They say a change is as good as a holiday so with the annual Christmas/New Year statutory break fast approaching I figured I’d ‘change it up’ in my column this week and talk about cars, rather than the racing thereof.
Specifically I want to talk about two of the ‘cars’ that have impressed me the most this year….and as you have probably already twigged from the headline, I’m NOT talking about something overtly ‘sporty’ like – say – Toyota’s new Supra, or even a so-called ‘hyper-car’ like McLaren’s new GT.
No. The two ‘cars’ that have impressed me the most over the past 12 months are not even ‘cars’ in the conventional sense. One – the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk – is a 4×4 SUV, while the other (and laugh if you like, but I am deadly serious here) is Ford’s Ranger Raptor (a turbo diesel, double-cab) Ute!
Were I on the gravy train that members of the grandly titled New Zealand Motoring Writers Guild obviously take to ‘work’ every day I might have a different opinion?
But I doubt it. Because, despite only getting the odd new 4×4 vehicle to drive, (courtesy one of my ‘day jobs,’ editing NZ4WD magazine), the (get this!) ‘supercharged 6.3 litre’ V8-powered Trackhawk, and twin-turbo 2-litre engine/10-speed automatic transmission-equipped Ranger Raptor would – in my humble opinion anyway – walk all over any old-skool ‘sportscar’ on sale today.
Sure, any late contemporary sportscar is going to – say – lap Hampton Downs quicker, and for longer, than either a Trackhawk or Ranger Raptor.
But how many of us buy such a car (like the new Supra, or even an ostensibly track-day-ready car like Porsche’s latest 991-model GT3 RS) to do just that?
Answer?
Bugger all!
In fact, if what I see on my regular journeys around Auckland, and tow missions to Taupo’s Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, most (let’s see) ….McLarens are driven by older retired engineer-types who take their fragrant, Bichon Frise-pampering wives on sensible Sunday outings to places like fellow car guy Allan Gibbs’s sculpture farm north-west of Auckland.
Most of the late model Ferraris (in active use that is, rather than sitting, appreciating in value in heated and air-conditioned garages around town) appear to be owned and driven by uber-trendy young ‘trust fund types’ from China, Taiwan or South Korea.
Finally, the only Lamborghinis I see appear to be owned by extroverts (with no obvious group dynamic based on age, race, or even sex) who have a thing for personalised number plates (BIGWAD anyone?) or speeding up then coasting so that they (and everyone else around them, apparently) can ‘enjoy’ the distinctive ‘snap, crackle & pop’ of a V10 engine on the overrun.
There are – obviously – exceptions, circuit-owning entrepreneur Tony Quinn one, fellow Targa NZ winner (2013) Martin Dippie, another.
Once upon a time – when I was VERY young and naïve – I no doubt associated an overtly sporty looking car (an E-Type Jaguar, say) with performance and handling attributes so much greater than those of the ordinary, everyday ‘cars’ you could buy at the time, that the purchase of one would be well worth the extra ‘inconvenience’ of owning such a vehicle.
You know; getting in and out, not being able to see properly over the nose or through the rear window, not to mention issues like reliability, ability to source parts at a reasonable price, and the cost of (often) oddball size tyres.
These days though, as I’ve got older, I’m not sure I’m interested in making such compromises in the interests of ultimate performance?
Sure, if it’s a track-only tool built solely for breaking lap records, winning races or going sideways. For day to day use though…. I’ll take comfort and convenience every time.
Which brings me neatly back to Jeep’s Grand Cherokee Trackhawk SUV and Ford’s Ranger Raptor sport Ute.
Both are factory-built, volume production models available pretty much off the showroom floor. Both are also based on similar albeit rather less exotic models, the Trackhawk on Jeep’s Grand Cherokee ‘family SUV,’ the Raptor on Ford’s market leading Ranger Ute.
Though I wouldn’t describe either as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ neither jumps out at you and demands your attention. Rather each works on the assumption that if you want what they’ve got, you’ll both know about either or both, and be happy to make the first move.
If you know a thing or two about these US-built Grand Cherokees you will know too, that there is already a serious sort of ‘performance model’ in the Euro/US company’s line up.
It’s called the SRT, and with a N/A 6.4L petrol-fuelled V8 engine, 8-speed automatic transmission, Brembo brakes front and rear, 20 in. dia. lightweight (forged) alloys and ultra-low-profile Pirelli P-Zero tyre it is, in itself, a fairly serious piece of kit.
Despite a GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) of close to 3 tonne (2949kg) the full-time 4WD SRT can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.9s seconds. Which would be enough for most people. But not, according to Jeep, a key hard-core group of ‘car-guys’ in the company who wanted more – more power, more torque, more and better handling, plus more and better performance under brakes.
