Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 hits Nurburgring.

Germany’s famed Nurburgring isn’t exactly the natural habitat of an SUV, but if any grocery getter belonged there, it would be the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. Interested in seeing just how well the track-bred Cherokee SRT8 would actually cope with the 13-mile loop known as the Green Hell, the boys at SRT took to the track in secret in late 2011.

SRT hired Sabine Schmitz – who you might know from Top Gear fame – to pilot the Cherokee SRT8 around the Nurburgring last September. The entire event was captured on film and recent posted on the site DriveSRT.com.

The Cherokee SRT8 didn’t exactly set any lap records, positing a time of 8:49, but it did hold its own for the SUV category. In comparison, the Land Rover Ranger Rover Sport Supercharged required 8:55 to get around the track.

However, the 470 horsepower Cherokee SRT8 was beaten by some pretty mundane rides – including the Honda Civic Type R and Nissan 350Z – showing just how important weight and a low center of gravity are to conquering the Green Hell.

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