The standard-output six is expected to produce more than 400 hp, while the high-output version will make more than 500 hp. The torque ratings are 450 pound-feet for the standard engine and 475 pound-feet for the high output motor. Those ratings surpass those of the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 offered in various Jeep and Ram vehicles. That motor makes 357 hp and 390 pound-feet of torque. The V-6 engine is rated at 293 hp and 260 pound-feet of torque.
The V-8-like power of the new sixes is derived in part from a slew of high-tech features. Each turbo, for instance, powers three cylinders, increasing response. The twin overhead cams have phasers that adjust the opening times of the 24 valves, and a direct fuel injection system blasts fuel into each cylinder at more than 5,000 pounds per square inch.
The engine uses spray-in cylinder liners to reduce weight and enhance durability — the same process Nissan uses on the GT-R.
Stellantis says the Hurricane engines don’t replace the venerable Hemi V-8 but will be offered along with it. One engine the Hurricane might replace, however, is the light-duty 3.0-liter V-6 diesel, which makes 260 hp and 480 pound-feet of torque and is used in the Jeep Wrangler and Ram trucks. The Hurricane offers comparable power but would be less expensive to produce than the diesel.
Stellantis is manufacturing the Hurricane sixes at a plant in Saltillo, Mexico, with an annual capacity of 250,000 engines per year. Stellantis is the third automaker in recent years to return to an inline architecture for a new six-cylinder. Mercedes-Benz launched a new inline-six in 2016, while General Motors added an inline six-cylinder diesel to the options list of light-duty pickups and SUVs in 2020.
Ford pioneered twin-turbo six-cylinder engines in its pickups more than a decade ago with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. It quickly became the top-selling motor in the F-150.
