5,000,000 3.0L, 3.2L and 3.6L Pentastar V6s and Counting

Best engine Chrysler has ever made and offered for sure.

Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – May 31, 2015

2015 RAM 1500 with the award winning 3.6L Pentastar V6 mated to the excellent 8-speed AT – $27,885 to start including D&H while offering owners a 17/25 mpgUS city/highway rating.

Of all the full sized gasoline fueled pickup trucks I have driven, this is the most fuel efficient. Especially with the std. 3.21 rear ratio. Now let’s talk about the V6 Pentastar family.

The FCA US workhorse just happens to be the Pentastar V-6 engine family which just surpassed the 5 million unit mark earlier this month.

First introduced in the 2011 Jeep GC, the Pentastar V-6 is the most advanced V6 engine in the history of FCA. Today, Pentastar V6 engines are available in 14 vehicles from the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands.

Since the start of 2015, 47 percent of FCA US vehicles sold were equipped with a Pentastar V-6 engine.

The Pentastar V-6 engine family consists of three displacements: 3.6L; 3.2L (Jeep Cherokee) and 3.0L (Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler 300 sold in China). Three FCA US facilities produce these engines:

• Trenton Engine Complex, Trenton, Mich. (3.6L, 3.2L and 3.0-liter)
• Saltillo South Engine Plant, Saltillo, Mexico (3.6L)
• Mack Avenue Engine Plant, Detroit (3.6L and 3.2L)

Other 2015 FCA model lineup Pentastar V6 engine uses include the Chrysler 200 sedan and 300 full-size sedan; Dodge Charger sport sedan, Grand Caravan minivan, Durango full-size SUV and Journey mid-size crossover; Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee; and Ram Cargo Van and ProMaster full-size van.

The 3.6L Pentastar V6 is a three-time winner of Ward’s 10-Best Engines award (2011-2013).

The Pentastar V6 family with little or no modification can accommodate longitudinal or transverse orientations; FWD, RWD, AWD and 4WD systems; 6-speed MTs and 6-, 8- and 9-speed ATs.

All Pentastar engines feature a 60-degree, deep-skirt, die-cast-aluminum cylinder block with six-bolt main caps that provide optimal stiffness for NVH mitigation. Also contributing to NVH reduction are:

• A structural windage tray to complement block stiffness
• A structural aluminum oil pan
• Direct-mounted alternator and A/C compressor, which increase stiffness
• 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
• All Pentastar engines feature variable valve timing (VVT), which enhances fuel efficiency

Further enhancing the driving experience is the specially designed, glass-reinforced, nylon composite intake manifold, which benefits from low-rumble tuning.

The Pentastar family’s defining design element is its exhaust manifold. The manifold is integrated with the cylinder head, which enables greater packaging efficiency.

The engine also features forged-steel connecting rods and piston-squirter jets, and its cam drive and valve-train components require no scheduled maintenance.

2013 RAM 1500 HFE


Darn efficient at almost 37 mpg in late December of 2012 during the Chicago winter.

Like I said above, the 3.6L Pentastar mated to the 8-speed AT makes the RAM 1500 more efficient than anything offered in the segment despite slightly lower EPA ratings. I would not want to be a competitor even with their compact truck offerings going up against this powerful and efficient monster under the hood.

5,000,000 3.0L, 3.2L and 3.6L Pentastar V6s and Counting