Will The 2017 Jeep Trackhawk Have A De-Clawed Hellcat?

grandcherokeehellcatIn the past year or two, there’s been a lot of commotion about the fate of SRT and which cars will be carrying the label through the future. The currently developing Jeep ‘Trackhawk’ is a major point of focus in that realm, and – while we covered what info is going around in our previous article – there’s still a lot of uncertainty about this new performance-oriented Grand Cherokee.

2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRTWhat we know so far is that last year Chrysler applied for a US patent of the ‘Trackhawk’ name, working on protecting it for this new Grand Cherokee. Since SRT has now fallen exclusively under the Dodge umbrella, it is most likely that the Jeep Trackhawk will essentially be what a new SRT model would have been. Other than that, though, all the rumors floating around the Trackhawk are just that – rumors.

However, as time wears on and the story continues to develop, it looks like the rumor that the Trackhawk will be coupled with a Hellcat powerplant is starting to take shape. But while 707 horses in a Jeep Grand Cherokee sounds like a great time, it doesn’t look like that’ll be the case.

Allpar has suggested that – according to sources of theirs – the latest news on the Trackhawk is that it will indeed get the Hellcat, but a slightly tamed version. There are a few speculated (but viable) reasons behind having the mill detuned considerably.

Two items that would be a welcomed addition to the Grand Cherokee, don't you think?

For one, the Jeep is an all-wheel drive model and it’s not feasible to subject an AWD drivetrain to 707 horsepower and expect reliability. Next, given the limited aerodynamic features on the Cherokee models, the massive heat output inherent in high-horsepower applications is of concern. Lastly (and most obviously), is the high-center of gravity that Cherokees have. Giving 707 horsepower to something so high off the ground is just plain dangerous. But while these present perfectly logical reasons for detuning the Hellcat, we aren’t certain how much the engine’s power would be cut.

Altogether, there’s still quite a bit we don’t know – and even more we don’t know for sure – surrounding the Trackhawk. We’re all interested to see how this story unfolds. Although we’ve been told that any vehicle getting the supercharged Hemi will bear the Hellcat name, nothing of the sort has been brought up in the media. We were told, however, Hellcat is the code name for the engine, and it is not in reference to any specific model. Based off what we’ve shared with you so far, however, what do you think of this Trackhawk? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

About the author

Joshua Phillips

Josh has always been captivated by cars, from legendary classics and late-model American muscle to European supercars.
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