Crown

As some of you may have noticed, I got a new family ride...a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)...my first US car.

The car is equipped with a flap operated sport exhaust, hand made in Germany and with TÜV. This exhaust is based on the australian Varex exhaust but has been adapted with an electronic flap control to meet German sound emissions regulations. I won't go into details but if you ever heard the typical SRT exhausts like Borla, Corsa or others, this one is sounding better. The typical V8 blob blob blob at idle and if you accelerate, well...like the typical V8 deep growl muscle car, just 3x louder.  Amazing sound, this is half of the fun. A little pricey though...at 4200 EUR (incl. install).

Otherwise, the truck is stock, a German 2014 SRT, officially imported by Chrysler and officially sold by an officially approved dealership. So no grey import.

I picked up the truck at my dealer last Saturday and now I have over 600 km on it.

Here are my impressions (they may be a little bit different from what I wrote earlier because I only had driven a dealer car for a short period of time).

POSITIVE

- Nice looks (people actually turn their heads, this is not a car you see often in Germany)

- Good quality look and feel

- Engine/exhaust sound (even with the flaps closed, the sound is nice...a bit less loud than Cayenne GTS sound though)

- Engine feels powerful and torquey, especially in Sport or Track mode

- Launch control works very well and is very simple to use (press button, press brake pedal, fully accelerate, release brake pedal)

- Oil consumption, despite dealer cautioning that some engines may eat up to 1 liter / 1000 km, so far almost nonexistent (oil level the same as in the beginning, car has over 600 km now)

- Acceleration up to 220 kph without taking a sweat, over 220 kph a bit slower

- Excellent high speed stability (even at 240 kph, car feels rock solid), despite the wide tires (295s on all four wheels)

- Driving noise (wind, exhaust, engine) surprisingly low, excellent comfort, talking to passenger at 220 kph without having to raise the voice is easily possible

- Automatic transmission (ZF, 8 speed) shifts very fast in auto mode, always keeps the right gear for optimum performance

- Fuel consumption not as high as expected, 23 liters / 100 km on average (120 km Autobahn at 240 kph, 180 km country road at 80-100 kph), during the first 300 km (break-in), around 18 liters

- Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow tires excellent for the SRT, very good setup on dry pavement (even at speeds up to 240 kph), feel almost like summer tires

- Brembo brakes have a very good braking performance, no fading, good response

- Ride is stiff (in Sport/Track mode) but still comfortable

- Steering feels direct (but unfortunately not as direct as on the Cayenne GTS) and doesn't show any nervousness at 240 kph, excellent setup

- Uconnect (entertainment/navigation system) works very well, could be a bit faster though. Large touch display a pleasure to use.

- Digital speedo cluster very nice, good visibility even when the sun shines

- Truck feels rock solid, almost like a tank but when driving, the weight is only felt in curves

- Very loud alarm horn (oh boy...), excellent alarm system (very sensitive)

- Rear seats can be adjusted (rear cushion), which make them very comfortable

- Lots of luggage room, incl. some additional storage room next to the spare tire (18'')

- Harman Kardon sound system with 19 speakers and 11-channel amp sounds absolutely amazing, very close to Burmester, maybe even better sounding (no kidding here)

- A/C even in lowest setting powerful (cold and heat)

- Steering wheel has very nice grip (it is quite thick)

- Lots of standard options (adaptive cruise control, ventilated seats, panoramic roof, etc. etc. etc.)

- Very good visibility due to high seating position, easy to park

- Excellent rear view camera and park sensors

- Huge sun visors which are excellent and work even for kids sitting next to you in the front seat with a seat cushion

- Excellent chassis (active dampers) setup, almost no side roll and very stable drive feel, even at 240 kph in Autobahn curves

- Very good seats, comfortable and with satisfactory side grip. Very well adjustable.

- Uconnect offers a high quality DAB (digital audio broadcast) radio (instead of Sirius XM in the US/Canada)

- Fuel tank capacity 93.5 liters and easy to fill up to the max (when the fuel nozzle stops, the fuel tank is really full)

NEGATIVE

- Steering feels a little bit sluggish in tight curves and you can feel the weight of the car (feels a little bit like the steering on my former Cayenne Turbo S type 955). This may have something to do with the very wide 295 front tires and the fact that they are winter tires but still.

- Chassis "jumps" a little bit on bad roads when in Sport or Track mode

- Driving fast through curves is not really fun due to the sluggish steering feel, the Cayenne (incl. the Diesel) does it much better. This may be related to the wide 295s winter tires, so we need to wait and see how the summer tires feel.

