The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is the third Fiat Chrysler vehicle to have the unhinged supercharged V-8 stuffed under its hood, and it’s the quiet Hellcat next door. Not literally, of course—have you heard a blown Hemi V-8 at full whack?—but with standard all-wheel drive mitigating the engine’s tire-spinning proclivities, plus its under-the-radar looks, the Trackhawk can at least pass for an upstanding citizen. With more traction than any Hellcat yet, the Trackhawk has quite a lot of poke despite its pork—the engine adds 259 pounds over the already heavy 475-hp Grand Cherokee SRT. Nonetheless, Jeep claims it can reach 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. That time is on par with the nearly 1000-pounds-lighter, automatic-equipped Dodge Hellcats we’ve tested. (The quickest was the Charger, which reached 60 mph in 3.4 seconds.) Per Jeep, the quarter-mile is expected to fly by in 11.6 seconds (at 116 mph!), and, with no electronic governor, the Trackhawk is said to surrender to atmospheric resistance at 180 mph.
After a brief hiatus, the Audi RS7 is back and all new for 2020. Now incorporating Sportback into its name, the second-gen RS7 receives more distinctive styling inside and out along with even greater technology and increased power.
Pros Aggressive appearance, tantalizing performance attributes, hatchback's added versatility.
Cons Too expensive for most enthusiasts, same infotainment foibles as regular A7.
Among enthusiasts and car spotters, it's got hero status - now there's an all-new Audi RS7. It's faster, considerably meaner, and a bit greener too.
Pros Lower and way more aggressive design that shares only four parts with A7 Huge 800Nm and its relentless all the way to 300km/h Sublime comfort and ride with a beautifully poised chassis Body roll is kept in check by both air suspension and dynamic ride control, high tech and superb materials quality Properly fuel efficient Super-smooth gearbox Awesome noise
Cons Seems its design can be polarising to some Surely it can accelerate faster than the claim? Pricing is likely to be steep
The Audi RS7 Sportback is an incredibly fast four-door coupe that'll give some supercars a run for their money. It looks great inside too, but alternatives are more involving to drive.
Pros Gorgeous interior Phenomenally fast Bigger boot than alternatives
Cons Expensive optional extras Not particularly involving to drive RS6 Avant is cheaper and more practical