Chrysler has introduced musclebound V8 engines carrying the Hemi moniker twice over the last fifty years, and the company is reportedly preparing to once again back away from the Hemi. As we discovered during our First Drive of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the burly, modern engine with a throwback name won’t be going away so much as it will be re-framed when the marketing-speak starts to flow. Dodge vehicles andRam trucks will unbashedly carry the Hemi, and it will continue to be available in some Jeeps and theChrysler 300, though it will be downplayed as merely a “5.7-liter V8″ in those brands.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Hemi’s Multi-Displacement System will also be given more prominence to point up the engine’s fuel-saving abilities. With the Pentastar V6 finally putting a fully competitive V6 in the Chrysler engine stable, and a desire by management to cultivate a more refine and efficient image, it seems that the iconic powerplant will move to the back seat for now. The Hemi is one of the best V8s out there, just like the original, and for now, it’s still available.
