The ’07 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is a high-powered, high-tech, and high-clearance hot rod.

With gas prices hovering at record highs and hybrid powertrains hipper than massive horsepower, now isn’t the best time to drive a souped-up SUV. Yet with its sinister black paint, bling chrome trim, formidable front fascia, massive 20-inch aluminum wheels and the telltale growl of a HEMI reverberating out of twin chrome-tipped tailpipes, Jeep’s ‘07 Grand Cherokee STR8 is a tempting guilty pleasure. After all, how many 420-horsepower vehicles can fit five adults, haul a Home Depot load in the cargo hold and also go off-road?

Not many, if any. The first SRT vehicle offered by Jeep is designed to accelerate from 0-60 in under 5 seconds, thanks to the new 6.1-liter HEMI in the engine bay. But the 4,800-pound SUV is as smart as it is strong. The $43,695 version of the vehicle I tested came with a bunch of bells and whistles bundled with the SRT Option Group 1 package, which added $2,095 to the overall sticker. That considerable amount of coin buys you lots of conveniences: power and heated front seats, power-adjustable pedals and power and heated foldaway mirrors, all with memory. Plus, the race-inspired seats come with deeply bolstered leather and special SRT8 badging.

The Group 1 package also includes remote starting, which lets you ignite the HEMI from the comfort of your home by simply pressing a button on the key fob remote to stoke up the heat in winter or crank the AC in the summer. And ParkSense Rear Park Assist System is also part of the package, which warns you that you’re about to back into something. A series of interior LEDs above the rear-hatch window light up in sequence the closer you get to an object, and an audible tone is supposed to sound as well. But in our test vehicle, however, the warning tones remained silent and the LEDs are just too easy to overlook unless you are paying close attention.

The UConnect Bluetooth Hands-Free Communication System is another part of the SRT Option Group 1 package—although the "hands-free" part is a bit of a misnomer. Although it was easy enough to sync a cell phone with the system, initiating a call requires removing your hands from the wheel to touch a button on the rearview mirror. To me, hands-free means never having to take your hands off the wheel, as with systems that have Bluetooth controls on the steering wheel. But the voice-recognition feature worked better than most and the UConnect system has cool features like conference, three-way calling and even a service that works with AT&T phones that lets you get news, weather, stock info, traffic reports and more.

A six-speaker, 276-watt Boston Acoustics Premium Sound System isn’t part of the option package but is stock on the Cherokee SRT8. Two 3.5-inch mid-tweeters in the dash, two 6x9-inch woofers in the front doors and two 6.5-inch full-range speakers in the rear doors pump out impressive sound. Highs were a bit grating and midbass was a bit distorted. But even without a subwoofer the front-door 6x9s handled all but the lowest bass notes. While it can’t compete with the best premium stock stereo systems and true car audiophiles will probably want to rip it out and start over, the system is above average for something stock. And it should be easy to build off of by adding, say, aftermarket amplifiers and perhaps a subwoofer.

The AM/FM 6-disc CD changer in the dash also has Sirius Satellite Radio and Radio Data Service (RDS) capability. The head unit will also play MP3 CDs, but there’s no aux input for adding an iPod or MP3 player. The steering-wheel audio controls—toggle switches located on the backside at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions—make it convenient to adjust the volume and skip up and down through CD tracks or radio-station frequencies without even looking at the dash or taking your hands off the wheel. But as on other Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles, to get artist and track-name while listening to Sirius you have to hit the INFO button. The Sirius signal also dropped off for a few seconds on numerous occasions for no apparent reason.

With the current prices at the pump, I’d guess that not a lot of people will be rushing out to buy a hot rod SUV that gets, at most 15 mpg. And that’s with premium fuel. But with its unique combination of speed, style, cargo space, its solid off-road rep and so many cool tech features, the ’07 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 makes it tempting to go against the grain.