When the Jeep Grand Cherokee was available with a 5.7-liter HEMI V8, it had a tow rating of 7,200 pounds, an exceptional figure for a mid-size SUV, and with parent company Stellantis working to renew the HEMI, it might appear as if the Grand Cherokee is destined to get the reliable engine back. But it’s not, reveals The Drivecast in a new episode with Head of American Brands, Ram CEO, and Head of SRT, Tim Kuniskis. According to him, “it doesn’t make sense” for the Grand Cherokee to have the same engines as the Dodge Durango, partly because Stellantis is trying to differentiate its product offerings and partly because the HEMI isn’t refined enough for the premium vibe Jeep is targeting.
Why a V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee Is Out of the Question
Jeep
It’s quite strange to hear the man who was the public face of the returning V8 at Ram and Dodge say that he doesn’t want to bring V8s back to Jeep, but he explained that Stellantis runs showrooms with “four different brands with four different brand identities,” and giving the Grand Cherokee a V8 would confuse buyers, since “we have a V8-only strategy on Durango.” He conceded that Dodge regularly violates that with Pentastar-powered Durangos, explaining that this happens when the automaker runs out of V8s, but once supply stabilizes, the Durango will be V8 only, with 5.7-, 6.4-, or 6.2-liter supercharged offerings. So the Durango will be the V8 SUV for Stellantis, giving it a distinct identity, and Jeep has to take a different path to set itself apart.
Related: Jeep Scrambler SRT Could Revive The V8 Open-Air Truck
“The Grand Cherokee should not be the same as a Durango,” said Kuniskis. “The V8 HEMI, the HEMI 5.7 V8, should not be in a highly refined vehicle like the Grand Cherokee.” In other words, the venerable HEMI 5.7-liter is too agricultural for this part of the Jeep brand, whose products include six-figure Wagoneers. Things like the Gladiator and Wrangler can get rougher V8s because they’re more hardcore vehicles, but not something as premium as the Grand Cherokee. So what is the solution? What engines will Jeep’s leather-lined SUVs get? That’s unclear, but a turbocharged engine seems likely.
Jeep Grand Cherokee May Get Hurricane Turbo-Six
Jeep
Kuniskis would neither confirm nor deny that the Grand Cherokee could get the Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six (the 2026 model already benefits from the Hurricane turbo-four), but he did say, “it’d be great.” He ensured that this comment would not be taken as confirmation by adding that while he “would love to do it,” saying so “doesn’t mean [he ‘s] going to,” adding, “There’s a whole bunch of things I’d like to do that I’m not going to do.” It’s been suggested that the Hellcat-powered Trackhawk could return with a 6.2-liter supercharged V8, but nothing is concrete, and given these comments from Kuniskis, it appears that Jeep is exploring multiple avenues for the future of the Grand Cherokee, with an SRT version likely to get either the Hurricane turbo six-cylinder, a more powerful turbocharged straight-six, or even both. But a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 is off the table.
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