Introduced as a 3.6-liter V-6 in 2010, the Pentastar engine family has accounted for six placings among the prestigious annual list of Wards 10 Best Engines and currently comprises six fuel-saving variations that feature technologies from Variable Valve Lift (VVL) to hybridization.
Acclaimed for it silky, torque-rich performance, today’s 3.6-liter Pentastar is the common denominator among 11 current best-in-class fuel-economy ratings for U.S.-market, gasoline-powered vehicles equipped with V-6 engines. (See below.) These are in addition to its ownership of the all-time minivan-efficiency mark, achieved in Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
Pentastars currently account for half the combined total of engines that power Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram and Ram Commercial vehicles. And with this year’s launch of the 2020 Jeep Gladiator pickup, they will be available in 16 models across 10 vehicle segments.†
“The Pentastar family has all the hallmarks of an enduring icon,” said Bob Lee, Head of Engine, Powertrain and Electrified Propulsion, and Systems Engineering, FCA – North America. “We upped the ante among high-volume, mainstream-market, V-6 engines. And our customers won big.”
Pentastar design distinguishes itself with innovative features ranging from a completely integrated exhaust manifold, to environmentally friendlier oil-filter cartridges made from paper. And with little or no modification, Pentastar engines can accommodate longitudinal or transverse mounting; front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive architectures; as well as automatic and manual transmissions.
Within four years of launch, this flexibility helped FCA replace seven six-cylinder engine families with a single V-6 design that lends responsiveness and fuel efficiency to every vehicle in which it is offered. These two attributes were key targets for the 2015 introduction of an upgraded 3.6-liter Pentastar, which boasts cooled exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) for greater efficiency, particularly under high load situations.
Further, the second-generation 3.6-liter Pentastar delivers a torque boost of up to 14.9 percent at engines speeds below 3,000 rpm – where torque really counts. FCA US also enhanced fuel economy and refinement with the addition of two-step variable valve lift (VVL).
Said Lee: “Pentastar engines do exactly what they were engineered to do. They deliver satisfying experiences in a wide range of driving conditions.”
In Canada, where most of the country’s climate is classified as subarctic, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 is the best-selling engine for six years running.
For the 2019 Ram 1500 full-size pickup, the second-generation 3.6-liter Pentastar was adapted to accommodate the eTorque mild-hybrid system. It not only adds fuel-saving stop-start functionality that is seamless, it increases available torque, in short bursts, by up to 90 lb.-ft.
The eTorque-equipped Pentastar is also the latest member of the celebrated V-6 family to be named one of Wards 10 Best Engines. The remaining Pentastar family members are:
- 3.6-liter V-6 hybrid in the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
- 3.6-liter V-6 (first- and second-generation)
- 3.2-liter V-6, which is exclusive to the Jeep Cherokee
- 3.0-liter V-6, which is exclusive to China
FUEL-ECONOMY ACHIEVEMENTS
Among model-year 2019 U.S.-market gasoline-powered vehicles with V-6 engines, the 3.6-liter Pentastar contributes to best-in-class, miles-per-gallon (mpg) ratings in these vehicle segments†:
Middle Specialty Car
- Dodge Challenger – combined city/highway cycle (23 mpg)
- Dodge Challenger – highway cycle (30 mpg)
- Dodge Charger/Chrysler 300 – combined city/highway cyle (23 mpg)
- Dodge Charger/Chrysler 300 – highway cycle (30 mpg)
- Dodge Charger/Chrysler 300 – city cycle (19 mpg)
- Jeep Wrangler – combined city/highway cycle (20 mpg)
- Jeep Wrangler – highway cycle (25 mpg)
- Jeep Wrangler – city cycle (18 mpg)
- Jeep Grand Cherokee/Dodge Durango – combined cycle (21 mpg)
- Jeep Grand Cherokee/Dodge Durango – highway cycle (26 mpg)
- Jeep Grand Cherokee/Dodge Durango – city cycle (19 mpg)
Middle Specialty
- Dodge Challenger – city cycle (19 mpg)
- Chrysler Pacifica – combined mpg (22)
- Chrysler Pacifica – highway mpg (28)
- Chrysler Pacifica – city mpg (19)
- Ram 1500 (with eTorque mild-hybrid technology) – combined city/highway cycle (22 mpg)
- Ram 1500 (with eTorque mild-hybrid technology) –city cycle (20 mpg)
FCA Media Publication
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