Most powerful Jeep costs £58,995 19 | 12 | 2011

THE MOST POWERFUL and expensive production Jeep, the Grand Cherokee SRT8, has just gone on sale across Scotland. Price? A whopping £58,995.

Powered by same 6.4-litre V8 unit which is squeezed under the bonnet of the Dodge Challenger SRT8, the Grand Cherokee SRT8 can accelerate from 0-60mph in 4.8secs. Where legal it will continue on to a maximum of 160mph.

In an effort to be more economically acceptable, to help reduce fuel and emissions the engine can operate on four of the eight cylinders when less power is needed.

But when the engine is working at its full eight-cylinder capacity, the powerplant pumps out a maximum of 470bhp.

See more official photos of Jeep's two new models

At £58,995, the SRT8 is more than £20,000 cheaper than the twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 BMW X6 and almost £30,000 less than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, powered by 4.8-litre V8.

And just as winter kicks in, Jeep has also launched a new luxury edition of the Grand Cherokee. Powered by a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, which gives 237bhp, the Grand Cherokee Overland Summit will cost you £44,795.

Boasting 20in alloys as standard, a leather covered dashboard, real wood trim, heated and ventilated saddle-coloured Nappa leather seats and a heated leather steering wheel are also included in the basic price.

The Grand Cherokee Overland Summit also gets its own special brown paint, a chrome grille and its own exclusive fog lamp bezels.

Read our roadtest of the Jeep Grand Cherokee

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Jim McGill