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Mother Nature, you’ve met your match: This is the 707-horsepower Jeep Trailcat

Andrew Hard
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Jeep Trailcat Concept
Jeep Trailcat Concept
Jeep Trailcat Concept
Jeep Trailcat Concept
Jeep Trailcat Concept
Jeep Trailcat Concept
Jeep Crew Chief 715 Concept
Jeep Crew Chief 715 Concept
Jeep Crew Chief 715 Concept
Jeep Crew Chief 715 Concept
Jeep Crew Chief 715 Concept
Jeep Crew Chief 715 Concept
Jeep FC 150 Heritage Vehicle
Jeep FC 150 Heritage Vehicle
Jeep FC 150 Heritage Vehicle
Jeep FC 150 Heritage Vehicle
Jeep Comanche Concept
Jeep Comanche Concept
Jeep Comanche Concept
Jeep Comanche Concept
Jeep Shortcut Concept
Jeep Shortcut Concept
Jeep Shortcut Concept
Jeep Shortcut Concept
Jeep Shortcut Concept
Jeep Shortcut Concept
Jeep Trailstorm Concept
Jeep Trailstorm Concept
Jeep Trailstorm Concept
Jeep Trailstorm Concept
Jeep Renegade Commander Concept
Jeep Renegade Commander Concept
Jeep Renegade Commander Concept
Jeep Renegade Commander Concept
The 707-horsepower Hellcat V8 is an instant classic. When the supercharged powerplant first showed up in a 2015 Dodge Challenger, we were so in awe of its contemporary brawn that we wished Fiat Chrysler would put it in everything. We were half-joking at the time, but the automaker may have been listening.

In January, Jeep confirmed that the Grand Cherokee SUV would gain a Hellcat version in 2017, and in celebration of the 50th Annual Easter Jeep Safari, the off-road brand has premiered a new vehicle that’s sure to get your blood pumping.

The Trailcat Concept is based on the iconic Wrangler, but to get the blown eight-cylinder to fit, Jeep lengthened its wheelbase by 12 inches. There are other visual differences from the Wrangler as well, including a chopped windshield, huge 39.5-inch BFGoodrich Krawler tires, tubular half-doors, and a variety of Mopar knickknacks.

Related
Jeep Trailcat Roar

The star of the show, obviously, is the Hemi under the vented hood. 650 pound-feet of torque will rocket the Trailcat over just about any surface you can imagine, and better yet, it’s mated to a six-speed manual gearbox for a truly immersive experience. To keep that power down, the one-off Jeep equips rugged Fox shocks and Dana 60 axles front and rear.

Is this concept a sign that Jeep will continue to “Hellcat all the things,” or is our dream of a V8-powered Fiat 500 too far off the deep end? Hey, it couldn’t hurt to try.

Also on display at the Easter Jeep Safari are the Crew Chief 715 Concept, the FC 150 Heritage Vehicle, the Comanche Concept, the Shortcut Concept, the Trailstorm Concept, and the Renegade Commander Concept. The event features trail rides and other off-road activities and kicks off in Moab, Utah on March 19. 

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Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

There’s no denying it — the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+ SUV is an incredible car. Sure, the exterior design isn’t for me, and the bulbous nose, while not as bad as on the standard EQS, proves that many carmakers still have no idea what to do with a grille-less design. But sit inside the car and you’re greeted with stunning finishes, beautiful build quality, modern tech, and a super-comfortable ride.

I’ve spent a week testing the EQS 450+ SUV and loved almost everything about it. It has plenty of oomph when you hit the accelerator, and while the suspension is a little mushy, it feels like you’re driving a cloud.

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No mere EV, the sensor-stuffed EX90 is Volvo’s towering tech flagship
Front three quarter view of the 2024 Volvo EX90.

Volvo has reinvented its image over the past decade, taking its cars from stodgy to stylish, and keeping pace with tech developments. Now, it’s trying to do that once again.
The 2024 Volvo EX90 is the Swedish automaker’s new flagship — and it’s electric. This three-row, seven-seat SUV packs all of Volvo’s latest infotainment and safety tech, so its electric powertrain is an important statement of Volvo’s commitment to going all-electric in the future.
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“There are no gimmicks in the EX90.” Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan said in a keynote at the EV’s reveal in Stockholm. “All the technology that’s there is there for a reason.” And boy, is there a lot of it.

Stylish and sustainable
The EX90 is a conventional SUV design with the sharp edges shaved away. There isn’t even a hint of a grille, the door handles sit flush with the bodywork, and the wheels have smooth inserts between the spokes. It’s all to help minimize aerodynamic drag — an important consideration for an EV, as it helps increase range.
The result is a coefficient of drag (Cd) of 0.29, compared to 0.33 for the current Volvo XC90 three-row SUV (lower numbers are better). The EX90 isn’t the slipperiest electric SUV around; the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV has a 0.26 Cd. But Volvo’s designers retained a more traditional SUV shape, in line with the gasoline Volvo XC90, without resorting to the Jell-O mold shape of the Mercedes.
“The profile and a bit of the plan view is a bit rounder than maybe we’ve done in the past,” Volvo exterior design boss T. Jon Mayer told Digital Trends. “It’s not a jellybean blob by any means, but there are very minute details of how much roundness you put around the edges. This detail work, as well as a longer rear overhang, help keep air flowing smoothly around the car while following the minimalist ethos of Scandinavian design, keeping the bodywork visually clean.
The EX90 is a conventional SUV design with the sharp edges shaved away.

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Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
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Design
As the name says, the EQE SUV is a utility-vehicle version of the EQE sedan, which will likely beat it to showrooms by a few months. Mercedes did the same thing with the EQS, which is available in both SUV and sedan body styles.
With its tall, upright profile, the EQE SUV definitely looks like a proper SUV compared to the low-slung EQE sedan. Park it next to an EQS SUV, though, and you’ll have to get out a measuring tape to spot the differences.
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The interior design theme carries over from other Mercedes EQ models, with an expansive sloping dashboard designed to accommodate many screens, and multicolor ambient lighting that should look pretty dramatic at night. However, leatherette upholstery is standard, rather than real leather, which Mercedes is now spinning as a vegan option.

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