Getting a move on and lurching forward is no big deal for this 2.4-tonne beast surely packs more than enough power. It launched from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds and hit a 14.2-second quarter-mile, then went on to shatter 200 km/h before I knew it. And that’s not the most impressive part either. The suspension, active Bilstein dampers included, is unbelievably effective at speed. Even taking a fast corner at 130 km/h felt like rounding an aisle with an empty shopping-trolley. It’s so taut and predictable, and when you learn that, there’s this whole new universe of possibilities that you see happening with you and it. The brakes are stupendous too. While they don’t deliver much feedback at city speeds, they work very well and truly shine when reeling in the behemoth; before you go straight through the wall and the moat and plough through someone’s farm and farmhouse. Yes, it seems pretty solid and has the safety systems to match; don’t mind the bendy bodywork when you poke around. A high-speed vehicle it may not look like, but it certainly is one, and hair-raisingly so.
The grip from the tyres, too, is immense and it holds its line very well, aided by the well-oiled power delivery and active suspension system. There is little to fault. In fact, in our efficiency runs, I was expecting a litres/kilometre reading, but it returned a full 6.0 km/l on the highway and a reassuring 3.5 km/l in the city. There’s more. Even in hairpin bends, the SRT Grand Cherokee simply carves its way through. Dare I say, it even has a tight turning circle, once you get used to its proportions — as easy as trying to pilot your living room through your house and head outside, at first.
There are few cars today that can match the awesome aura that this SRT Grand Cherokee possesses; an AMG G 63 maybe, but that’s about it. It should be priced about 35 per cent higher than the EcoDiesel, so whichever way you look at it, it will be well over the Rs 1 crore-mark. That doesn’t sound too bad, actually, considering what so many other lesser cars are priced at. It has the kit, the comfort, the safety tech and the capability to dwarf mountains. And when you consider the others around, with their minuscule engines packed with little blowers to keep up, maybe, like it did for me, it will make you — if only for an iota — whole-heartedly believe that there is no replacement for displacement. This phoenix has risen from the ashes with four, five and six litres of capacity, but this one seems like its most telling rebirth. I don’t think it will be the same the next time around. And that, right there, is your reason: if you want to hold on to that moment and make time stand still, this is the best way to do it.