- Climate control A/C is not very accurate. A change of 1°C only already makes the air much hotter or much colder. Apparently there is some sort of automatic temperature adjustment going on, which cannot be turned off.

- Brembo brake works great but the initial pedal feel is a bit sluggish, until you press it further. Not really a problem though because they work great.

- Voice recognition (Unconnect) not really working well, maybe it has something to do with the German language?!

- Some illogical inconsistencies in car design and technology: Great and bright white light color bi-xenon front lights but fog lights are yellow. Great LED ambient light illumination but standard light bulbs for the interior lights. Great luggage room and adjustable rear seats but no "hole" in the middle to put a ski bag through. Black front lights, black tail lights, black exhaust pipes but chrome window frames.

- Great digital speedo cluster but with polarized sun glasses, the "analogue" speedometer (you can switch between analogue and digital readout) is a little bit difficult to read (the red arrow is almost invisible).

- No digital oil level readout, only the old school dip stick. Kind of surprising on a car with so much technology.

- Front lights partially fogged from time to time (don't have a clue why)

- Tire pressure values not mentioned in the car manual, pressure values on door panel not in bar (Germany) and only one single value, no special values for winter or summer tires or for different loads. Weird.

- Uconnect doesn't have any online capabilities on the German SRT. Sad and...surprising.

- Uconnect has only one app, the SRT performance app. Download or installation of other apps not possible.

- Onboard computer always shows higher fuel consumption than in reality (which is kind of weird). The onboard computer showed 27.1 liters / 100 km but the real fuel consumption was 23 liters. Funny. 

- At a speed of around 240 kph, the tires (I think) start to make a squealing noise from time to time. Not really a problem but weird. First, I suspected the side view mirrors but the noise changes it's pitch with asphalt compound.

Overall, I am very impressed with the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, a great value for the money and apparently an excellent high performance SUV too. There are a couple of things which could have been done better but overall, this SUV is clearly a good start. If Chrysler works on the quirks and puts a powerful supercharged 600+ hp engine into this truck, it will be a huge success. I am surprised that the SRT doesn't have more success in Europe, it is worth every single cent.

Regarding fuel consumption, I am (positively) surprised: I heard horror stories about over 30 liters (36 liters exactly) at Vmax and an average fuel consumption of over 26 liters / 100 km. 

So far, I managed to do 23 liters / 100 km after driving 240 kph for over 120 km and 80-100 kph over 180 km. This is not much different from the Cayenne GTS I owned. When driving relaxed, 18 liters and less are possible, so the fuel consumption is really not that much different than the one on the Cayenne GTS or the Cayenne Turbo. Just as a friendly reminder. I also never switched to "Eco" mode, so there is another possibility to save fuel if you really want to.

Oh, regarding performance: I used launch control once at 600 km and managed to get 5.4 seconds from 0-100 kph in Track mode (fuel tank was almost full, I had my son as a co-passenger). Not very impressive, I know but from what I can tell from SRT experiences in other car forums, the engine starts to deliver it's power at around 3000-5000 km. Factory claim is 5.0 seconds but apparently Top Gear magazine managed to get 4.8 seconds with the 2014 car. Keep in mind, these are 0-100 kph (62 mph) values. The best US values (0-60 mph) I've seen so far on other car forums are values between 4.4 and 4.6 seconds. I've also seen 4.1 seconds but I don't think this is credible. This would be 4.4 seconds from 0-100 kph, this just doesn't sound right. Still...even 5.4 seconds are impressive...for such a big truck.

When I got the car, I forgot to measure the height. I was lucky but the distance between the car's antenna (shark fin) and the garage door is only a few millimeters. Ouch. 

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Looks quite stealthy in black - not too menacing. Be interested to understand how reliable this brute will be though.

991 (what a car!) XC90 - Black/Black 2 kids, 1 dog

bridggar:

Looks quite stealthy in black - not too menacing. Be interested to understand how reliable this brute will be though.

This is exactly my thought (and worry). 

I drove it 100 km quite slow (up to 140 kph and never revved it above 4000 rpm) but then, I used it FULL THROTTLE whenever possible for the next 500 km. This is what my dealer recommended, he does a lot of mods with these cars and their engines and knows them inside out. I now have 600 km on the car, drove it for at least 200 km at 240 kph (limited by winter tires) and no issues so far. Nothing. Even the oil consumption, something the dealer had warned me about (1 liter / 1000 km on some engines), is very low. I just checked oil yesterday and it is full, nothing to add.

