The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee has lost its optional 5.7-liter Hemi engine, foreshadowing what could be the beginning of the end for the venerable V8.
Launched with the 5.7-liter for its 2022 model redesign, the Grand Cherokee reportedly retained the engine option for the beginning of the 2023 model year before it was quietly discontinued. The option has since been removed from the Grand Cherokee’s configurator on Jeep‘s website. What’s more, Jeep spokespeople confirmed to Motor Authority that the engine is no longer available for dealers to order.
While not the Grand Cherokee’s most powerful engine option, with that honor going to the plug-in hybrid 4xe, it offered the highest tow rating at 7,200 pounds. The PHEV by contrast manages only 6,000, making the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 the best suited to towing with a 6,200-pound rating. Some speculate the 5.7-liter has been discontinued in favor of the new 3.0-liter, twin-turbo Hurricane inline six, which Jeep CEO Christian Meunier told Car Expert could come to the Grand Cherokee. It’d be more powerful than the discontinued V8 model, with 420 horsepower and 468 pound-feet of torque.
Despite approaching 20 years of age, the 5.7-liter Hemi remains available in many Stellantis products, including in the Grand Cherokee’s bigger brother, the three-row Grand Cherokee L. Nevertheless, this could mark the 5.7’s last stand in a Jeep, and it will soon cease to be available at all for multiple other Stellantis brands. It currently powers the Chrysler 300S and all Dodge R/T trims, every one of which is expected to be discontinued within the next two years.
The 5.7 remains a staple at Ram, where it powers the 1500 pickup truck, and is available on all trims of the previous-gen 1500 Classic. However, the older truck has not yet received a 2023 model year, signaling its future—and therefore the 5.7’s—may soon diminish. Stellantis is increasingly leaning into electrification with an aggressive hybridization scheme and electric vehicles announced or teased for all its major U.S. brands. So, while Dodge likes to champion the saying no replacement for displacement, it’s clear Stellantis thinks kilowatt-hours will replace cubic inches just fine.
Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com