2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 by Hennessey

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Dec 21, 2011

With one little teaser note - "Who Needs Reindeer When You Have an 800 HP Twin Turbo Sleigh?" - Hennessey->ke1863 Performance has given us even more reason to love the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. The American tuning company went bananas on the HEMI-powered SUV, releasing a comprehensive tuning program that includes aerodynamic and performance upgrades that will leave your jaws on the floor.

Talking about the former, Hennessey dressed up the Grand Cherokee SRT8 with a new carbon fiber front splitter, a lowered suspension system, a new set of light alloy wheels with 15.1" Brembo brakes, and a custom leather interior with a new Alcantara steering wheel. Pretty good, right?

It gets better.

Known for being one of the best engine tuners in the country, Hennessey saw the enormous potential of the Grand Cherokee SRT8's 6.4-liter HEMI V8 engine and decided that it could still get some more tweaking. And that's precisely what they did. Additional modifications include an upgraded transmission system and torque converter upgrade, 15.1 inch Brembo brakes front and rear, a lowered sport suspension system, lighter alloy wheels, carbon fiber front splitter and a custom leather interior with Alcantara steering wheel. Thanks to an HPE800 Twin-Turbo engine package, an upgraded transmission system, and a torque converter upgrade, Hennessey managed to bring the output of the Grand Cherokee SRT8 from its 'regular' 465 horsepower and 465 lb/ft of torque figures, all the way up to an eye-popping 805 horsepower and 823 lb/ft of torque. These numbers are good enough to drop the SUV's 0-60 mph number from 4.8 seconds to a mentally disturbing 3.1 seconds and set the quarter mile at 10.9 at 130 mph.

Hennessey will only build 24 of these bad boys with the limited numbers reflecting the tuned-up SUV's price tag: $235,000.

Can you say *gulp*?