Jeep’s Hurricane Inline-Six Is a Worthy Replacement for the V-8 in Our Testing

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Stellantis’ new twin-turbocharged “Hurricane” inline-six engine is proving its worth in our testing, beating the old Hemi V-8 in both acceleration and fuel economy. Test results for the 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer L with the new 510-horsepower version of the twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six show that it’s both quicker and more efficient than the 2022 Grand Wagoneer with the 6.4-liter V-8—even though the six-cylinder SUV we tested was the bigger, heavier long-wheelbase L model.

We got the 6428-pound Grand Wagoneer L to 60 mph in a scant 4.7 seconds, beating the old, 102-pound-lighter V-8 model by 0.7 second. That advantage shrunk to 0.4 second and 2 mph in the quarter mile, as the off-the-line advantage of the turbo’s 3500-rpm brake torque launch wears off. That’s quick for a full-size, truck-based SUV, beating out the Ford Expedition Stealth Performance model’s 4.9-second run to 60 mph and coming closer than we would have expected to the supercharged, 682-horsepower Cadillac Escalade-V’s 4.3-second sprint.

It’s not all upside for the inline-six, however, as the Wagoneer L’s rolling-start 5-to-60-mph time of 5.9 seconds is a tenth behind the 5.8-second run from the V-8-powered barge. The passing times are no better either, with the 30–50-mph time a dead heat at 3.2 seconds, and the 50–70-mph time a tenth worse for the inline-six at 3.9 seconds. Although we’d categorize the Jeep’s boosted six as quite responsive, turbocharged engines’ power delivery is never as instantaneous as that of a naturally aspirated engine.

In our 75-mph highway fuel economy test, the smaller-displacement turbo-six won out, too. It achieved a result of 20 mpg to the V-8’s 19 mpg; not exactly a huge difference, but impressive considering the extra grunt the smaller engine also provides.

The addition of the inline-six has complicated the Wagoneer’s powertrain lineup somewhat. The inline-six is standard on all long-wheelbase L versions, although the Wagoneer L has the 420-horsepower standard-output version and the Grand Wagoneer L has the 510-horsepower high-output version. Among short-wheelbase variants, the 3.0-liter six is optional, as the base Wagoneer continues with its standard 5.7-liter V-8 and the base Grand Wagoneer with its 6.4-liter V-8. But based on the new engine’s strong performance, it seems a worthy upgrade if you’re shopping for one of these behemoths.