A Jeep executive in the United States claims buyers are ditching the Nissan GT-R in favour of the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

Scott Tallon, North American director of the Jeep brand, told Muscle Cars and Trucks buyers for the 522 kW SUV were coming both in the form of existing fans of the brand and customers new to the marque.

“We had some pent-up demand from our existing Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT owners, first of all. Next you saw other performance cars come into play – early on the Nissan GT-R popped really high on the list for competitive trades,” Tallon told the publication.

“Now they’ve got a real back seat and acceleration that’s comparable to the GT-R in a cosy and quiet SUV that’s as docile as you want it to be … or as crazy as you want it to be. We had sports car buyers coming in the showroom [who] never would have stepped foot in or considered a Jeep before.”

Tallon suggested the Trackhawk was well suited to the role of daily driver, whereas vehicles such as the GT-R often had to be parked when more practicality was required.

“They don’t want something that they have to park seven months out of the year, but they like the speed and the performance. But they need a daily driver, and this is that customer, and they don’t have the garage space for three cars,” he said.

As a reminder, the Trackhawk employs a supercharged 6,2-litre V8 sending 522 kW and 875 N.m to all four corners via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The automaker claims it will rocket from standstill to 100 km/h in 3,5 seconds, before topping out at 290 km/h. In South Africa, it is priced from R2 199 900.

Original article from Car