There are years of rumors about Jeep developing a new 3.0-liter inline-six engine under the codename Tornado. A new report from the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) claims that the powerplant could finally make a debut under the hood of the new, two-row Grand Cherokee.

The Tornado engine is allegedly turbocharged and comes with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance. It'll connect to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic, according to the SEMA rumor.

Gallery: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Spy Shots

In previous rumors, the Tornado engine was allegedly debuting first in the new Wagoneer and was eventually going to be available in the Grand Cherokee, Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Ram pickups. Some tunes of the turbocharged, mild-hybrid inline-six would allegedly be just as powerful as the existing 5.7-liter V8 if not even more potent.

The two-row Grand Cherokee should debut before the end of the year, and spy shots suggest it has slightly different styling than the three-row Grand Cherokee L. There's a tweaked front fascia. More notably, the rear glass and pillar have a more angular look, in part because of the vehicle's reduced length.

Spy shots also tell us that the two-row Grand Cherokee is getting a 4xe plug-in hybrid variant. It will reportedly share a powertrain with the Wrangler 4xe. If so, this will be a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with two electric motors making a total of 375 horsepower (280 kilowatts) and 470 pound-feet (673 Newton-meters) of torque. 

If the two-row Grand Cherokee adopts the same interior tech as the three-row Grand Cherokee L, which seems likely, then it would offer very luxurious surroundings for occupants. There are amenities like 8.4- and 10.1-inch infotainment screens, open-pore waxed wood, and high-end leather. Safety tech includes full-speed collision warning, rear cross-path detection, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane-keep assist, and more.

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