As you're well aware, Stellantis-owned Jeep isn't doing too great as of late. Sales in the 4x4 brand's home market dwindled from 973,227 deliveries in 2018 to a rather disappointing 642,924 deliveries last year, which prompted Stellantis to reconsider the off-road marque's next-generation products.
More specifically, the Wagoneer S and Recon were originally intended with electric propulsion exclusively. But chief executive officer Antonio Filosa, who replaced Christian Meunier in November 2023, believes that gasoline options could make the cut in order to bolster volume.
Speaking to Automotive News, the big kahuna made it clear that Jeep has to react if opportunities for gas-powered versions arise for the Recon and Wagoneer S. Because they're based on the Stellantis group's STLA Large platform, both support the 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo I6 engine of the Dodge Charger SIXPACK. The inline-six mill is also used by the 2025 Ram 1500 pickup truck, the Ram 1500-based Wagoneer, and the Grand Wagoneer.
The most powerful Hurricane thus far is found in the Charger SIXPACK H.O., with H.O. standing for high output. 550 horsepower and 521 pound-feet (706 Nm) of torque on 91 octane and with no electrical assistance whatsoever is hugely impressive for a displacement of 3.0 liters and six cylinders. For reference, the M-specific S58 of the BMW M3 and M4 is good for up to 553 horsepower in the limited-run 3.0 CSL and 479 pound-feet (650 Nm) of twist in the similarly limited M4 CSL.
Stellantis developed the force-fed sixer with the ZF 8HP torque-converter automatic in mind, which can also be found in the Charger SIXPACK, Ram 1500, Wagoneer, and Grand Wagoneer. Be that as it may, the STLA Large has a little trick up its sleeve.
Photo: Jeep
That little trick is the ZF 8HP, which is available in a number of electrified versions, ranging from 15 kW to 100 kW. The Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid uses the 100-kilowatt specification, which assists the internal combustion engine with up to 134 horsepower and 181 pound-feet (245 Nm) of torque. Speaking of the Wrangler 4xe, it's due a small technical update for model year 2025.
Can you imagine Stellantis using the Wrangler 4xe's four-cylinder turbo plug-in setup – including the 100-kW transmission – in the Recon and Wagoneer S? Alternatively, the Netherlands-based colossus might go with a mild hybrid in order to keep the starting prices of the Recon and Wagoneer S competitive.
Both are midsizers, which means that both are to compete against extremely popular nameplates. First and foremost, Grand Cherokee was the best-selling midsizer in the US last year, moving 244,594 units compared to 186,799 for the Ford Explorer, 169,543 for the Toyota Highlander, as well as 161,814 for the wagon-esque Subaru Outback.
The Recon targets prospective customers who would otherwise spend their money on the Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco, and Toyota 4Runner. Said nameplates posted 156,581, 105,665, and 86,594 deliveries in 2023. Given the aforementioned, Jeep needs to get the Recon perfectly right in order to steal prospective customers away from the body-on-frame Wrangler, Bronco, and 4Runner. The Recon uses a skateboard-type platform that supports ground clearances up to 11.3 inches (288 millimeters) and tire diameters up to 32.6 inches.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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