Chrysler's flexible new Pentastar V6
While the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee wowed the crowds in New York, what lies beneath could be a key to Chrysler's recovery. The new 3.6-liter V6, called Pentastar after the company's five-pointed-star logo, replaces seven – count 'em, seven – of Chrysler's aging engines, and stands as the outcome of several years of development.The all-aluminum DOHC Pentastar V6, as applied in the new Jeep, offers a 33% increase in power and 11% improvement in the torque department over the engine it replaces, for a husky 280 horsepower and 260 lb-ft -- all while returning 11% better fuel economy and helping Chrysler trim its overall, range-wide CAFE emissions by two miles per gallon by 2015. But the key to the engine's success could be its flexibility: not only is it designed as a flex-fuel engine, burning either gasoline or E85 ethanol with no effect on either output or emissions (no mean feat in and of itself), but the new Pentastar will find its way into a wide variety of vehicles, including Chryslers, Dodges and Jeeps, but also Alfa Romeos. That ought to serve as an extra bargaining chip in the vital negotiations between Chrysler LLC and the Fiat Group. Under the pending reciprocal arrangement between Detroit and Turin, the Pentastar could end up motivating several new Alfas, including the replacements to the 159 and Brera, to name just two, while Chrysler reaps the rewards in the form of Fiat Powertrain Technologies' advanced fours. Follow the jump to read more about the new Pentastar V6 in the press release and click the image on the right for a high-res pic.
[Source: Chrysler]
PRESS RELEASE
Chrysler LLC Introduces All-new Pentastar V-6 Engine
Refined, more fuel-efficient V-6 engine to debut in all-new 2011 Jeep® Grand Cherokee
- The all-new Pentastar V-6 is the most advanced six-cylinder engine in the history of Chrysler, with an ideal integration of select technologies that deliver refinement, fuel efficiency and performance
- All-new flexible-fuel 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 to replace seven current V-6 engines, resulting in flexibility, efficient operations and significant cost savings to the company
- New Chrysler Pentastar V-6 to deliver fuel efficiency improvement of up to 8 percent on average compared with previous Chrysler V-6 engines
- New Pentastar V-6 will contribute a 2 mpg increase to Chrysler's CAFE by 2015
The new 3.6-liter V-6 engine-named Pentastar-is part of the company's overall $3 billion powertrain offensive. It will first be offered in the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, unveiled today at the New York International Auto Show and at the Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.
"Chrysler's all-new 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine will offer our customers improved fuel economy, refinement and increased performance across the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicle lineup," said Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President-Product Development, Chrysler LLC. "At the same time, replacing seven current engines with one engine will result in increased flexibility, more efficient operations and significant cost savings to the company."
The Pentastar is an all-new design, featuring double-overhead camshafts (DOHC) and a high-pressure die-cast aluminum cylinder block in a 60-degree configuration.
In the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the all-new 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine will deliver 280 horsepower (209 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 260 lb.-ft. (353 N•m) of torque at 4,800 rpm-an increase of 33 percent in horsepower and 11 percent in torque over its predecessor-while providing an 11 percent fuel economy improvement.
"The all-new Pentastar is the most advanced six-cylinder engine Chrysler has ever offered," said Bob Lee, Vice President-Powertrain Product Team. "This new family of engines uses an architecture conceived with future technology growth and integration in mind."
The new Pentastar V-6 also will contribute a 2 mpg increase to Chrysler's CAFE by 2015, resulting in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and a reduction in oil dependence.
Customers Benefit: Fuel Efficiency, Refinement, Quality, Low Cost of Ownership
During the initial goal setting for the Pentastar program, Chrysler engineers benchmarked the industry's leading engines to set functional targets. The result is an all-new engine that delivers truly world-class customer attributes.
Chrysler's all-new 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine design features a double-overhead cam (DOHC), narrow included valve angle, cylinder head and high-flow intake and exhaust ports. This design, combined with dual independent cam phasing, allows optimum volumetric and combustion efficiency over the full speed and load range, resulting in an exceptional, flat torque curve along with high specific power-the engine's torque exceeds 90 percent of its peak value from 1,600 to 6,400 rpm-which will provide customers with outstanding drivability and responsiveness, without the need for premium fuel.
"Similar to what we did with the HEMI® engine, our engineers used the best combination of design features and technologies to create an engine that satisfies customer requirements," Lee added. "The elegantly simple design maximizes the functionality of each design element rather than adding technology to claim a feature. The result gives our customers everything they demand from an engine today-class-leading levels of refinement, fuel-efficiency, performance and cost of ownership."
The advanced oil filter system eliminates oil spills and contains an incinerable filter element-more efficient disposal than the typical spin-on filters, which are disposed of in landfill sites. The use of long-life spark plugs and a high-energy coil-on-plug ignition system also helps to reduce cost of ownership.
The Pentastar V-6 is designed to run on regular gasoline, offering a 10 percent reduction in fuel cost compared with premium fueled engines. The engine also is fully flex fuel capable, offering consumers the choice of gasoline or E85 fuel without any degradation in performance or emissions.
