94 Jeep Wrangler 4x4 Scrambler Cj8 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

FCA inline-six rumored to be real, headed for Jeep Wagoneer

In September, Allpar reported that that clues being dropped at Fiat- Chrysler headquarters, in the carmaker's factories, and on engineer resumes pointed to the development of an inline six-cylinder engine. The site has just proclaimed the rumor is reality, writing that the straight-six, "turbocharged to meet or beat 5.7 Hemi power ratings, with a smoother torque curve, is on the way." The motor's first outing is expected to be either the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, debuting perhaps next year, or the Jeep Wagoneer, debuting in 2020 or 2021. "Tornado" is the purported codename for the power plant said to be just under three liters in displacement, expanding the family begun with the Global Medium Engine 2.0-liter turbo codenamed Hurricane. Engine bay constraints and a long use horizon mean engineers won't simply add two more cylinders to the GME, however. Allpar says the brief is to keep the Tornado GME-T6 — the alphanumeric for "turbocharged six" — no more than three inches longer than the Tigershark 2.4-liter four-cylinder. That means "major design changes" that could include a space-saving head, more closely spaced cylinders, and no cylinder liners. An FCA division called Comau could be called on for its "SmartSpray" plasma lining technology. Allpar muses that the standard version of the engine for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram could get a single twin-scroll turbocharger. Performance trims for Alfa Romeo and Maserati could get different heads and maybe twin turbos, an SRT version might also get both those tweaks. History shows that the Italian versions would make changes to the block, as well. Even so, the Tornado would be less expensive than any Ferrari-supplied V6. A straight-six would put FCA in company with current adopters BMW and Mercedes-Benz, future users like Jaguar, and perhaps Aston Martin. The engine would span the widest range of use cases in the U.S. carmaker's portfolio, though. Potential applications include being a base engine for Ram trucks, serving double duty as a base engine and 5.7-liter Hemi replacement for the Dodge Charger and Challenger, working in the high-end Jeeps, and as a properly hot trim — with Ferrari-designed heads — in the luxury Italian sports cars. The Alfa Romeo Giulia begs for just such motivation to fill the gap between the 280-hp, $42,695 Ti Sport RWD and the 505-hp, $73,700 Giulia Quadrifoglio RWD. And a twin-turbo inline-six in a Maserati Alfieri would stack up nicely with the Germans.

The Hemi deserves to die | Opinion

Hi. I'm Byron and I love V8s. I want them to stick around for a long, long time. But not all V8s are created equal, and I will not mourn the passing of the modern Hemi. You shouldn't either. While we may agree that its death is untimely, if you ask me, that's only because it came far too late.  Stellantis’ announcement of its new, turbocharged inline-six that is all but guaranteed to kill off the Hemi V8 has led to quite a few half-baked internet takes. The notion being suggested by some, that automotive media were brainwashed into believing the Hemi was in need of replacement, is so far divorced from reality that I openly guffawed at the notion. Journalists have been challenging Chrysler, FCA and now Stellantis for years to deliver better high-performance engines. The response has always been the same: “Why?” Why replace a heavy V8 with a lighter, all-aluminum one? Why repackage powertrains for smaller footprints and better handling vehicles? Why be better when “good enough” sells really, really well? I too mourn the departure of good gasoline-burning engines, but since when was the Hemi one? HereÂ’s a quiz: Name every SRT model with an all-aluminum engine. TimeÂ’s up. If you named any, you failed. They donÂ’t exist. This isnÂ’t GMÂ’s compact, lightweight small-block, nor is it a DOHC Ford Coyote that at least revs high enough to justify its larger footprint. The Hemi is an overweight marketing exercise that happened to be in the right place at the right time. That time was 2003, when Chrysler was still Chrysler — except it was Daimler-Chrysler and the "merger of equals" was doing a bang-up job of bleeding the company's cash reserves dry while doing virtually nothing to address its mounting legacy costs. "That thang got a Hemi?" was emblematic of the whimsical, nostalgia-driven marketing of the colonial half of the "marriage made in heaven." That was 20 years ago. 20 years prior to that, emissions-choked American V8s were circling the drain faster than a soapy five-carat engagement ring in a truck stop sink.

Jeep, Ram tease SEMA builds, and one looks like a Ram 1500 TRX PHEV

SEMA is back this year, and shows no signs of cancellation. And that means a whole new crop of custom builds from not only aftermarket companies, but OEMs such as Jeep and Ram. The two brands released teasers of their modified trucks for the show, and there are a couple of seriously intriguing ones. And the most brow-raising is the silver Ram 1500 TRX that could be a plug-in hybrid. What makes us say that? Well, take a look at the badging. The "RAM" badge in the grille is bright blue. And the front tow hooks are blue, too. Those cues are signatures of the Jeep 4xe plug-in hybrid models. And Jeep isn't the only one to utilize blue badging for electrified models. Ram 1500s with the 48-volt eTorque hybrid assist get blue-highlighted badges. So it seems like a slam-dunk that the wide-bodied desert-stomper in the teaser has a hybrid powertrain. We'd bet on it being the 375-horsepower turbo-four from the Wrangler, but maybe Ram put something unique together. The next curious model is what's quite clearly a variant of the military M715 truck. It's undoubtedly this year's restomod, as Stellantis brands are wont to build. Looking closer, it has a very high roof and center-mounted spotlight. Those are cues shared with the M725 ambulance. We wouldn't be surprised if Jeep took one of the old ambulances and turned it into one beast of an overlanding rig. We're excited to see what sort of other upgrades have been done, such as what engine will be powering it. Then we come to the interior of a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much going on, at least until you look at the roof. The cargo area has a significantly raised section. And there are safari windows letting light in. It will be interesting to see what it looks like from the outside. Finally, we have teasers of what's probably a Wrangler Rubicon 4xe and a Ram 1500. The Wrangler shot is of the front fender, and the Ram is of the rear. They don't show much except what seem to be Mopar accessories. As such, we suspect these are show pieces for the Mopar catalog, and they might each have a couple of concept parts, but are otherwise a bit tame compared to the Jeep and Ram one-offs. All of these trucks will be revealed and on display at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The show will run Nov. 2-5. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.