Jeep has watched the V8 party from the sidelines lately, but the same engines fueling Ram and Dodge might hand it a back door into a big-motor Wagoneer.
- The Hemi V8 disappeared from the Grand Wagoneer and barely survived in the Grand Cherokee, leaving a towing gap for buyers.
- Stellantis is funneling its returning V8s into the Ram 1500 and the Dodge Durango, which puts Jeep close to the hardware it needs.
- A Durango-based Wagoneer Classic could offer the 3.6, 5.7, and 6.4 without a costly new platform.
Jeep Missed the V8 Revival
While a few corners of the Jeep lineup still make big noise, the brand has mostly sat out the recent V8 comeback. The Wrangler 392 keeps going, and a Gladiator 392 is on the way. At the larger end of the range, though, the story flips. The V8 was pulled from the Grand Wagoneer, and it was practically dead on arrival in the current Grand Cherokee. That SUV technically launched with a Hemi option, but finding one was tough. It only stuck around through 2023, and the long-wheelbase L version dropped its Hemi for 2024.
What replaced it left a real gap. The 4xe plug-in hybrid stepped in, and while it still burns gasoline alongside its electric motors, it never matched the Hemi’s 7,200-pound tow rating. No current Grand Cherokee powertrain does. That leaves a chunk of shoppers, especially the ones who tow, looking elsewhere.
Why the V8s Are Flowing to Ram and Dodge
Things are messy at Stellantis right now. Nearly every brand has a new or freshly returned executive, and the whole company is still shaking off five chaotic years. Two forces are shaping the engine picture. The Hemi has been earmarked for other priorities, and Stellantis sank a pile of money into a fresh family of turbocharged inline engines, both four and six cylinders, that it badly wants to earn back.
Those inline motors are solid, and the company has every reason to sell them. But the V8 refuses to quit. Dodge leaned hard on the Hemi’s return for the Durango, and the Ram 1500 brought the 5.7-liter V8 back to its order sheet after a two-year absence. Ram even walked away from a costly 48-volt mild hybrid setup it had engineered around the engine. Between the truck and the Durango, Stellantis nearly ran its V8 supply dry. Ram’s upcoming Ramcharger SUV is also being built to take a V8, according to comments from CEO Tim Kuniskis, so the appetite clearly runs deep.
A Wagoneer Classic Hiding in Plain Sight
Here’s a thought that costs Jeep almost nothing. Take the Durango, give it a seven-slot grille, dress the cabin with some throwback design touches, and pin a Wagoneer badge on it. Call it a Wagoneer Classic. Offer it with the 3.6-liter V6, the 5.7-liter Hemi, and the 6.4-liter, all engines already living under Durango hoods.
Because a Wagoneer doesn’t need to wear a Trail Rated badge to fit Jeep’s modern branding, there’s no reason to fuss with the drivetrain. The Durango is essentially the more affordable cousin of the Grand Cherokee L, a long-wheelbase design that dates back to the older WK2 bones. It’s already in production, so the tooling bill would stay small. Jeep has teased a Hemi’s return to the Grand Cherokee, and that move looks close to inevitable. A Durango-based Wagoneer would be a lower-stakes way to reach the same buyers while pulling more enthusiasts toward the Wagoneer name.
What Buyers Should Watch Next
None of this is confirmed product, so treat the Wagoneer Classic idea as a smart forecast rather than a spec sheet. What is real is the Hemi’s return to the Ram 1500 and the Durango, plus the delays hitting the plug-in models. Jeep’s Grand Wagoneer Hybrid production slid to November, and the Ram 1500 REV moved to next spring. For shoppers who want proven V8 towing today and don’t want to wait, comparing new arrivals against listings for used trucks for sale Amarillo can be a practical way to gauge what the Hemi is actually worth. The engines exist, the demand is obvious, and Jeep is standing closer to the parts bin than it might seem. Keep an eye on how Stellantis divides those V8s, because the next big Jeep surprise may already be sitting on a Dodge assembly line.
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