- The 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer will make 500 horsepower
- The Hellwagon is a Hellcat-powered 1989 Grand Wagoneer
- Will the Jeep Tomahawk be a Hellcat-powered Grand Wagoneer?
Jeep has not announced a supercharged Hellcat-powered variant of its full-size Wagoneer SUV. Jeep has unveiled a 500+ horsepower engine for its 2023 Grand Wagoneer. In search of even more power, some hot-rodding enthusiasts have even crammed a Hellcat engine into a vintage Wagoneer. Finally, a newly trademarked Jeep name has some automotive journalists wondering if a Hellcat-powered Waogneer is in the works.
The 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer will make 500 horsepower
The standard engine in the 2023 Grand Wagoneer may not come from a Hellcat, but it is certainly no slouch. The entry-level Grand Wagoneer offers the 6.4-liter naturally-aspirated HEMI V8 from Dodge’s “Scat Pack” cars. Starting in 2023, the Series II and III trims will be the first vehicles with the new 510 horsepower “Hurricane” I6.
2023 Grand Wagoneer L | Kevin McCauley of Capturing the Machine
Stellantis new Hurricane I6 is only 3.0 liters. But it uses twin-turbochargers to make big power with as little lag as possible. The high-output variant generates 26 psi of turbo boost to turn out 510 horsepower and 500 ft-lb of torque.
You can get a regular output Hurricane I6 in the Series II and Series III trims of the regular Wagoneer SUV. But if you want the 500+ horsepower variant you’ll need to spring for the Grand Wagoneer. When paired with the Grand Wagoneer’s eight-speed automatic transmission, full-time 4WD, and independent rear suspension, the high-output Hurricane should make for one of the best performing full-size SUVs around.
The Hellwagon is a Hellcat-powered 1989 Grand Wagoneer
While the latest generation of Jeep’s Grand Wagoneer has not been around long enough for hot-rodders to get their hands on, there are entire shops dedicated to modifying early Wagoneers. One such shop is Collins Bros. Jeep of Wylie, Texas. The brilliant and wild folks who run this shop cooked up a special plan: cram a 707-horsepower engine into a classic, wood-paneled Grand Wagoneer.
2023 Grand Wagoneer L | Kevin McCauley of Capturing the Machine
The team started with a spotless 1989 Grand Wagoneer finished in Colorado Red. They found that the Hellcat V8 fit nicely into the large SUV. It doesn’t weigh any more than the 360 cubic-inch V8 that originally powered the Wagoneer. In addition, a sturdy rebuild of the vehicles A-7272 Torqueflite and Dana 44 enabled the stock drivetrain to take Hellcat-levels of power.
What did take the team a long time was modifying the vehicle’s stock gauges and controls. For example, linkages between the stock column shifter and relocated transmission alone took three days. To keep the stock gauges, the Collins Bros. had to get especially creative, even installing a GPS sending unit and connecting it to the old speedometer–according to MotorTrend.
With a weight of just 4,500 pounds, the old-school Grand Wagoneer with a 707-horsepower Hellcat trounces the power-to-weight ratio of even the gnarliest SUVs on the road today.
Will the Jeep Tomahawk be a Hellcat-powered Grand Wagoneer?
Last summer, Jeep quietly trademarked the name Tomahawk. This badge is reminiscent of the Hellcat-powered Jeep Trackhawk. It made many wonder if a supercharged Hellcat V8 would soon join the Wagoneer’s engine options.
2023 Grand Wagoneer L | Kevin McCauley of Capturing the Machine
My colleague Allison Barfield reported on the leaked Jeep Trackhawk trademark filing back in July, 2022. Since then, Jeep has not revealed anything about its Tomahawk project. There are several distinct possibilities for what the upcoming Jeep Tomahawk might be. But as the Jeep Trailhawk is already a badge for the powerful Grand Cherokee off-roader, its likely the Tomahawk will be more road-oriented.
The Jeep Tomahawk could, of course, follow in the footsteps of the Jeep Wrangler 392. In this case it might be a Wrangler or similarly-sized Gladiator truck equipped with a Hellcat engine. But with the Wagoneer slowly swapping its naturally-aspirated V8s for turbocharged I6s, I think its very likely that Jeep is cooking up one more Wagoneer trim level: a supercharged Tomahawk for the V8 die-hards.
Keyword: Does Jeep Make a Hellcat-Powered Wagoneer?