Missing V8 power from the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee? Jeep probably won’t bring the engine back, but it will give you some of its horses. Actually, it could give you more horses than the current standard-issue Hemi. A new report says that the Grand Cherokee could get the one engine we can’t believe isn’t already in there.
One that would deliver almost 100 horsepower more than the best the Jeep SUV can manage today.
Grand Cherokee Needs Some Wind Beneath Its Wings
2027 Jeep Grand Cherokee TrailhawkStellantis
This is one of those reports that covers something we can’t believe hasn’t already happened. MoparInsiders cites a “well-placed source” and a leaked document as saying that the Jeep Grand Cherokee will get the twin-turbo 3.0-liter Hurricane I6 for model year 2028. Of course, there are multiple versions of that engine, one of which makes up to 600 horsepower in the Dodge Charger and 540 in the Jeep Wagoneer.
However, the Grand Cherokee, the report claims, will get the Standard Output version of the engine. That one returns 420 hp and 468 pound-feet of torque, which is still plenty to smoke the other engines the Grand Cherokee offers today. Those engines include the aging and unimpressive 290-hp Pentastar V6 and the brand-new 2.0-liter 324-hp Hurricane 4. Neither of those is exactly a replacement for the 357-hp Hemi V8.
Buyers weren’t happy when the V8 went away, and it was about more than just horsepower. The V8 Grand Cherokee could tow up to 7,200 pounds, enough for a family-sized travel trailer or boat. The V6 and I4 models cut 1,000 pounds off that figure, which makes towing a travel trailer or boat either questionable or impossible.
Could A V8 Still Be Coming?
Image of the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk driving.Stellantis
It wasn’t a surprise when Jeep announced it was dropping the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 from the Grand Cherokee in 2023, or when it did the same with the Grand Cherokee L a year later. What was a surprise is that, when Jeep redesigned the SUVs, it didn’t include the sublime six-cylinder engine as an option.
Previous reports hinted that the I6 wouldn’t fit in the Grand Cherokee’s nose. But that concern was laid to rest earlier this summer when Stellantis showed off an SRT prototype with the HO version of the engine. So clearly it can fit, if Jeep wants it to.
Stellantis is bringing back the V8 in Dodge models and Ram pickups, but don’t expect to find it here. Speaking about the Grand Wagoneer and a future Ram sibling, executive Tim Kuniskis told CarBuzz that the two brands would avoid stepping on each other’s toes. Later, he said that meant a V8 made sense for Dodge, leaving open the possibility that something with more refinement (like the I6) was a better choice for Jeep.
That might not apply to the Grand Cherokee SRT, which will be back before 2030. That one could get a V8, but it would be the 6.2-liter supercharged model, not a standard 5.7 Hemi.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit interior view of the front cabinBrett T. Evans/CarBuzz/Valnet
The Grand Cherokee needs more towing capacity, and it needs an engine that can justify the $60,000 price Jeep wants at the high end. The Hurricane I4 doesn’t exactly do that. The six should deliver more horsepower and more refinement, maybe helping Jeep sell product without the thousands in discounts (up to 10% as of publishing) it offers on the Grand Cherokee now.
Source: Moparinsiders
