New Delhi: With Stellantis at the helm, the American brands of Fiat Chrysler automobiles aren’t in the position they once held. The automakers’ intention to shift to battery-powered vehicles and new combustion engines didn’t go down well with their customer base which for a long time has been in love with the V8 engines.
Ram has already corrected a lot of this by bringing back the Hemi in the 1500. Now it seems that Jeep could do the same with the Grand Cherokee as well.
During a recent interaction with The Drive, Joe Aljajawi, the man who led the engineering on the updated WL (current generation) Grand Cherokee, told the publication that the Jeep brand is aware of how the GC customers feel about wanting the V8 back and that they might have something for them. It is unclear what that could be, but Aljajawi insisted on “stay tuned”.
Jeep Grand Cherokee powertrain
Grand Cherokee currently comes with the Hurricane 4 turbocharged engine
The fifth-generation Grand Cherokee WL, launched in 2021, originally featured the 5.7-litre V8. It generated 357 bhp and 528 Nm of torque. Jeep discontinued this engine in the two-row version following 2023, and then in the three-row model after 2024. Jeep have refreshed the Grand Cherokee for 2026, making it the first car to launch with Stellanti’s new Hurricane 4 Turbo, which is a turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 324 bhp and 450 Nm of torque.
The base model also gets the tested Pentastar V6. For some buyers, the performance is the ultimate, and that could be a good enough percentage for Jeep to bring back the V8 engine. The 5.7-litre has twice as many cylinders as the new Hurricane 4 Turbo while making a little more power. While it might not make sense, buyers just want that V8 and Jeep will do anything to win back their customer base.
Globally, the sales have been dwindling, and for Stellantis, even the slightest light is a chance worth grabbing.