Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk 2018 first drive

We were only given a very brief ride in the Trackhawk, totalling a handful of laps of the Spring Mountain race circuit in Nevada. Clearly, that’s not enough time to draw any firm judgement – but it was enough to illustrate that the Trackhawk has been engineered well enough that it makes far more sense to drive than it does on paper.

For a start, it doesn’t feel as brutal as you’d expect from a car with a supercharged V8 engine stuck in the front. Sure, mash the pedal and there’s a satisfying growl and a whack of acceleration; but until you start to play with launch control – we’ll get to that in a bit – it’s far more manageable than you’d expect.

That’s not to say it isn’t quick: the Trackhawk certainly shifts and it’s when you get to the end of a straight that it challenges your preconceptions again. For a big, bulky SUV with a big, heavy V8 up front, it doesn’t feel cumbersome when cornering. It turns in well at speed, with little of the understeer you’d expect - credit to the independent front suspension, Bilstein dampers and other tweaks. And it maintains admirable stability through a sequence of corners. It’s never going to match a lightweight sports car, but it does offer a more involving experience than a heavy SUV has any right to. And, don’t forget, it would be far more practical than a lightweight sports car on a trip to Ikea.

It would be quicker out of the car park too, thanks to its launch control mode. The system, accessed through the same infotainment system that offers such SUV standards as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, uses clever alchemy to pre-position the supercharger bypass valve, effectively preloading it to build up torque – which it then delivers with a hefty whack, propelling you forward so fast that you’ll forget you’re in an SUV… at least until it’s time to brake.