No electronics issues either, no Uconnect crash (seems to happen from time to time), no other gremlins, nothing.

My dealer claims that if the engine doesn't eat (much) oil, it is in a very good shape and I should be happy. 

So far, I couldn't be happier with the car but let's see how it handles the next couple of thousands of kms.

Even fuel consumption is better than I expected, I was prepared for the worst but fuel consumption is actually similar to the Cayenne GTS I had.

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

RC: so u sold the GTS for this?

 sorry, been busy and havent quite caught up with your latest acquisitions...

THE SRTs are quite common in OZ now. sounds amazing.

I was toying the idea to get this as my new DD and also as a second family car.

great value for the performance. really cant beat the price.  i think it's about 80k AUD here.

my only worry is about the quality and long term reliability.

BMW 1 M + C63 (gone).   997.2 GT3

Looks great Buddy! I like your rims!

- Regarding sluggish feeling - for me this works all well
- Voice recognition sucks. Much better when using English, but then you have problem with understanding German city names
- Fog in the headlights - all cars are having this. Solution: take off the huge round cover on the rear for one or two days and it is gone. I never had this problem after this anymore
- on-board computer on our SRT is 100% accurate - Already been wondering why? :)
- Acceleration, as I said I can do the 4.4. over and over again. Faster only when going downhill. That works perfect on mine (2500km now)

derder:

RC: so u sold the GTS for this?

 sorry, been busy and havent quite caught up with your latest acquisitions...

 

THE SRTs are quite common in OZ now. sounds amazing.

 

I was toying the idea to get this as my new DD and also as a second family car.

 

great value for the performance. really cant beat the price.  i think it's about 80k AUD here.

my only worry is about the quality and long term reliability.

I actually returned my Cayenne GTS to the lease company to get a Cab (Boxster S) for the wife. She drives a X3 35d and we thought this would be OK enough for us (me, wife and two kids) for longer family trips. Then, we had a family ski trip to Austria in the X3 and everybody was quite disappointed (me because of the drive feel, the kids because of the comfort and the wife because she couldn't take all the shoes and clothes she wanted).

So in the end, the question was: Do we get another Cayenne (in my case, the Turbo S...got a very nice offer for a factory car) or something much cheaper? I decided to go with the cheaper solution because the family SUV would be moved only a couple of times per year and while I love the Cayenne Turbo S, it just didn't make sense since I already have a fast Porsche in the garage. Actually two. 

The SRT has been amazing so far, knock on wood. 

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Lars997:

Looks great Buddy! I like your rims!

- Regarding sluggish feeling - for me this works all well

It is quite sporty for a SUV but not sporty enough for the Cayenne. I was used to the Cayenne GTS, so maybe this is where this sluggish feel comes from.

- Voice recognition sucks. Much better when using English, but then you have problem with understanding German city names

Yes, it works quite well in English but... 

- Fog in the headlights - all cars are having this. Solution: take off the huge round cover on the rear for one or two days and it is gone. I never had this problem after this anymore

Thanks for the hint. I will try. Dealer told me that new front lights are available soon from Chrysler (without the "fogging" issue) and if customers complaint, they will exchange them on warranty.

- on-board computer on our SRT is 100% accurate - Already been wondering why? :)

This is really weird. Maybe the onboard computer has to calibrate, will see about it after a couple of hundreds of kms more. 

- Acceleration, as I said I can do the 4.4. over and over again. Faster only when going downhill. That works perfect on mine (2500km now)

I just hope it will be the same in my car. I measured the 5.4 seconds at 450 km or so, so there is hope.  Dealer claims that it will hit below 5 seconds after 2000-3000 km or so...I hope he is right.

Stupid question: What tire size to do you have and what rim size (width too)?

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Thanks for the hint. I will try. Dealer told me that new front lights are available soon from Chrysler (without the "fogging" issue) and if customers complaint, they will exchange them on warranty.

I heard the same from my dealer. But as I said - after two days without caps everything seems to be solved

Stupid question: What tire size to do you have and what rim size (width too)?

