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Any chance of V8 for JL Wrangler?

Brogan

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Will never happen! A Diesel option will be nice when it happens.

Jason
Agreed. With MPG requirements getting even more stringent it makes no sense to introduce a V8 when here's a turbo diesel coming. Better torque and gas mileage than V8. Only downside is lower redline and won't sound as good. Two things Jeep owners won't care about much compared to torque and MPG
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jlm024

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Unfortunately even Ford has dropped the 6.2 V8 in favor of a Twin turbo V6 ecoboost in the Raptor
"The all-new, twin-turbo, intercooled DOHC 24-valve, high-output 3.5L EcoBoost® with direct fuel injection is projected to deliver even more power than the previous 6.2L V8. A 10-speed automatic transmission with manual-shifting mode sends that power to all four wheels." - Ford Website

So I don't think we will ever see a v8 Jeep wrangler
 

65Hemi

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Give me a stout V8 over a smelly diesel that weighs twice as much, costs thousands of dollars more, and has half the horsepower of a high performance V8 any day........not to mention the fuel penalty you pay every time you fill up with diesel.
 
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65Hemi

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I can't understand why FCA (Chrysler) is making the Hellcat engine an option in the Grand Cherokee, but restricting Jeep Wranglers to a pathetic V6. What the hell is that about? A Jeep Wrangler with a Hemi V8 option would generate a lot of additional Wrangler sales! Wake up, FCA!
 
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65Hemi

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Unfortunately even Ford has dropped the 6.2 V8 in favor of a Twin turbo V6 ecoboost in the Raptor
"The all-new, twin-turbo, intercooled DOHC 24-valve, high-output 3.5L EcoBoost® with direct fuel injection is projected to deliver even more power than the previous 6.2L V8. A 10-speed automatic transmission with manual-shifting mode sends that power to all four wheels." - Ford Website

So I don't think we will ever see a v8 Jeep wrangler
Who would have thought we would see a Hellcat V8 option in a Grand Cherokee a few years ago? I remember when the most powerful engine available in the Jeep Cherokee vehicle was a 265 horsepower V8! I will never buy a new Jeep Wrangler as long as the only engine option is a pathetic, underpowered V6!
 

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65Hemi

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I would consider a diesel in a Jeep Wrangler if it made some serious torque, around 500 foot-pounds or more. Otherwise, forget it.
 
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The Great Grape Ape

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I will never buy a new Jeep Wrangler as long as the only engine option is a pathetic, underpowered V6!
It's neither pathetic, nor underpowered. Sure it's no Hemi, and many like me want a nice new 5.7 400/400 crate in there instead of the Pentastar, but the Pentastar is not an underpowered V6, there are many out there that are only now catching up with the Pentastar, and many more that still haven't.

I look forward to the PUG/PSU update, especially the quicker delovery of torque, but I'd still prefer a Hemi, and yes, FCA is leaving milliong of dollars on the table by not offering it in a Wrangler, which is annoyingly stupid.
 

WXman

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Bob Sheaves, the former engineer who worked on the most popular Jeeps, told Allpar that there is basically a 0% chance of a V8 in a Wrangler. The main thing is packaging. It would be excessively expensive to package a V8 in the Wrangler and pass safety testing and other criteria. The engine bay is already cramped as it is. The V8 just won't work. Yes, aftermarket companies are retro-fitting them. But aftermarket companies don't have to meet the standards that a major automaker does.

Second, there is zero reason for a Hemi in a Wrangler other than the sound. The diesel will make more torque than the Hemi when it's offered next year. And if horsepower is what you're after 300+ will be attainable with the gas engine options. The planned engines surpass the build needs for Wrangler from a production standpoint.

Remember, this is a convertible with a high center of gravity. The last thing the engineering team wants to do is drop huge amounts of power into it. This is also one reason the towing ratings are so low on Wrangler. It's not meant to be a workhorse or a drag racer. It's meant to go offroad and be an open top experience.
 

