This isn’t the first time Hemi has died. And, as with its initial demise, its transformation into a marvelous internal combustion museum in the sky is the result of emissions regulations. As is the case with many ICEs, it’s simply too big. , too expensive and too polluting to survive. Gone is its impressive power, its even more impressive roar and, most unfortunately, that more than emblematic name.
The fact is that beyond that, few people understood the meaning of the root of the word – “hemispherical” – and even fewer knew that a hemispherical combustion chamber wasn’t that smart anyway. And even fewer understood that the existing Hemi surely had nothing unusual about the original.
Whatever the cult’s lack of understanding, the fact remains that the Hemi is the V8 that needed no introduction. This aroused an equivalent measure of fear, envy, and even derision (among the BEV crowd). Over the years, other powerful car engines have challenged its dominance (Chevrolet’s “Rat” and Ford’s “Boss,” to name a few), but none have survived. Of the V8 engines that dominated the powerful car era of the ’60s and ’70s, only the Hemi had the ability to reinvent itself for the 21st century.
And now it’s gone. As a replacement, we have the new Hurricane. With fewer cylinders and less displacement, the Hurricane is no slouch in terms of power. Oh, it might not outperform those supercharged 6. 2L idiots that force Hellcats and Redeyes, but the new 3. 0-liter six-cylinder engine can make up to 510 horsepower, thanks to its dual turbochargers. And thanks to a relief valve that quickly generates up to approximately 30 psi of boost, there’s no shortage of couples either. In its Jeep Grand Wagoneer edition, it weighs 500 foot-pounds.
Together, they make the new Wagoneer L faster than the replaced V8. At full throttle, it will cover one hundred kilometers per hour (62 mph) in about five seconds, a truly impressive feat considering this big thing weighs more than 3,000 kilograms (6,600 pounds).
What’s even more impressive is that those five seconds come with a bit of turbo lag right from the start. Once the Big Six have reached their full potency, this thing is like a rhino on methamphetamine; Once the gallop begins, there’s a sense of speed that comes with something so bulky. Those opting for the 2024 edition of Jeep’s largest SUV don’t have to worry about the engine’s lack of power; The functionality of the Grand Wagoneer is more than impressive for anything that looks as big as an army troop transport.
However, they probably wouldn’t hear the rumble of the Hemi. As in, there are none. Not even a little bit. These impressive turbochargers kill just about everything. And what’s left is lost thanks to Jeep’s prolific soundproofing efforts. I probably wouldn’t tell them that the Grand Wagoneer is as quiet as a Rolls-Royce. But I can tell you that, at least from a powertrain point of view, the L sounds better. Lexus than Ram.
For the record, this appears to be a planned election. Muscular Yankee-Doodle-Dandy will tell you that the escape note of a six can never be, say, as inspiring as that of a V8. Bull patooties! BMWs have long been powered by high-revving inline six-cylinder engines. The excellent Aston Martins were also motivated. None were ridiculed for the lack of a melodic escape note. Jeep has chosen, for some reason, to stifle the music. Hopefully, in Otherwise, we can hear the song of the hurricane.
Nonetheless, its mammoth size is the dominating impression of the L. Some 305 millimetres — almost a foot — longer than the already-gargantuan base Wagoneer, and with 177 more millimetres (seven inches) between the front and rear wheels, the biggest Wagoneer is Suburban-sized, which means it’s amongst the largest (passenger) vehicles prowling Canadian roads.
As a result, it’s as imposing as SUVs and feels as solid as the Queen Mary when you’re driving down the road. Also, because of that girth, it’s easy to park and almost as nimble as the aforementioned ocean queen. Finishes.
In fact, despite all the talk I’ve said in the past about hidden Hemis and fearsome Hurricanes, I sense that the length of the Wagoneer L is a matter of love or hate. If you’re angered by these examples of excellent excesses, don’t read on; It’s only going to get worse. If you’re buying three-row SUVs that are themselves land yachts, go ahead. You’ll be impressed.
Inside, the Wagoneer L is nothing short of huge. Even with 3 rows of spacious seats, a whopping 44. 2 cubic feet of shipping area with that third row in place. In other words, you can take the whole herd of rats lurking at Longo’s. while you return with a full week of shopping. By comparison, while a Suburban can boast a few millimeters of extra legroom in the rear compared to the Jeep, the Wagoneer L’s shipping area is the most productive in its class. There are crossovers that wish they could have that much area with the rear seats folded down.
Of course, all those buckets (the Wagoneer also has the highest passenger volume of any SUV) come at a price. In my commuter garage, the appliance would not be compatible with a car.
The Wagoneer L complements your true minivan choice with reclining and sliding second-row seats. If you turn them and push them forward, it will be almost convenient for the seats probably furthest from the back. What’s more, Stellantis says that, in a move that surely To make our own millennial mother happy, you won’t want to remove the child seats from the second row to the rear seats. You would think this would be evident enough to be universal, but it is not.
At the front, there’s a cascading sense of luxury. So many farm animals connected to Nappa have died to dress up the interior of the Grand Wagoneer, it’s a miracle that the fact has escaped PETA’s attention. There are also enough virtual screens to dress up a telecommunications studio, and they’re bright and cheerful enough for the temperament, you know, in case you don’t have enough time to grab a cup of coffee on the way to work.
And to top it all off, the L features a benchmark McIntosh MX1375 entertainment formula with no less than 23 speakers, adding a massive 12-inch subwoofer and an incredible 1,375-watt amplification.
That said, I’m personally not a fan of Jeep technology. For one, the infotainment formula is too confusing. Lumbar seat controls via a virtual display?But it’s not my problem. Hell, at one point, the more responsive, rear displays (the latter of which can simply fold to reveal a bunch of USB ports) were dedicated solely to the seating functions. Seriously, it’s okay to give drivers anything as confusing as 10 or 20 more seating options, but is it a big no-no to keep your phone close to your ears?It seems to me that a more comprehensive regulation of distracted driving will have to be devised.
Ditto futzing with touchscreens to play with my cabin climate. Same deal. And, oh, my Lord, there’s as much digital data about oil temperature in the like of this luxury sport-brute as there is in the much more mission-critical Nissan GT-R. Likewise, the graphics describing the AWD functionality were beauteous, but, again, who is going to use this info when rare will it be that any sport-ute this large sees anything gnarlier than a cottage back road?
For the record, my partner, Driving’s Nadine Filion, enjoyed the Wagoneer’s infotainment formula because she loves rugged computers and is willing to delve into their submenus to discover their deeply kept secrets. I’m more of a stick-to-the-facts Jack type of user; If it’s not immediately obvious, you probably wouldn’t locate it. And, even if you show me where that lumbar control feature is hidden, I’ll probably know how to access it in the submenu the next time I drive the damn thing.
In closing, I absolutely expected, because I love my six, that they would carry me through the new hurricane. In fact, the new engine is the reason I wanted to be the first to drive the new Jeep.
In the end, however, the engine, though the star of the show, is not the star. That would be the interior, which is spacious beyond measure, hedonistic beyond measure, and, yes, a little more confusing than it wishes to be. If, for some reason, you want to take seven or eight passengers (and all your belongings) and it doesn’t occur to you to drive a vehicle so big that it deserves its own zip code, you also can’t think of the $130,495 MSRP (over $140 giant with options), then by all means, buy the giant Jeep ever made. If you’re not in the mood for a yacht ashore, wait a minute: I suspect Stellantis will find a sportier home for this new Hurricane. engine.
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