Brock B32 in 10,5x20 ET45 im Lochkreis 5/127 Farbausführung: schwarz matt mit Bereifung 295/45R20 114V Pirelli 

One more thing: The daylight driving is in Germany only the light bar on the bumper but not the headlight framing. Anyway - the car is prepared to have a small bridge wire to have both running during daylight. In non-export cars this is the case and looks so cool. My dealer told me to put this wire in once the car is in for summer-tyre change :)

Thanks, Lars. Yes, the headlight framing light looks so nice but the Jeep uses only the lower light bars on the bumper as a daylight running light. So weird.  I will talk to my dealer if I can combine both but if he doesn't know how to do it, I will ask you how your dealer did it. 

On Wednesday, I am going to pick up my snow chains and this is when I get the fog lamps bulbs exchanged. The original bulbs have a yellow(ish) light, the new ones have a light at a 4200 Kelvin color temperature (which is similar to Xenon). Stupid details...I know but... 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Yep... the fog lights are silly. I never turn them on, so I dont care about. Just want to have those headlight-daylights on :)

One more thing - I got an tyrefit system and took the spare out. Lots of space - easily can fit there an extra suite case or some skiing boots (didn't had an flat tyre the last 10 years... and summer tires are run flats anyway)

Lars997:

Yep... the fog lights are silly. I never turn them on, so I dont care about. Just want to have those headlight-daylights on :)

One more thing - I got an tyrefit system and took the spare out. Lots of space - easily can fit there an extra suite case or some skiing boots (didn't had an flat tyre the last 10 years... and summer tires are run flats anyway)

 

I was thinking about doing the same but I am hesitant. If something happens...I had once a very bad tyrefit system experience (Porsche) and it kind of ruined my trust in the system. 

Btw: The 18'' spare is nice to have but poses a serious issue. If you have a flat tire on the front axle, the 18'' spare does not fit (due to the 380 mm Brembo discs). So you need to take one good wheel from the rear axle, put it in front (instead of the flat) and then you need to put the 18'' spare on the rear axle. Kind of a double wheel exchange job.  Very annoying. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Looks great RC, congrats.

How does it compare to your old X5 M?

JoeRockhead:

Looks great RC, congrats.

How does it compare to your old X5 M?

The SRT actually feels more like the X5M, steering-wise, than the Cayenne. The Cayenne GTS steering feel and steering precision is awesome, I haven't met a single SUV so far to be able to match it.

Chrysler could surely improve the steering feel in curves, like I said, it feels a little bit sluggish and you can actually feel the weight (in curves) but it may have something to do with the winter tires (295/40s 20'' Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow). Officially, Chrysler doesn't offer any winter wheels or winter tires, which is weird for such a truck but the Pirelli works very well (with the exception of that squealing noise at around 240 kph). Most people wouldn't have driven 240 kph in their sports cars in the Autobahn curves I was driving yesterday at that speed , very nice chassis setup (keep in mind that the SRT doesn't lower itself like the Cayenne GTS or Turbo...it doesn't have an air suspension) for such a high car and almost no body roll.

I was also driving on various narrow mountain roads yesterday and the steering feels really sluggish and needs more turn-in than really necessary.

Chrysler should consider a height adjustable air suspension and a more direct steering for the next gen SRT. I think they have chosen a slightly more indirect steering setup because of the higher rollover risk. This is just a wild guess though.

Don't get me wrong: The steering still feels sportier than on most other SUVs I have driven.

The best comparison would be the steering feel and behavior of my former first generation 955 (Cayenne) Turbo S. Very very similar.

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Thanks. I guess the market for true high-performance SUVs is pretty small so they try to make compromises with the Cherokee? I'm surprised the X5M doesn't have a more responsive set-up like the Cayenne GTS or Turbo. From what I've read, the SRT, Cayenne GTS and X5M get compared against each other, at least by magazines, and the GTS usually wins the handling competitions. They are all quite capable. I wonder how fuel consumption will compare to the M. Can't possibly be worse. 

It sounds weird but the steering feels like on a SLS.... sorry to say but thats how it feels to me! Its very direct but I guess what the Cayenne does better comes from the lower tyres. For me the car feels already very stiff, but due to the quiet high tyres, even the 20" still have a lot of rubber on the flanks. So if you had a Cayenne GTS you most probably had 21" or even 22" on it. 

Excellent write up.

Lars997:

It sounds weird but the steering feels like on a SLS.... sorry to say but thats how it feels to me! Its very direct but I guess what the Cayenne does better comes from the lower tyres. For me the car feels already very stiff, but due to the quiet high tyres, even the 20" still have a lot of rubber on the flanks. So if you had a Cayenne GTS you most probably had 21" or even 22" on it. 

Cayenne had 21'' on summer wheels and 19'' on winter wheels. Both felt very direct, definitely better than on the SRT.

