The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

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Here's a lil' sumpin for you nature lovers. Urbanolas. Gore Gurls. Whatever you call yourself.

Until this year, all Jeep vehicles were "trail-rated". This has required all vehicles to finish the Rubicon Trail--the most muderous off-road route on the planet (see image). From a design perspective this requires a ladder frame and a solid rear axle (among other things). While this technology is dated, it still has not been surpassed for off-road travel.

That makes a vehicle like the new SRT-8 Grand Cherokee positively obscene, with 425 horses on tap. As if that were not enough, when surgically-enhanced by Hennessy Motorsports, the Cherokee SRT-8 becomes the fastest production SUV ever made.

You can thank me now for telling you this. While there are better ways to experience nature, what else could feel this dirty?