As it gets ready to celebrate its second birthday, Chrysler’s all-new Pentastar engine has made it on to Ward’s Automotive “10 Best Engines” list once again. The fairly simple 3.6 liter V6 was first introduced under the hood of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee but now can be found in almost every Chrysler product. A truly corporate block, the Pentastar landed on this year’s list for its blend of power, fuel economy, emissions and for its ability to breath new life into a number of formerly lethargic vehicles.
“Chrysler has successfully demonstrated the breadth of this engine and how it delivers on all fronts including fuel economy, lower emissions and power,” said Drew Winter, editor at Ward’s Auto. Used in both front wheel drive and rear wheel drive vehicles, the Pentastar is a double overhead cam design that uses variable valve timing to produce anywhere from 283 horsepower to more than 300. When mounted to Chrysler’s new eight speed automatic found the 2012 300 sedan, an excess of 30 mpg can be found. “Since the introduction of the Pentastar V-6 engine just 16 months ago, we have produced more than 900,000 engines for front- and rear- drive passenger cars, minivans and sport utility vehicles,” said Bob Lee, vice president and head of powertrain and electrified propulsion systems engineering for Chrysler Group LLC.
Source: Chrysler
