly expensive vehicle when it was new ($41k+ sticker), obviously it was treated as something special throughout its life and is ready to move on to a new owner who can enjoy the insanely addictive performance.

The inside is as much sports car as SUV, with deeply bolstered power bucket seats wrapped in still perfect black leather and which hold you in place like vices. SRT8 stitching and badges are everywhere you look, just to remind you why you paid extra, including embroidery on the seat backs and specially tailored floor mats. Most equipment was standard, including A/C, power windows and locks, and a kickin' stereo system, and this SRT also includes optional goodies like a navigation system with back-up camera, sunroof, and power heated seats, which really are a must-have. A few creases on the leather is all we can see for wear, so someone must have been very careful getting in and out past those thick side bolsters and thanks to those floor mats, the carpets are almost like new. Carbon fiber and aluminum trim give it a high tech look inside, and it even gets drilled aluminum pedals, somewhat of an anomaly in a vehicle weighing in at over 5000 pounds. Fold down the rear seats and you can probably haul plywood in this racer, although the performance suspension isn't designed to carry the same loads as its lesser siblings.

The heart of the SRT is an amazing 425 horsepower 6.1 liter Hemi V8 that transforms the Jeep from stable station wagon to Autobahn-bred stormer. From the first cackle of the engine when you turn the key, you know this is something special, and it's almost impossible to resist dipping into the Hemi's huge torque reserves. Thanks to the all-wheel-drive system, you can punch it at will and the truck seems to defy the laws of physics, lunging forward like it's attached to a giant recoiling rubber band. A cold air intake probably helps eke out a few extra ponies, but otherwise it's completely stock, right down to the unique center-exit exhaust system (which obviously precludes the use of a trailer hitch). The automatic transmission seems willing and the suspension is lowered and firmed up to cope with the added power, along with a set of giant red Brembo discs to scrub speed. Handsome 20-inch wheels with 275/40/20 front and 315/35/20 rear tires do their best to transfer the force to the pavement.

New SRT8s cost a whopping $30,000 more than this one did originally and $45,000 more than this one does today, making it one heck of a performance bargain. Call today!

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