Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT beats hot rod at Santa Pod
V8-powered SUV went head to head over the quarter-mile sprint
The Jeep Cherokee SRT has beaten a Hemi-powered hot rod at the UK’s most famous drag strip, Santa Pod.
UK drag racing champion Stuart Doignie piloted the Cherokee down the famous straight, and the Jeep completed the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds, pipping the Hot Rod driven by Kelvin Dunn to the post by 0.9 seconds.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is powered by a 6.4-litre V8 engine that produces 461bhp, and hit 60mph in 4.2 seconds during its Santa Pod run. The time was helped by the car’s use of Launch Control, which allows the Cherokee to better deploy its power on to the road.
Despite being able to achieve impressively quick acceleration times, it also offers good comfort levels, thanks to suede-covered seats with sculpted bolsters designed to better hold their occupants in place during high speeds.
“I was hugely impressed by the raw power and speed of the Grand Cherokee SRT,” said Doignie.
“I’ve driven plenty of dragster vehicles at Santa Pod but never a car built purely for the road. It’s immensely quick off the line and powered through the finish gantry. It was an epically close race with the Hemi Coupe but I was glad to keep up my great record at Santa Pod with another win.”
