While Dodge sent its V8 cars out with a bang, Jeep is quietly dropping the option from its models.
Following up the demise of the 5.7-liter V8 in the two-row Grand Cherokee and the Wagoneer (as well as the 6.4-liter option in the Grand Wagoneer), the Jeep Grand Cherokee L will also no longer have an eight-cylinder option. Instead, as Motor Authority drew attention to in its recent report, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 will now be the only powertrain for the three-row midsize SUV moving forward.
It’s not a terribly surprising move, as we’ve seen the Hemi slowly depart every model lineup where it’s available. Any model that does still technically have the option is living on borrowed time, including the current Dodge Durango R/T and Hellcat as well as the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392. For the two-row Grand Cherokee, we saw the 5.7-liter engine’s replacement with the Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid. It’s possible that could also happen with the three-row Grand Cherokee L, but for the time being you can only get the ubiquitous V6, as indeed we did when we last tested the model in 2023.
According to a Jeep spokesperson, the V8’s omission also isn’t as impactful as you might think. During the last full year in which it was available, leading up to the third quarter of this year (within the past few weeks, in other words), the V8’s take rate was less than 4%. It’s also worth noting the 5.7-liter option, with 357 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque, was only available on the higher-end Overland, Summit and Summit Reserve models.
The 2.0-liter-backed plug-in hybrid, if Jeep were to go that route for the Grand Cherokee L, manages 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. So, in both the GC and the Wrangler in which we’ve seen it so far, the automaker has argued the 4xe powertrain as a de facto replacement for the old-school Hemi. With the loss of the V8, the Grand Cherokee L’s towing potential also drops from 7,200 pounds to 6,200 pounds with the V6.
Like the Wagoneer, another option for an updated Grand Cherokee would be the 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six engine. In its standard output, that engine manages 420 horsepower and 486 lb-ft of torque, again beating out the old V8 on sheer numbers. That’s what prompted Ram to drop the V8 from its half-ton truck lineup for 2025, at least in part.
As ever, we’ll have to wait and see. But we likely won’t have to wait too long to see further developments, as Jeep will likely update the Grand Cherokee — both the two-row and three-row L versions — for the 2026 model year.
