The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is a nasty all wheel drive beast that delivers sports car performance, truck-like towing abilities and the interior spaciousness of a full size sport utility vehicle. The SRT Jeep sends 470 horsepower and 470lb-ft of torque to all four wheels with a varying ratio depending on the drive mode chosen but with some dealership magic, this brawny SUV can be switched to rear wheel drive.
Why would you want your Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 to be rear wheel drive? To do gigantic burnouts, of course!
This video is from an SRT product launch a while back and it shows a bright silver Jeep SRT Grand Cherokee absolutely destroying the rear tires. The SRT people have obviously worked some magic with the electronic four wheel drive transfer case to prevent power from being sent to the front wheels and that allows this SRT Jeep to do one wicked burnout. From what I have read online, it isnt great for the Jeep to lock it into rear wheel drive and then to big, nasty burnouts but this is almost surely a preproduction vehicle that will be driven hard until the wheels fall off – meaning that we get to enjoy watching someone destroy the factory rear rubber with the 392 cubic inch Hemi.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
