Stellantis Unveils New Inline-Six Engine With Over 500 Horsepower
As it turns out, all those rumours we heard in the past several months were true. Stellantis is expanding its engine portfolio with a brand new twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine called “Hurricane” and offered in Standard Output (SO) and High Output (HO) variations.
In a virtual presentation with the media earlier this week, the automaker’s head of global propulsion systems, Micky Bly, told us the name was carefully chosen not just for what it represents, but also as a nod to the old F4-134 four-cylinder engine found in Willys Jeeps and later Jeep CJs (1950-1971).
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There aren’t too many specs available at this point, however. Stellantis will let each of its brands make specific announcements.
The automaker did say that the SO variant would generate in excess of 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque, while the HO variant would top 500 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque. The twin turbos achieve 22 psi and 26 psi of boost, respectively.
Possible Applications
The first vehicles to feature the new Hurricane engine are scheduled to arrive in dealerships later in 2022. What will those be? Stellantis didn’t identify any models during the presentation, but bragged about the performance, towing capability and off-road potential of both variants. Several Jeep, Ram and Dodge models fit that bill.
By the way, despite being developed in Auburn Hills, Michigan specifically for the North American market, the Hurricane engines will be manufactured in Saltillo, Mexico.
What About Electrification?
Now, developing a whole new family of gasoline engines from a clean slate might appear to be a questionable move at a time when electric motors are taking over the industry. Stellantis, though, believes that internal combustion engines with optimized efficiency still have a place. It also claims the straight-six Hurricane could eventually be part of a hybrid powertrain.
One final note you should know about: the SO variant can run on regular (87 octane) or premium gas (91 octane), but the HO engine requires the latter.