The new state-of-the-art Trenton (Mich.) Engine South Plant will be the lead facility for production of the Pentastar V-6 engine. A duplicate, new facility in Saltillo, Mexico, will ramp up for the 2012 model year.
All-new Chrysler 3.6-liter, DOHC, 24-valve Pentastar V-6 Technical Specifications
Displacement: 3.6 liters
Bore x stroke: 96 x 83 mm
Valve train system: Double-overhead cam with roller finger followers and hydraulic lash adjusters. Dual independent cam-torque actuated phasers
Fuel injection: Multi-point port fuel injection
Construction: High-pressure die-cast aluminum cylinder block and semi-permanent mold aluminum cylinder head
Maximum engine speed: 7200 rpm
Fuel requirement: E85 (Ethanol) or unleaded regular, 87 octane (R+M)/2
Emission capability: PZEV
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
hypermiler 9:31AM (4/13/2009)
If GM's officially going bankrupt by June 1st, then Chrysler's getting liquidated by the end of this month. So Pentastar won't see the light of day.
Reply
Jared 10:35AM (4/13/2009)
Agreed. That engine, as good as it may be, will not be produced by Chrysler.
The Luigiian 11:07AM (4/13/2009)
Aren't there still, like, seventeen days before Chrysler's deadline is up?
I think claiming Chrysler DOA is a little off.
The Luigiian 12:41PM (4/13/2009)
Edit: By which I mean "There are still seventeen days for Chrysler to possibly finalize a deal with Fiat."
Lad 1:33PM (4/13/2009)
Two auto companies merged together will not fix the Chrysler problems. The only plan that will work is bankrupcy and reorganization to save the brand. Then sell off the assets to Fiat and retain the Chrysler workers. This process can be accelerated by government assistance to save jobs. Chrysler management as it is today is driven more by sucking money out of the company and its bailout funds than it is about building cars American wants and helping to retain jobs.
BLS 9:36AM (4/13/2009)
Great name for the engine. That is heritage that I can get behind.
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geo.stewart 11:17AM (4/13/2009)
now, if they can only replace the 4-speeds with 6-speeds, they will increase their CAFE even more
black 11:35AM (4/13/2009)
@geo.stewart
Even better, you will see 8-speeds with HEMI engines.
PJ 2:14PM (4/13/2009)
Looks good on paper, too--DOHC, all-aluminum, 280 horses, and not too big. This could be the Honda- and Toyota-competitive V6 Chrysler has needed so desperately this past decade.
Len_A 2:06PM (4/13/2009)
@K, you have zero clue what you're talking about. Ten years ago, EV technology was so in it's infancy, that it wasn't high on most automakers list of research projects. And that, in addition to the Big Three, included Nissan, and all of the European automakers. Nissan's Carlos Ghosn was record as recently as 2006 as being against both EV's and hybrid's, and Altima's hybrid program was an after-thought. Ten years ago, Chrysler's product development was under 100% control of the Germans as a part of Daimler - see any Mercedes EV's running around? I think not.
K 9:38AM (4/13/2009)
Is the Pentastar electric? .......sigh.
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thomas 12:57PM (4/13/2009)
............. WHAT?!?! its clearly a gas engine.......
ENVI = Chrysler's electric program
K 1:01PM (4/13/2009)
Duh it's petrol!
My point is that Chrysler are producing this engine when they should be focusing on the future. This is what got them in their mess in the first place.
Jimothy 1:53PM (4/13/2009)
Electrical vehicles are at least a decade, and probably much more, from being volume products. If any company wants to stay alive, they must develop new engines in the the interim. Developing a more efficient V6 is not against plans for recovery, it's vital to it.
As pointed out by thomas, Chrysler is also working on EVs, so this news isn't mutual exclusive with "focusing on the future." Chrysler would go out of business far faster if they focused exclusively on EVs. They cannot survive serving a niche market as Tesla can; their structure and workforce is orders of magnitude bigger.
K 1:56PM (4/13/2009)
And Chrysler couldn't put more energy behind their EVs (pun intended!) 10 years ago, rather than "all of a sudden" due to bailouts and potential closure because ...?
Len_A 2:42PM (4/13/2009)
@K, you have zero clue what you're talking about. Ten years ago, EV technology was so in it's infancy, that it wasn't high on most automakers list of research projects. And that, in addition to the Big Three, included Nissan, and all of the European automakers. Nissan's Carlos Ghosn was record as recently as 2006 as being against both EV's and hybrid's, and Altima's hybrid program was an after-thought. Ten years ago, Chrysler's product development was under 100% control of the Germans as a part of Daimler - see any Mercedes EV's running around? I think not.
Jake B 5:36PM (4/13/2009)
I hate rabid greenies who have no idea what they are talking about. It is different to be a sweater wearing hippie with some wisdom. Maybe you will graduate to dog-hair covered sweater status someday K.
Tim 9:56AM (4/13/2009)
The idea of this engine under the hood of an Alfa is a sacrilege.
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Flea 10:04AM (4/13/2009)
why, the mastodontically heavy GM-derived V6 Alfas currently use isn't?
Metar 10:12AM (4/13/2009)
The current Alfa V6s are pretty sub-par, and I've seen lighter whales...