And they’ll likely wind up in Dodges and Rams, too.
Jeep had a massive year in 2021, launching the all-new three-row Grand Cherokee L, the two-row regular Grand Cherokee and reviving the Grand Wagoneer nameplate to slot above it. Those SUVs earned rave reviews…but one disappointment was their underwhelming fuel economy. The Grand Cherokees stuck with the 5.7-liter V8 achieves only 17 mpg combined; the Grand Wagoneer, powered by the 6.4-liter V8, averages just 15 mpg combined.
The solution to that poor fuel economy may be arriving next month. Mopar Insiders isreporting that Jeep will debut its long-anticipated new engine at the New York Auto Show in April: a turbocharged 3.0-liter GME inline-six that should debut in the Grand Wagoneer. It will allegedly slot above the current GME 2.0-liter inline-four used in the Wrangler and in hybrid form in the Wrangler 4xe.
Why is this engine important? Well, the high-output version will likely debut first — and that should end up replacing the 5.7-liter V8 in short order. That 3.0-liter inline-six should also arrive as a plug-in hybrid in the Grand Wagoneer in 2023. There’s also expected to be a standard output version that will, presumably, replace Chrysler’s aging 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. The new engine will likely also make its way to other FCA Stellantis vehicles using the old engines, like the Ram 1500 pickup and the Dodge Charger.
Moving to inline-sixes should be a smart move for Jeep. Aging, high-displacement naturally-aspirated V8s — however reliable — won’t be part of the mix moving forward. Even Toyota has been shifting its trucks and SUVs to six-cylinder power. Improved efficiency can be appreciated whether you’re worried about the environment or what looks to be a period of higher gas prices. And replacing multiple engines with variants of the same engine is a great way to cut costs.
And hey, if you’re worried the 3.0-liter inline-six engines won’t reach the same extreme performance heights that the Hemi V8s did, keep in mind that similar turbocharged-and-hybridized inline-sixes from the likes of Mercedes-Benz crank out more than 400 horsepower. Besides, remember that Stellantis has electric versions of many of its vehicles rolling in over the next few years — and they’ve promised insane performance from many of them.
Keyword: Jeep's Revolutionary New Powerplants Should Arrive Next Month