Chrysler Group has revealed a 3.0-litre version of its Pentastar V6 at the Chengdu motor show. The new engine, which joins the company’s existing 3.2- and 3.6-litre Pentastar units, will initially be available only in China.
Production of the 3.0-litre commenced on 3 July in Michigan at Chrysler Group’s Trenton plant. It is being manufactured alongside the other two Pentastar engines. The plant began shipping the engines on 22 July.
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The new V6 generates 230 horsepower at 6,350rpm, while its peak torque – 210 lb.-ft . (285Nm) – arrives at 4,400 rpm.
This is a 60-degree unit and has a die-cast-aluminium cylinder block with six-bolt main caps for optimal stiffness and mitigation of NVH. Also contributing to the claimed NVH reduction are:
- a structural windage tray to complement block stiffness
- a structural aluminium oil pan
- direct-mounted alternator and A/C compressor
- select-fit pistons with polymer-graphite-coated piston skirts
- ‘silent chain’ timing drive with inverted teeth for minimal sprocket NVH
- contoured composite cylinder-head covers
- a glass-reinforced nylon composite intake manifold
Chrysler says there is also a specially designed intake manifold, which also features low-rumble tuning. The engine further boasts forged-steel connecting rods and piston-squirter jets, and its cam drive and valve-train components require no scheduled maintenance.
The company notes that the Pentastar architecture has always had a high degree of flexibility. With little or no modification, the 3.6-litre version accommodates longitudinal and transverse orientations; front-wheel-, rear-wheel-, all-wheel- and four-wheel-drive systems; and six-speed manual and six-, eight- and nine-speed automatic transmissions.
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By GlobalDataIt has just two intake manifolds – one for the Ram 1500 and Jeep Wrangler and another for all the rest. The payoff, according to Chrysler, is in simplification, from assembly line to service bay.
“When the Pentastar was conceived, we started with a clean sheet of paper and the goal of producing an engine that made the most sense for the customer and for us,” says Bob Lee, vice president of Engine, Powertrain and Electrified Propulsion Systems Engineering for Chrysler Group.
The first vehicles to be fitted with the Chrysler 3.0-litre V6 will be the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler. These will be exported just to China, a market where the 3.2- and 3.6-litre Pentastar engines are subject to far higher taxation.
Author: Glenn Brooks