For this group, Jeep, has thus gone ‘all-out’ replacing the 334kW/624Nm normally-aspirated 6.4L ‘Chrysler ‘hemi’ V8 with a supercharged 522kW/868Nm 6.2L version as well as going up a couple of sizes in the Brembo brake rotor and caliper department
As one of the original ‘early-adapters’ to the ‘kW way’ of measuring performance I know that anything over 500 is serious shit. In case you’re old-skool though and need a horsepower ‘benchmark’ 522kW correlates to exactly 700hp in ‘the old money.’
GVM remains high at 2993kg but the extra mumbo more than makes up for the fact, the Trackhawk able to get to 100km/h from a standstill in just 3.7 seconds and to cut out the quarter mile in just 11.6 seconds.
By way of comparison Toyota’s new Supra, designed and built as a joint venture with BMW, is a short, low-slung front-engine/rear-drive coupe with a GVM of just 1815kg, and a twin-scroll turbocharged BMW straight-six 3-litre engine (and 8-speed automatic transmission) which produces 250kW of peak power (330hp) and 500Nm of peak torque.
Yet, yet, yet even Toyota is only claiming a 0-100km/h time of 4.3 seconds.
Given the right day/road/time-of-day and circumstance I’m sure you could have a lot of fun in one of these new GR Supras……. or for that matter latest McLaren GT/Lambo Huracan and Ferrari whatever.
When you can have even more performance (like a top speed of 289km/h?) PLUS all the room, creature comforts and things like ability to tow a braked trailer up to 2949kg you get when you choose a contemporary five-door SUV…that’s when my interest in any sort of narrow-focus sports ‘car’ starts to wane.
OK I purposefully haven’t mentioned price so far because this is a hypothetical piece. In case you are wondering, however, a brand spanking new Jeep Cherokee Trackhawk has a current RRP of $169,990.
Your local friendly Toyota dealer, meanwhile, can sell you a brand new GR Supra for a Toyota Everyday Price (effectively a drive away deal) of $99.990, while Ford (and sorry I’m just getting round to it now) has set an RRP of $84,990 + ORC for its line-up topping Ranger Raptor.
For those who don’t know, the Raptor is to a run-of-the-mill Ranger XLT or even Wildtrak what a GT HO was to a taxi-spec XW four-door back in the day.
And no, I don’t think I am exaggerating.
Ford literally left no stone unturned when it decided that the market here and across the Tasman was ready for a factory-built ‘image leader’ and though the high-riding, ‘broad-shouldered, arms-folded, feet-wide-apart’ stance is based on that of the Pre-Runner ‘trucks’ made infamous by the Baja 1000 off-road race, the effect of all the work Ford’s engineers put in is as noticeable on seal here as it is on the dusty dirt tracks of Mexico and the US’s dry, arid south-west.
In their typically entitled way, the Aussie 4×4 media cried foul when Ford announced it was replacing the Ranger’s signature in-line 3.2 litre 5-cylinder turbodiesel with a ‘tiny’ 2 litre 4-cylinder.
Buyers however showed no such ‘sizeism,’ instead marvelling – as I did when I first drove a Raptor here – at how well the new 10-speed auto kept the DOHC/4-valve-per-cylinder twin-turbo 2 litre spinning on or near its 500Nm torque peak.
With the new engine and transmission came an all-new coil rather than leaf-spring suspension set-up at the rear, disc brakes at each corner (rather than a disc/drum combo like most of the other Utes on sale here), long travel, genuine Fox Shox shock absorbers front and rear plus a considerable increase in track (not to mention body width) to cover the 285/70 x 17 in. dia. BF Goodrich A/T tyres.
Inside you get to experience what arguably are the most comfortable and supportive seats EVER fitted to a motor vehicle too. This is important because – again this is my direct experience – the grip levels on dry and wet tarseal (and this is in 2WD too, 4WD recommended only for slippery ‘loose’ surfaces) are so high I would be happy to join the Targa Tour in one.
While all Ranger models steer well (better than any other current TD DC Ute) the Raptor also exhibits frankly amazing levels of mechanical grip.
But, hey, I’ve used up my allocated 1500 words this week. What I started out saying was that IMHO (you know, In My Humble Opinion) the days of true sportscars were numbered in the face of the sheer ability, agility and fun factor engineers are now able to build into anything from a luxury full-size SUV to a typical TD DC Ute.
What’s needed now, of course, is a Trackhawk or Ranger Raptor-like performance, handling and – perhaps most importantly – image makeover on a hybrid or electric-only vehicle.
Because, man, does that (smug, sanctimonious, self-righteous) sector need some help now!
Or not, as the case may be.
As always this is just my opinion, which you are free to agree or disagree with in equal measure.
Before you do though I’d encourage you to check out our new car market now.
There are still some absolute stunners on sale here, you just have to do some digging….
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