In curves, there is no way the SRT feels like a SLS (steering), the car needs more steering-in and the steering feel is less direct. However, it is still very good for a truck, like I said...it reminds me a lot of my former 955 (Cayenne) Turbo S. If I would close my eyes, the steering feel would actually be the same or very close to it.

We both have the same tires (Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow 295/45 R20V)...I think.

Tire pressure is 2.4 bar on all four wheels (2.3 would be enough though).

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Oh, I forgot to mention something very interesting: The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT fulfills EURO 6 emissions regulations. This may be surprising for some but it really does. EURO 6 is currently the strictest regulation in Europe and it starts to be mandatory over here for new cars from September 2014 on. Still have to pay almost 600 EUR per year car tax due to the high cubic capacity engine. 

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

RC:

 

In curves, there is no way the SRT feels like a SLS (steering), the car needs more steering-in and the steering feel is less direct. However, it is still very good for a truck, like I said...it reminds me a lot of my former 955 (Cayenne) Turbo S. If I would close my eyes, the steering feel would actually be the same or very close to it.

The SRT is more direct as the 991 in my eyes.... its also feels more direct as the 7 Series with the Active-Integral-Steering. And again - yes, for me it feels as direct and sluggish as the SLS (which is softer than a 991) - just my feel. But even when you compare it to the 955 it shows how direct and sporty it is.

Tire pressure is 2.4 bar on all four wheels (2.3 would be enough though).

I have 2.6 on all four! Just went to the garage to check the wear out and yes - its to much, will lower to 2.3 until changing to summer set up! Will see if it goes much softer and sluggish after.

Don't you find it weird that there is only one tire pressure recommendation, no matter if the car is empty or fully loaded and no matter what tires you run (summer or winter)? Pretty weird in my opinion. 

I am going to stick to 2.5 bar for our family trips, I drive 240 kph very often and I don't really trust Chrysler and their one and only tire pressure (2.3 bar) recommendation.

Bottom line is: I would leave the tire pressure as it is on your car, just to be sure.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

very weird. But as I said - I can see that the middle of the tire is more wear out as the outer sides. So I guess its to much presser in it. Anyway.... if weather stays like this I will change to summer set up soon :)

Lars997:

very weird. But as I said - I can see that the middle of the tire is more wear out as the outer sides. So I guess its to much presser in it. Anyway.... if weather stays like this I will change to summer set up soon :)

  Don't worry...the winter always has a surprise for us left. I remember not having (much) snow in February or even beginning of March but middle March to end of March, even during the beginning of April or the middle of it, snow is coming back and usually quite violently. 

I remember we had to leave for a Florida Easter vacation once and two days before the flight (I think it was end of March), we had TONS of snow, we didn't even know if our flight would be canceled or not.

It was way too warm this winter and we barely had snow in Bavaria, so I'm afraid the worst is by far over. 

Maybe I should have canceled that snow chains order though...  

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

For those who are thinking about getting a used SRT (2013 or 2012 model), this is what has been changed in the 2014 model:

What's New

- New: Mid-cycle refresh, updated interior centerstack

- New: All-new instrument cluster with 7" display screen

- New: Refreshed front fascia/grille and rear fascia

- New: 8.4" navigation screen with one-step destination entry,
3-D city models, landmarks, and digital terrain modeling, dead-reckoning with gyro

- New: Third-generation flexible Uconnect radio platform with voice recognition
technology for handsfree mobile phone, music, texting and navigation operation

- New: Revised 115V power inverter – works with popular gaming systems

- New: Remote lock or unlock truck doors, start vehicle, and flash lights from any distance via the web or a smartphone application

- New: HD Radio (DAB/DMB - Digital Audio Broadcasting, Digital Multimedia Broadcast for export markets)

- New: Under seat lighting

- New: Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go feature

- New: Advanced SRT Performance Pages screens

- New: 8-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters (8HP70)

- New: "ecall" - one-touch 911 access or Roadside Assistance Services & crash notification (via rearview mirror button)

- New: Headlamps with LED DRL's

- New: Headlamp washers

- New: Front park sensors

- New: Capless fuel filter

- New: LED taillamps

- New: Powernet electrical architecture

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Did another 0-100 kph (62 mph) run today (launch control, track mode, 650 km on car), actually two runs (back to back).

Result: 5.1 seconds both times, 0.3 seconds better than last time around 200 km earlier.

Performance seems to get gradually better (as reported by many owners). 

