If the Jeep Grand Cherokee was regularly criticised for one thing in Australia, it was the V6 that served as its base engine. Now, there’s a new petrol engine available, but it’s not coming here.
That’s because Jeep discontinued the Grand Cherokee locally earlier this year, meaning Australia misses out on the new ‘Hurricane’ turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine.
The WL Grand Cherokee is the first vehicle from Stellantis to use the Hurricane four, which pumps out 238kW of power and 450Nm of torque. That’s 28kW more power and 106Nm more torque than the 3.6-litre naturally aspirated ‘Pentastar’ V6.
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The venerable Pentastar will continue to be offered, but exclusive to the Laredo and Laredo X trims. The turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain remains available only in the regular-length, two-row Grand Cherokee 4xe.
The 5.7-litre Hemi V8 had already been retired from the WL range, and wasn’t offered in the model locally.
Jeep claims the new Hurricane-powered variants – the first petrol four-cylinder models in the Grand Cherokee’s history – can tow 2812kg, matching V6-powered variants.
The company says the new engine represents the industry’s “first high-volume application of Turbulent Jet Ignition technology”, which sees a small amount of fuel ignited in a cup-like pre-chamber atop each cylinder which in turn expands into the combustion chamber.
The end result, according to Jeep, is cleaner and more efficient combustion plus improved fuel economy. Jeep also says 90 per cent of torque is available over 2600-5600rpm and 100 per cent from 3000-4500rpm, making this engine much less peaky than the old V6.
An eight-speed automatic is the only transmission offered across the Grand Cherokee lineup.
The new engine coincides with a minor facelift for the Grand Cherokee range.
Exterior changes comprise a new headlight design, refreshed grille, tweaked rear fascia, and three new exterior paint colours: Steel Blue, Fathom Blue, and Copper Shino.
Inside, there’s a revised dashboard with a new 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, up from 10.1 inches.
The end of right-hand drive production sees the Grand Cherokee moved to a lengthy list of Jeeps that Australia misses out on.
This includes the revived Cherokee mid-size SUV, which packs hybrid power for the first time, as well as the full-size Grand Wagoneer. There are also V8 and plug-in hybrid versions of the Wrangler which remain off-limits to Aussie buyers.
Jeep Australia axed the Grand Cherokee – or rather, in its words, “made the difficult decision to pause availability” – back in March of this year, and offered huge discounts on leftover stock.
The axing came after sales continued to sink despite the launch of the new WL generation in 2022. While this was the first Grand Cherokee with an available third row of seats, it lost its popular turbo-diesel V6 option.
In 2014, the Grand Cherokee’s best year of sales, Jeep delivered 16,582 examples in Australia – beating even the mighty Toyota Prado. But in 2024, Jeep shifted just 645 examples.
The Grand Cherokee’s fortunes have followed those of the Jeep brand’s in Australia, though fresh product is coming in the form of the new Compass small SUV next year. Jeep has also previously confirmed the electric Wagoneer S and Recon for our market.
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