The 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee has been refreshed inside, outside, and, especially, under the hood, creating a more upscale look while adding more power. The design changes are not all that dramatic, but a new premium engine option should satisfy those who want a peppier SUV.
“The Jeep Grand Cherokee set the standard for SUVs and grand adventures over 30 years ago, and it continues to drive them forward today,” said Bob Broderdorf, Jeep brand chief executive officer. “The 2026 Grand Cherokee scales to every customer’s needs, offering a blend of surprising power from the all-new Hurricane turbo-four engine, true 4×4 capability and a suite of amenities designed to tackle both every day and extraordinary adventures for customers and their crew.”
The 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 is still the standard engine in the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee for the base Laredo, and Laredo X, with 293 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, but the standard engine for premium trim levels is the new 2.0-liter “Hurricane 4 Turbo,” also known as the 2.0 GME EVO.
This turbocharged four-cylinder delivers 324 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, leading to a towing capacity of 6,200 pounds with the standard 8-speed automatic transmission. This engine will be produced at the company’s Dundee, Michigan facility, and it is standard in the Laredo Altitude.
“The Hurricane 4 Turbo name is appropriate because this engine packs a punch, as the variable geometry turbocharger, the high-performance combustion and the twin fuel system deliver 162 horsepower per liter of displacement,” said Micky Bly, Stellantis senior vice president and head of global propulsion systems. “The clean sheet design gives our customers a powerful, refined, smooth-running engine that uses 10 percent less fuel to deliver 20 percent more power than our current 2.0-liter DOHC I-4.”
Jeep expects that a properly equipped 2026 Grand Cherokee with the Hurricane 4 Turbo will have a range of around 506 miles on a single tank of gasoline. There is no official fuel economy information with the initial details on the new Grand Cherokee, but we know from the provided information that the 2026 Grand Cherokee fuel tank will hold 23 gallons, so a range of 506 miles would lead to an average of 22 miles per gallon. The Pentastar V6 is rated at 22mpg (combined), so it seems as though the Hurricane 4 Turbo will yield similar fuel economy to the base V6 while offering substantially more horsepower and torque.
In addition to the new engine, the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee has gotten a new front end that showcases new headlights and an updated grille. There are also some changes along the lower portion of the rear end, but the front end changes are the most noticeable exterior upgrades for 2026. There are also three new exterior colors for 2026 – Steel Blue, Copper Shino and Fathom Blue.
More significantly, the interior of the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee is now available with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, a 10.25-inch passenger screen, Active Driving Assist and a 19-speaker McIntosh sound system. In short, the cabin of the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee comes with features that were first introduced in the range-topping Wagoneer line, bringing a new level of luxury to the hot-selling Grand Cherokee.
Patrick Rall is a professional writer and photographer with a passion for all things automotive. Having grown up in his father’s performance shop, he spent extensive time at the oval track and drag strip – both driving and wrenching on various types of vehicles. In addition to working as a writer, Patrick previously worked as an automotive technician before moving on to a business office position with a chain of dealerships, and this broad spectrum of experience in the industry allows him to offer a unique look on the automotive world. Follow Patrick on Twitter, Facebook and on Youtube.
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