For Jeep enthusiasts the holidays came early this year.
On Thursday, at a media briefing Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf said the 392 cubic inch V8 engine will be leveraged in the Jeep lineup followed by, “Wrangler and Gladiator fans, and Hemi fans in general, don’t worry.”
After this announcement, it’s unlikely any Jeep fans are resting, as some might be hyperventilating. Who’s ready for a four-door pickup with removable doors, roof, and a huge V8 engine? Prepare your bank accounts.
Broderdorf said “after being out at the Rubicon Trail, it’s clear just how much people love the roar of the 392.” It’s worth noting, people traverse the Rubicon Trail at slow speeds, which means no engines are roaring.
“The 6.4-liter Hemi V8 will have a home at Jeep,” Broderdorf said.
The V8 engine option was supposed to be killed off in the Wrangler two years ago with multiple Final Editions, which clearly weren’t so final. The 2024 model cost $102,000. It was supposed to the end, but then it was kept alive for 2025, surely making the first round of “Final Edition” owners feel a particular way.
The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 is exactly as rowdy as you think it is. And having a Gladiator 392 join the lineup will only increase both profits and the rowdy factor in Jeep showrooms.
The Hemi V8 was nearing extinction in the Jeep lineup with the eight-cylinder engine exiting the Grand Cherokee model entirely in 2024. It’s possible the 5.7-liter returns to the Grand Cherokee, and a 6.4-liter Hemi gets shoved under the hood as well. “We will tap the power and performance of the 6.4-liter V8 across Jeep products,” Broderdorf said.
Now the Hemi V8 is back with a vengeance at Stellantis and seemingly spreading quickly. The 2025 Ram 1500 brought back the iconic motor as a “symbol of protest,” for $2,895. The Hellcat-powered TRX is coming back, according to newly appointed Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa.
And now the 6.4-liter Hemi-powered Wrangler 392 lives on only to gain a pickup truck sibling. Sorry, Final Edition owners. Those V8-powered Wrangler’s weren’t the end. Profits are a heck of a drug.
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