The Great Grape Ape

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Second, there is zero reason for a Hemi in a Wrangler other than the sound. The diesel will make more torque than the Hemi when it's offered next year. And if horsepower is what you're after 300+ will be attainable with the gas engine options. The planned engines surpass the build needs for Wrangler from a production standpoint.
Diesel is a dieing platform, and sucks in the cold. The Hemi is a durable proven platform. There is Zero reason for a Cherokee TrackHawk.., it exists, even the SRT is a 'We wanna be a Cayenne' play, both of which are bravado more than logical. But that's the market and they will sell, just like a Hemi Wrangler. A 5.7L Hemi makes as much or more sense in a convertible fun vehicle than a diesel platform, especially for the majority of people who own and drive them. Diesel is for the enthusiast at best, and the silly person who thinks the Wrangler is a tow vehicle at worst. Hemi fits the style and heritage of the Wrangler better than diesel which has always had an overseas aspect to it since the Perkins in the CJ.

And the power is helpful when driving into the wind (I know this from extensive experience where a headwind will force a higher RPM to gain power at the cost of efficiency, whereas the Hemi power-profile would stay pretty sedate). I'd like to think they will address it with the PUG/PSU, but the boost is likely mainky felt in torque as seen in the Grand Cherokee update.

Remember, this is a convertible with a high center of gravity. The last thing the engineering team wants to do is drop huge amounts of power into it. This is also one reason the towing ratings are so low on Wrangler. It's not meant to be a workhorse or a drag racer. It's meant to go offroad and be an open top experience.
Having the weight of the Hemi would keep it pretty planted, and would keep it about 50/50 weight distribution, so the power vs centre of gravity is kinds moot for stock, and more of an issue for lifted... when it leave FCA's hands, and is similar to people adding turbos or Hemis themselves. In stock configuration a Hemi would be fine. As for Open top experience. that is aided by a Hemi, not a diesel, were it sound alone, however with the added wind resistance of the open top, the HP would help to overcome resistance and drag better than the weak 4 and underpower diesel.

I'm under no illusion regarding its likelyhood (or lack thereof), but to say it's either incompatible or useless in a Wrangler is overstating things. It has more of a place than a tiny whiney turbo 4 (versus bigger 4 both NA and turbo), and as much of a place as the diesel, and sales of the Hemi in the GC speak to that.

The safety issue may be one thing, but the space is not, the EcoDiesel is a bigger footprint as experience by the Grand Cherokee requirements alone, and I'm sceptical that the 5.7L represents as much of a challenge to space, safety or anything else as it is being made out to be.
 

65Hemi

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It's neither pathetic, nor underpowered. Sure it's no Hemi, and many like me want a nice new 5.7 400/400 crate in there instead of the Pentastar, but the Pentastar is not an underpowered V6, there are many out there that are only now catching up with the Pentastar, and many more that still haven't.

I look forward to the PUG/PSU update, especially the quicker delovery of torque, but I'd still prefer a Hemi, and yes, FCA is leaving milliong of dollars on the table by not offering it in a Wrangler, which is annoyingly stupid.
I absolutely disagree. The only V6 that is not underpowered in a vehicle weighing over 4,000 pounds would be a supercharged or turbocharged V6. I have a 2011 FJ Cruiser (weighs over 4,000 pounds) with a 260 horsepower V6. I added a TRD exhaust and a TRD cold air intake system, and it is still UNDERPOWERED! It's even worse when you get in the Rocky Mountains, where you lose 3 percent of your engine power for every 1,000 feet of elevation. BTW, I have driven the latest version of the Wrangler more than once, and it is definitely underpowered, especially with big tires and wheels on it!
 
