The Hellcat Powered Jeep Trackhawk might have a Hitch

A new set of spy shots showing what is reported to be a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk test mule has surfaced and in addition to a restyled rear fascia, it also appears as though this high performance SUV has a towing hitch assembly – suggesting that it might be able to pull a trailer with Hellcat power.

Over the past year or so, a great many images and videos which allegedly show the Hellcat-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk have shown up online. The videos do seem to reveal the sound of a supercharged V8, but the images really haven’t really told us much about the high performance SUV – until now.

These new spy shots show some unique detail across the rear end which isn’t present on the current SRT Jeep – lending credence to the suggestion that this could be the Hellcat Hemi-powered Trackhawk – but more interestingly, this Jeep test vehicle appears to have a trailer hitch. In other words, based on this test mule, the Grand Cherokee with some variation of the Hellcat Hemi might be able to tow a trailer.

The Newest Trackhawk Spy Shots
As you can see in the image above, the newest spy shots of what is believed to be the Hellcat-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk focus on the rear of the vehicle. We have included a trimmed version courtesy of @thejeep_guy and you can check out a better image by checking out his Instagram account.

As you can see, this is clearly a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but if you look along the bottom of the rear fascia, it has a very different design than what is featured on the current SRT Jeep that you can buy at your local FCA dealership. This includes a body-colored portion that extends out away from the back of the vehicle (similar to the current models) and below that is a similarly-shaped piece in black which extends further away from the body, whereas the current production Grand Cherokee SRT has a lower rear fascia area which simply curves down under the vehicle. That aggressive lower rear fascia isn’t definitive proof that his Jeep has a Hellcat Hemi under the hood, but this is most certainly an SUV with unique aerodynamic and styling features from what is found on the current SRT Jeep. This could just be a restyled Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT with the 392 cubic inch Hemi – or it could be the Hellcat-powered Trackhawk. Insiders claim that it is the latter – and that this is the rear end of the supercharged Jeep.

A Shadowy Trailer Hitch
While the aggressive rear fascia supports the belief that this is a Hellcat-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk test mule, the more interesting bit of information is what is hiding under that sport rear bumper. While it is tough to see, this Jeep appears to have a Class IV trailer hitch tucked under that aggressive rear end, with the dual-unit trailer harness plug just to the left.

This is a pretty significant and surprising bit of information, as the ability to tow a trailer will help to make the Hellcat Jeep even more attractive to prospective buyers. We all expect that the Trackhawk will be the quickest, the fastest and the most powerful SUV in the world, but if it can also pull a trailer, this Hellcat-powered Jeep will truly be the ultimate sport utility vehicle – with more “sport” than any other vehicle in the class and the “utility” to do some towing.

I should point out that the presence of a trailer hitch on this Jeep test mule vehicle doesn’t guarantee that the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will be able to pull a trailer when it reaches showrooms later this year, but the fact that FCA is seemingly testing the high performance SUV with a trailer hitch suggests that owners might be able to pull a trailer with Hellcat power.

Fortunately, we shouldn't have to speculate for much longer, with the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk slated to debut in a few weeks at the 2017 New York International Auto Show.