0-60 mph time would be 4.8 seconds now, not bad for a truck. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

what settings do you use for the launch? I found out Sport is better than track and even launch control is not as good as starting yourself!

congrats RC.

am sure it was not an easy decision to go for a US car when usually you only drive german cars.

i do appreciate american cars for what they are and i also quite like the look of some. it's just that i think they wear out very fast in Terms of feel, Quality and also looks. they do good engines that usually do not Show any Problems as they are relatively low tech.

what i absolutely dislike about american cars are the interiors with all the big nobs and huge writing.

the only SRT i have ever driven was my Brothers RAM SRT 10 that he still has. its quite funky every now and then actually.

as for the tire pressure: could it have to be related to the fact that the max Speed in the US is 65 miles and hence no Need for different pressures between loaded and unloaded etc. ??

maybe you should Research a car with same tires/weight and apply the pressure Ratings ?

enjoy in good health !

Just changed the pressure to 2.3. The car is much more spongy as before with 2.6. I also did a 0-100 and had 4.6 today - don't know why - 4.4/4.5 is what I normally get (same street as always). Might have been the lower pressure, or just a bad start. 

Also - keep in mind the Winter Pirelli is non run-flat, while the summer set up is factory deliverd in run-flat mode. They should be more stiff.

The test car I was driving was a 2012 car, it was insane stiff - was almost jumping on the road. Was equipped with summer tires but I also read that the 2012 was more stiff - way to much! 

Lars997:

what settings do you use for the launch? I found out Sport is better than track and even launch control is not as good as starting yourself!

As far as I understood, the drive program switches automatically to track mode when pressing the launch control button, no matter what was chosen before.

Launching without launch control? So how do you measure acceleration with the SRT performance app (Uconnect)? The timer seems to work in launch control mode only. 

I haven't used the performance box yet, it is still attached to my 991 Turbo S.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

intouch1:

congrats RC.

am sure it was not an easy decision to go for a US car when usually you only drive german cars.

i do appreciate american cars for what they are and i also quite like the look of some. it's just that i think they wear out very fast in Terms of feel, Quality and also looks. they do good engines that usually do not Show any Problems as they are relatively low tech.

what i absolutely dislike about american cars are the interiors with all the big nobs and huge writing.

The SRT interior is quite modern and the digital speedo cluster, the 8.4 inch touch display Uconnect entertainment system and the 19 speaker sound system are really amazing features. I would prefer the SRT interior over the Mercedes ML/GL class or BMW X5 interior anytime.

the only SRT i have ever driven was my Brothers RAM SRT 10 that he still has. its quite funky every now and then actually.

as for the tire pressure: could it have to be related to the fact that the max Speed in the US is 65 miles and hence no Need for different pressures between loaded and unloaded etc. ??

I have the German version of the SRT (so called "export" version). I drove at 240 kph with the winter tires (295/45 20'') and 20'' rims with only 10 mm offset (this is why the wheels come out a little bit off the fenders, this was necessary to be able to use special snow chains on the rear axle) and the truck feels rock solid, no issues here, so I think the tire pressure is OK. I still wonder why they wouldn't use different values for an empty or loaded car.

maybe you should Research a car with same tires/weight and apply the pressure Ratings ?

enjoy in good health !

According to dealer, he is one of the US car authorities in Bavaria and one who does a lot of tuning and mods on US cars, incl. Vipers, the tire pressure of 2.3 bar on all wheels is OK but he would run 2.5 bar if I drive the car very often at Vmax (240 kph with winter tires and 257 kph with summer tires).

Again, my car is not a grey import but an official GERMAN market car offered by Chrysler Germany (same as Lars' car). They only bring 70 cars to the German market per year and there are lots of differences in setup and technology (no remote start, PZero summer tires as standard, different chassis/active dampers setup, DAB (digital audio broadcast) radio in the Uconnect system instead of Sirius/XM Radio, no online functionality for Uconnect, etc..

Thank you! I am really surprised how much I like this car, the perfect family trip ride and the sound with that sport exhaust is just awesome. 

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S, Porsche Boxster S (981), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Had GrandCherokee back in 2002 and it drives horrible, and no sense of road directions....  Back then it was only thing I can afford, so learned to live with it.... Thinking about going back and drive such vehicle just making my head dizzy....  Perhaps after all these years they had gone better...  I just couldn't imagine how you go from Cayenne to GrandCherokee....  maybe there is really something in it....  got to go test drive one of those.....