New Jeep Gladiator V8, Dodge Durango Jailbreak?! Stellantis Returns to Old Playbook, Smart?

A new Jeep Gladiator V8 is coming and the Dodge Durango is going all in on the 8 cylinder engine as well dropping the V6. Is this smart?

Jeep Gladiator V8

First up, theDrive.com has confirmed a Jeep Gladiator V8 is in the cards for the midsize truck.

Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf said the 392 cubic inch V8 engine will be part of the Jeep lineup making it into the Wrangler and the Gladiator. Notably, this means the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 variety will be under the hood of the Gladiator.

This isn’t new for the Jeep Wrangler 392 edition which used this powertrain coming in at a staggering $102,000 and was supposed to be killed off as a “Final Edition” a few different times. There have been some rumblings by those buyers about a possible lawsuit over offering a final, final edition.

In the 4-door Jeep Wrangler, the 392 edition with the 6.4-liter V8 engine produces 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. It moves the Wrangler along from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Not bad for a vehicle that’s about 16′ long.

This “symbol of protest” as Ram said when it announced the Hemi’s return to the truck lineup should also be a symbol of pride for Jeep fans.

Dodge Durango V8 for All, Plus New Jailbreak

In another related news item, Dodge CEO Matt McAlear said the Dodge Durango will stay alive largely thanks to the Hemi engine and its own Hellcat variant with a new Jailbreak version allowing for owners to further customize the SUV as they like according to theDrive.com.

First, starting August 13, 2025, all Dodge Durangos will be offered only with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine while dropping the Pentastar V6 engine. This will increase horsepower and torque for many of its performance variants like the GT and R/T trim levels.

Next, there will be a Jailbreak version that is finally going to be let out now with regulatory changes allowing Dodge to unleash the full potential without having to worry about Corporate Average Fuel Economy fines from the Federal Government. This model will have SRT parts galore, unique exterior paint and wheel and tire combinations. Plus, for $995 you can unlock more than six million potential customization combinations. Yes, 6 million.

Ram TRX Coming Back

A few weeks earlier, new Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa let it slip the Ram TRX is coming back with a Hellcat-powered engine.

This engine will likely come from the recently reunited SRT team led by Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis who is doing double-duty leading both teams.

The Ram TRX, killed off in 2025 for the high-output Hurricane-powered RHO model, had a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 engine under the hood producing 702 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque.

Going to Old Playbook Smart or Dumb Move?

These moves by Stellantis are not new as the brand has done these kinds of things before in its history. They have often been the brand known for “Hellcat Everything” with many journalists openly joking they were going to make a Hellcat version of the Pacifica minivan next.

The challenge with these moves is when the political pendulum swings back the other day as it so often has done in the past few decades. Stellantis is one of the leading companies to pay dearly for not meeting emission targets in the U.S. and in global markets.

They have also pushed back their Ram Ramcharger, an extended range electric vehicle and the Ram REV, a fully-electric Ram truck, and seem to be focusing instead on fast tracking the Hemi V8 sport truck return and the TRX. This should pay short-term dividends for sure. Long-term is going to be an interesting question.