A Straight-six for Fiat Chrysler's Big Guys?
For moving mountains of metal, Fiat Chrysler has no shortage of motivators. Larger vehicles scattered across the automaker’s various brands already have plenty of choice in powerplants, from the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 to the 5.7 and 6.4-liter V8s. There’s a supercharged 6.2-liter offered in a number of flavors should those mills prove too pokey.
As FCA slooooowly readies a new range-topper for the Jeep brand and prepares for a revamp of the long-running Grand Cherokee, a possible new engine has emerged as a V6 — or even a Hemi — replacement.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard word of an inline-six under development by FCA. Building on an earlier report, Allpar claims that a turbocharged inline-six will emerge with power figures beating that of the 5.7-liter V8, with a smoother torque curve as an added benefit.
The new mill, said to come in at just under 3.0 liters of displacement (for European tax purposes), might utilize a head assembly patented back at the start of the decade. With this setup, valve controls are integrated into the head, shrinking the engine’s vertical profile. A blown 3.0-liter could power anything from Ram pickups to rear-drive sedans and coupes to Jeep’s upper range.
In its earlier report, Allpar cited sources claiming a turbocharged version of the Pentastar V6 was rejected for unspecified reasons, leading to the development of a new inline motor.
The attention paid to displacement points to FCA fielding this engine in its Italian brands at some point. Again, none of this is confirmed by the manufacturer. For 2019, FCA paired its 3.6 and 5.7-liter engines with mild hybrid systems in Ram 1500 use, dubbing the revamped mills eTorque. However, there’s no word on any future improvements to these engines.
When can we expect to see an inline-six appear in FCA’s lineup? That’s up for debate at this point. Jeep’s next-generation Grand Cherokee and Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer bow in 2020 as 2021 models; if FCA truly plans to drop a potent inline-six on us, that might be a fine time to do it.
[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]
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Didn't BMW kill the inline 6 because of less thermal efficiency making it harder to meet emissions? I don't think they just killed it for no reason. When GM built the Atlas 6 one of the reasons was as mentioned, lower cost due to one head, etc. I widsh that motor had gotten into a Camaro or something.
I own an Ecoboost 2.7L V6 powered F150 RCSB; a 4190 pound 1/2 ton pickup with 375 ft-lb torque available at just 3000 RPM. It was and is by far the closest power train to perfect for what I need and like in a pickup, However, I am no fan of V6s for truck duty, because they are generally too free revving and feature virtually no engine braking; too smooth; no character, and I'm also no fan of automatic transmissions, but tranny choices or lack thereof is another issue. I like everything I'm reading about a 3.0L I6 GTI engine for a 1/2 ton except that they're claiming Hemi-like power. That would be too highly stressed for that size and arrangement at todayxs level of technology for a work vehicle. For Ram 1500, It should be around 300 hp and 350+ ft-pound peak and should slot between a base and a larger V8 or I6.