Grand Wagoneer Hurricane Twin Turbo I6 Packs 500+ Horsepower
Grand Wagoneer Hurricane engine is just three liters, but it packs more power than the V8.
Heading into the 2022 New York International Auto Show, Stellantis has taken the wraps off of the twin turbocharged inline-six engine that we have known about for many moons. We knew that it would be called Hurricane, we knew that it would be an inline-six, we knew that it would be turbocharged and we expected that it would offer impressive power. What we didn’t expect was two versions, with one offering “more than” 400 horsepower while the second – destined for the Grand Wagoneer – will get more than 500 horsepower.
“As Stellantis aims to become the U.S. leader in electrification, with a 50% battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix by 2030, internal combustion engines will play a key role in our portfolio for years to come and we owe it to our customers and the environment to provide the cleanest, most efficient propulsion possible,” said Micky Bly, Stellantis head of propulsion systems. “The Hurricane twin-turbo is a no-compromise engine that delivers better fuel economy and an important reduction in greenhouse gases without asking our customers to give up performance.”
Jeep, Ram and Dodge Engines
It should be noted that the official press release detailing the debut of this new Hurricane engine family did not actually mention the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. The press release did state that these engines “is the primary internal combustion power plant of the future in North America for vehicles using the STLA Large and STLA Frame platforms.” STLA Large will include the future replacement for the Dodge Charger while the STLA Frame will carry future Wagoneer and the Ram 1500 models.
However, earlier this week, it showed up for a short time on the official consumer website, as a $2,000 option. It was quickly removed, but not until plenty of screenshots had traveled around the internet. That listing didn’t mention power, but we figure that as a premium option over the 6.4-liter V8 with 471 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque, the higher output version of the Hurricane would make sense.
Hurricane Power
The new twin turbocharger 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder engine named Hurricane will be offered in two formats at first – Standard Output (SO) and High Output (HO). The Standard Output version is “optimized for fuel economy”, but it will still offer more than 400 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque with 22 pounds of boost. As for the High Output version, it is “optimized for great performance”, with the company forecasting more than 500 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque at 26 pounds of boost.
There is no fuel economy information for either version, but the press release states that the Hurricane twin turbocharged I-6 engines are “up to 15% more efficient than larger engines”. Which larger engines? We don’t know, but we can guess that they are talking about the 5.7-liter Hemi and perhaps the 6.4-liter Hemi as well.
We do know that specific power levels for the two Hurricane I-6 engines will vary by vehicle and the press release stated that the first vehicles with a Hurricane engine will reach dealerships sometime this year. Provided that the Grand Wagoneer is first, if this engine offers 500 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, it would be noticeably more powerful from the driver’s seat while also offering better fuel economy numbers.
Finally, the press release states that Hurricane engines are designed to work with electric integration. A hybrid version would cost more and with the Grand Wagoneer being the premier vehicle in the company’s current lineup, a high-priced hybrid seems like a no-brainer.