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The Great Grape Ape

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I absolutely disagree. The only V6 that is not underpowered in a vehicle weighing over 4,000 pounds would be a supercharged or turbocharged V6. I have a 2011 FJ Cruiser (weighs over 4,000 pounds) with a 260 horsepower V6.
Which is a larger displacement engine on higher octane fuel producing less power.
The point is, for a V6 the Pentastar is not underpowered. As the top choice for a Wrangler on the other hand, it is not sufficinet in many scenarios. But the two aren't dependant. The Pentastar is a good V6, just perhaps not the right choice for a heavy vehicle that has the aerodynamics of a brick.

It's even worse when you get in the Rocky Mountains, where you lose 3 percent of your engine power for every 1,000 feet of elevation.
Yes, well aware of that already, but that's not the engine but the air delivery, and forced air for altiude benefits, 4cyl, 6, 8 or even 3cylinder, so it's not paricular to the Pentastar, FCA just didn't add the forced-air it was designed for.

I've always said I'd be happy with a Supercharged Pentastar, and for that very reason, but that's even less likely than a Hemi which I still prefer for cold weather operation.
 

WXman

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Well guys, it's just not ever going to happen. There has never been a factory V8 in a Jeep Wrangler since they debuted in 1987, and there never will be. From an engineering standpoint, it's not necessary and it's too expensive. That's just all there is to it.

Not to mention that FCA overall has plans to drop Hemi V8 engines from vehicles across the board over the next 5-10 years. Their plans call for Hemi engines in high performance cars and large pickup trucks only. Everything else will go to 4 and 6 cylinder engines in both naturally aspirated and forced induction varieties. Which means that the odds of a V8 in a Wrangler are actually less than 0%. Probably more like -50%.

CAFE standards are getting tighter, crash testing is getting more strict, and many people speculate that the combustion engine is a dying breed. I personally drive a V8 every single day right now, and most of the dozens of vehicles I've owned have had V8 engines. But when you're talking future mid-size 4x4s you can simply forget about fuel thirsty V8s...it ain't happnin'.

They do limited production Jeeps like the Grand Cherokee TrackHawk and the Durango SRT because they sell them in lower numbers and those vehicles are designed to handle the power more safely and they also become "halo vehicles" for the company which increases sales of other vehicles in the lineup. It's a sales tactic. But they cannot afford in today's political and environmental climate to mass produce something like a V8 Wrangler. It's just never going to happen.

And for the record, I've owned two diesel Jeeps and neither of them "sucked in the cold". I plugged them up when the temp. went below 0°F and never had a single no-start issue.
 

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Who would have thought we would see a Hellcat V8 option in a Grand Cherokee a few years ago? I remember when the most powerful engine available in the Jeep Cherokee vehicle was a 265 horsepower V8! I will never buy a new Jeep Wrangler as long as the only engine option is a pathetic, underpowered V6!
I'm not really surprised at all. Jeep came out with a hihg-performance Grand Cherokee ZJ back in 1998 with limited edition 5.9L. At 245HP / 345 lb-ft it was the fastest production SUV at the time. Then in 2006 Jeep brought out an SRT model of the Grand Cherokee with the 6.1L and they've been building and selling hot-rod Grands in an un-official muscle-SUV war with the European brands ever since.
 

65Hemi

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I'm not really surprised at all. Jeep came out with a hihg-performance Grand Cherokee ZJ back in 1998 with limited edition 5.9L. At 245HP / 345 lb-ft it was the fastest production SUV at the time. Then in 2006 Jeep brought out an SRT model of the Grand Cherokee with the 6.1L and they've been building and selling hot-rod Grands in an un-official muscle-SUV war with the European brands ever since.
I would buy a Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is it wasn't so damn heavy. It's way more of a hog than the Wrangler. Around 5,000 pounds as I recall.
 
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Spank

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I will never buy a new Jeep Wrangler as long as the only engine option is a pathetic, underpowered V6!
Have you driven a base model Challenger with the Pentastar? It's virtually the same engine, but feels completely different. It's not the engine that's the issue, it's the vehicle itself. I've driven a Hemi Wrangler and while it is a beautiful thing to behold, even with all that HP and torque, you can literally feel the abysmal aerodynamics killing some of that delicious power.
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