A dark slate gray interior color, accent stitching on the seats and a unique SRT-designed leather-wrapped steering wheel are some of the highlights. Full instrumentation includes a 180-mph (300-kph) speedometer, tachometer and temperature gauges, all trimmed with a unique blue accent.

For rear-seat passenger comfort and convenience, the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 continues to offer SIRIUS BackSeat TV™. SIRIUS Backseat TV features three channels of respected children’s TV featuring many of the most well-known kids’ programming, including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. SIRIUS Backseat TV operates via an in-vehicle satellite video receiver and two small roof-mounted antennas.

SRT engineers created the first SRT vehicle with full-time four-wheel drive by creating a new transfer case. They used the front half of a Jeep transfer case, chosen for its capability and light weight, and mated it to the rear half of a heavier-duty case, chosen for its ruggedness and ability to house electronic full-time, four-wheel-drive system components.

Under normal driving conditions, five to 10 percent of torque is directed to the front wheels, but as much of the 6.1-liter HEMI® V-8’s torque that’s needed can be directed forward when additional traction or stability is required. Remaining torque is sent via a heavy-duty driveshaft to a Dana 44 rear axle.

Providing horsepower and torque to the unique SRT four-wheel-drive system is a specially tuned version of the 6.1-liter SRT HEMI® engine, which was developed by adding more displacement, increasing the compression ratio and redesigning the cylinder heads, intake and exhaust systems for better flow and increased engine speed (versus the 5.7-liter HEMI).

Power from the SRT 6.1-liter HEMI is sent through a special torque converter to an SRT-upgraded, five-speed automatic transmission with specially calibrated driver-selectable Auto Stick, which offers fully automatic or manual shift selection.

Chassis setup for the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 employs SRT-tuned dampers, unique sway bars and specially tailored spring rates and suspension bushings. Front suspension knuckles were redesigned to accommodate high-performance braking and steering systems. The ride height of the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is one inch lower than the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which lowers aerodynamic drag as well as the center of gravity, and contributes to the vehicle’s stability and aggressive stance.

The braking system on the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 features four-piston performance brake calipers developed by Brembo, finished in red. These calipers work with 360 mm x 32 mm vented rotors up front, and 350 mm x 28 mm vented rotors in the rear.