This is the sixth installment of the TFLcar Track Week video review series. Track Week is where we take every day cars and put them through their paces at the High Plains Raceway in Colorado. TFLcar team attended the annual RMDE event put on by the RMAP association, and Roman wanted to see how these cars compare to each other on the race track. So, we mounted the cameras and the SoloDL GPS data recorder, and Roman went out in search of the best lap times.
Today we have the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT. This high performance Grand Cherokee has been around for several years and it keeps getting better and better. It receives further tweaks for the 2014 model year and can now tow more than ever before (up to 7,200 pounds). Jeep thinks that this will be your ideal vehicle for towing your SRT Viper or another sports or racing car to the track. Turns out it’s also great for “dusting off” a racetrack, taking three or four of your closest friends on a hot lap, or simply learning a new track.
I was fortunate to spend a lot of seat time in this beast. It feels a little top heavy in corners the first time you get into it. However, the more I drove it – the more comfortable I got and started to push it further and further into corners. It has several driving modes and an ability to turn traction control off. SRT engineer told me that if you turn the dial to “Track” mode and leave the traction control On, then it will produce the best times for 99% of drivers out there. He mentioned that there are only one or two people in the world that can wrangle this Jeep into a quicker lap time with traction control Off. Sure enough – this mode felt the best. This system lets you drive aggressively and it won’t kill the throttle on you. I only felt it come into action once. The instructor I was with called it “the hand of God helping me along”.
See more TFLcar reviews of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT.
Please enjoy this race track video review, and come back again to see the rest of the top ten. Tomorrow’s Track Week car is the quick 2013 Ford Focus ST hot hatch.
Track Week Top Ten:
10. 2014 Nissan Juke NISMO – 1:14.66
9. 2014 Mazda Mazda6 2.5 AT – 1:14.14
8. 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Cabrio – 1:13.79
7. 2013 Honda Accord Sport AT – 1:12.28
6. 2013 Subaru BRZ – 1:12.24
5. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT – 1:09.79
4. 2013 Ford Focus ST – 1:08.89
3. 2013 Audi S5 – 1:07.13
2. 2013 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE – 1:04.06
1. 2014 Nissan GT-R Premium – 1:02.45
Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, reporter, and software engineer. He has been a contributor at TFLcar since 2011. When not working or spending time with the family – you can find him tinkering in the garage or simply ‘going for a drive’.
