A hand pushes open a glass dealership door, and the words “POV: Buying my Trackhawk + Reaction” sit across the top of the screen. The next shot is the vehicle itself: a black Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk parked in the lot, dark wheels and tinted glass, waiting for its new owner. The video comes from @j_trackyy, who posted it on Instagram as a look back at the day.

“Had to post a lil throw back video. Definitely a day to remember for me!” his caption reads, tagged #hellcat, #trackhawk and #mopar. The whole thing is shot from his point of view, so the camera sees what he sees, from the showroom door to the open road.

He starts with the inside. The rear doors open on red leather seats, and he reaches in with one hand over the cushions. Up front, the driver’s door swings wide to show red door panels with silver speaker rings, a red dash trim strip and a Jeep badge on the steering wheel. He runs a hand along the center console before getting back out.

Then he walks around to the back, past the tailgate badges, and heads for the hood. When it goes up, the camera drops toward a silver supercharger sitting on top of the V8, with the coolant reservoir and fluid caps around it. He holds his phone up over the engine bay for a moment, then closes it and gets in.

Behind the wheel, the infotainment screen reads “Climate Off,” and his hand goes to the round drive mode dial behind the shifter on the console. A few seconds later the screen has switched to a music app, and then the view blurs as the SUV moves off. The video ends on the road, his hand on the wheel, trees and power lines passing on a clear day.

In the press release introducing the 2018 model, which Stellantis still publishes in its Jeep archive, the company lists a supercharged 6.2 litre V8 making 707 horsepower and 645 lb.ft. of torque, with 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph.

That dial matters too. The same release says the Trackhawk’s Selec Track system offers five modes, Auto, Sport, Track, Snow and Tow, and that each mode adjusts the four wheel drive system, the transmission, the paddle shifters, the suspension and the electric power steering. One commenter was sure he had put it in Track mode before he had even driven it, and told him to be careful and feel the vehicle out first.

One commenter advised him to get a kill switch installed soon, worried the SUV could be stolen, and another listed a specific immobilizer and alarm setup to add.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sorts theft protection into groups. It starts with common sense, keeping the key with you, locking up, parking in lit areas and keeping valuables out of sight. Warning devices such as horn alarms, steering wheel locks, decals and window etching draw attention to a theft attempt. Immobilizing devices prevent thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot wiring the vehicle, including systems that cut power or fuel to the engine. Tracking devices help police locate a stolen vehicle.

If you are about to pick up a high powered SUV like this one, do your own walkaround before you sign the final papers, not after: check every seat and panel inside, open the hood, and look at the tires. Ask how many keys come with the vehicle, since a missing spare is worth knowing on day one.

Before the first drive, learn what each drive mode does from the owner’s manual, and try them in an empty lot rather than on the way out of the dealership. Get an insurance quote for the exact model before you commit, and plan your theft protection in the layers NHTSA describes, with an immobilizer or tracking device on the list for a vehicle that draws this much attention.