There's Only One V8-Powered Jeep Left

Jeep’s have been available with meaty V8 engines for as long as most drivers can remember, with the first being the 1963 Gladiator. It used a 5.4-liter powerplant sourced from AMC, the vehicle becoming the springboard for most of Jeep’s offerings coming with a V8 option over the next six decades. A special version of the old Gladiator has even been treated to a modern-day Hemi.

Fast-forward to 2024, and V8s are a dying breed. Just one of the Jeep’s models can still be ordered with a V8, and this is everything you need to know about this endangered unicorn.

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The Jeep Wrangler 392 Is The Last V8 Powered Jeep On The Market

2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392

Engine	6.4-liter V8
Power	470 hp
Torque	470 lb-ft
Ground Clearance	11.1 inches
Approach Angle	46.7 degrees
Departure Angle	39.8 degrees
Breakover Angle	24.5 degrees
Price	$92,140

The final V8-powered Jeep you can buy in 2024 is the Wrangler Rubicon 392, which comes with a 6.4-liter powerplant. The Wrangler being the manufacturer’s last model to get a V8 is poetic, as it’s the most historic and long-lasting model offered by the brand. While the Wrangler name has been around 1986, the vehicle is a direct follow-up from the CJ model line of vehicles.

The CJ and Wrangler are staples of the Jeep brand, and represent the purest version of a Jeep available. The CJs were essentially evolutions of the Willys Jeep, which was a crucial tool used by the Allies to claim victory in World War II during the 1940s. While the Wrangler name was introduced to bring the Jeep into the modern age, it shared a near-identical platform with its CJ forerunners.

Jeep Defies Stellantis’ V8 Kill Order To Keep V8 Wrangler Alive

After an about-turn on the final year of the Dodge Durango Hellcat, something similar has now happened to the Jeep Wrangler 392 Final Edition.

The body and frame are separate from one another, while live axles are utilized front and rear. The Wrangler has also kept similar styling to older CJ models, with the flat hood and nose being combined with a square cabin area. The current generation of the Wrangler is the JL, which was introduced in 2017.

The JL is notable in that it was the first Wrangler to come with the option of a V8 engine, with the most powerful model of all its predecessors being some form of six-cylinder powerplant. No less than 12 different trim levels are available for the 2024 Wrangler, with the range-topping Rubicon 392 and Rubicon 392 Final Edition being the only ones available with the V8.

These variants also differ because they can only be had in four-door form, rather than the more traditional two-door style seen on lower trims.

The Wrangler’s V8 Brings Some Muscle To A Classic Off-Roader

Unsurprisingly, the V8-powered Wrangler has significantly more grunt at its disposal than its V6-afforded siblings. While the 3.6-liter V6 available in the 2024 Rubicon X produces 285 hp, the mighty 4.6-liter Hemi in the 392 brings 470 hp along. Torque is also well up too, with the 260 lb-ft of the V6 playing the 470 lb-ft of the V8.

The Hemi also comes combined with a rapid-fire eight-speed automatic transmission, while the V6 models come with a six-speed manual only. While the 392 affords its driver significantly more power than the V6 Wranglers, the penalty is that fuel efficiency is affected severely. While the V6 models can be expected to achieve a combined MPG of 18, the V8 gets just 14. That’s one of the main reasons it will eventually be killed off.

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The Hemi V8 Just Got Even Harder To Buy

The icon is slowly going extinct.

What Happened To Jeep’s Other V8s?

The V8 used to be the go-to engine in the Grand Cherokee and bigger models like the Commander. As part of the Stellantis Group, Jeep also had access to some of the most powerful V8s ever made, and it put them to great use in cars like the Grand Cherokee SRT and Trackhawk.

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

Engine	Supercharged 6.2-liter V8
Power	707 hp
Torque	645 lb-ft
0-60 mph	3.5 seconds
Top Speed	180 mph

Stellantis is pushing hard to introduce hybrid and EV vehicles going forward, an approach evidenced by the recent culling of the V8 Dodge Charger and Challenger models. Another casualty was the mighty Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, a Hemi-powered performance SUV that could embarrass vehicles that weighed a fraction of its 5,300-pound curb weight. The mighty Trackhawk met its end back in 2021, meaning the only way it can be had now is by picking one up on the used market.

When it comes to Jeep’s modern range, the Grand Cherokee L used to be available with a 5.7-liter V8, but the online configurator shows that it’s no longer available. The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer used to ship as standard with V8 engines, but all models are now only available with the Hurricane inline-six, which is the same engine used to power the high-performance Ram RHO and the upcoming ICE replacement of the Dodge Charger.

It’s not hard to work out why. The Hurricane is more powerful than all but the Trackhawk, and more efficient. The V8 just doesn’t need to exist anymore, but that doesn’t mean we won’t miss the Wrangler 392 when it’s gone. Some things just need to stay around because they’re fun.