Durango getting twin-turbo six engines, stay of execution; and Hurricane Hybrid confirmed?

2022 Dodge Durango police pursuit car (squad)

Dodge has released a statement to fleet buyers that the 2025 Durango will have the new Hurricane twin-turbo straight-six as an option; it produces more power than the equivalent Hemi, using the same grade of fuel, but uses around 10% less fuel (in the Wagoneer). It appears that the Durango will be sold with either the 400+ hp or the 500+ hp version.

For the first time, as well, Dodge announced that the Hurricane… Read more

Retro Friday: diesel slant sixes

1977 Slant Six

When the fuel crises of the 1970s hit, American automakers were unprepared. Once Chrysler saw that big car owners were dropping their V8s in favor of newly-available slant sixes to save fuel, they authorized a two-barrel slant six to make the smaller engine more satisfactory—but could they go further?Chrysler had more than one slant six … Read more

Ram needs a Hurricane Plus

Hurricane Twin Turbo Engine

The new Hurricane twin-turbo six-cylinder is stunning in its power and efficiency, but many are skeptical, saying it’s too small for serious work trucks.

GM has its turbo four for the Silverado, and Ford has a 2.7 twin turbo pulling the F-150, and they do well—though the Ford seems quite thirsty when towing. But GM and Ford still have V8 choices, while indications so far are that Ram will end with the sixes. (Some do believe the 6.4 V8 will remain on the Ram 2500 and 3500.)… Read more

Is there room for Hemi V8s in Mopar’s post-2024 future after all?

Opinion. Back in 2019, I wrote about the “Tornado,” as the turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine then being development was coded. At that point, the GME 2.0 turbo, coded “Hurricane,” was still in planning. The code names were based on warplanes, as were the Eagle, Apache, and so forth—not past Jeep engines. The Willys/Jeep Tornado engine was an inline six-cylinder with an overhead cam, an advanced design which did not last long on the market. The Willys/Jeep Hurricane engine, in contrast, was a four-cylinder, replacing the “Go-Devil” engine, made from 1950 to 1971. (There was also a Jeep Hurricane concept car in 2005 which is unrelated.)  Read more

Direct Connection Hurricane Crate Engines Offer Big Power Potential

Hurricane Twin Turbo

Last year, Dodge announced that the new Hurricane inline-six would join the Direct Connection crate engine lineup, alongside various Hemi crate engines. Those who can’t get over the possible demise of the Hemi refuse to see any upside to the new Hurricane engine, but for those who are happy to have an internal combustion engine in the future of the brand, this engine presents an opportunity.

If nothing else, the fact that Dodge is discussing this engine is proof that the brand doesn’t plan to go all-electric in the immediate future. The trio of Hurricane crate engines, one of which is slated for the next generation Drag Pak car, shows that these engines will pack a serious punch.

The first production application of the Hurricane inline-six engine family was the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. In the big Jeep, the “base” Hurricane pushed out 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft of torque while the Hurricane 510 in the Grand Wagoneer delivers 510 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. Those engines effectively replace the 5.7-liter Hemi in the Wagoneer and the 6.4-liter Hemi in the Grand Wagoneer, and each of the smaller engines pack more power than the V8s that they are replacing. The 5.7-liter Hemi in the Wagoneer offers 392 horsepower and 404 lb-ft of torque while the 6.4-liter Hemi in the Grand Wagoneer delivers 471 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque, so there are significant increases in both horsepower and torque when comparing the Hemi to the Hurricane in the Wagoneer line. Read more

The last new straight sixes, in ads: slant vs Hurricane

No old maid (slant six ad)

In the early 1920s, Dodge was a four-cylinder car despite its premium market position; Chrysler was launched with a single straight-six; and Maxwell, like its replacement (Plymouth), was also four-cylinder only.Times changed and all three brands featured a range of straight-six engines and V8s, with four-cylinders and straight-eights forgotten and V6 engines ignored. The straight … Read more

Dodge has Big Plans for the Hurricane Inline Six Engine

Hurricane Inline-Six Engine

We have been talking for years about the Hurricane inline-six engine family; with the arrival of the new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, those long-rumored engines have finally come to production.

In the huge Jeeps, both the standard and high-performance variants of the 3.0-liter Hurricane engine provide substantial power, making them reasonable alternatives to the Hemi V8 engines which are also available in luxury Jeeps… Read more

Why the diesel had to go

VM diesel (Ram)

Buildout for Ram 1500 diesel pickups is coming in January 2023. That spells the end for the small Italian diesels, made by Fiat subsidiary VM, though Cummins diesels will continue to drive heavy-duty Rams.Changes are the Gladiator diesel will follow into oblivion as well. Why?The 3.0 L “EcoDiesel” produces 260 hp and 480 lb-ft of … Read more

Quiet rumors of more Hurricanes

Mopar twin turbo inline six: Hurricane engine

Rumor has pegged the Saltillo plant’s Hurricane twin-turbo-straight-six output at 200,000 or more engines per year—but is that enough? It depends on whether the Hurricane engine series will replace the Hemi V8.The Hurricane beats the Hemi in peak power and torque, low-end torque, and fuel economy. Its 10% boost in fuel economy is a big … Read more

Social media droppings: Hurricane engine tidbits

Mopar twin turbo inline six: Hurricane engine

Mopar-related social media exploded when the Hurricane hit the news, but there are some misconceptions out there which can be addressed with the data already issued by Stellantis.

Originally, we believed the engine was meant primarily for Ram pickups; they will still be used there, but will almost certainly be used in the Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, and next-generation large cars, as well. Indeed, it might have allowed for the next generation large cars to have a smaller engine bay, saving weight (or providing more space for the interior). It also cuts around 150 pounds of weight, which is handy for acceleration and fuel economy. Read more

Mopar’s Hurricane Six is official and very powerful indeed

Mopar twin turbo inline six: Hurricane engine

In a stunning move, Stellantis has revealed its new Hurricane Six—keeping the code name for the general public. The engine was accidentally revealed to the public yesterday, caught by an Allpar reader, and reposted on Stellpower.Stellantis confirmed that the Hurricane would be the primary internal-combustion engine for STLA Large and Frame vehicles, powering the future … Read more

Is this the future of the Jeep Cherokee?

2023 Jeep Cherokee BEV

What of the Cherokee? With nearly a decade on the KL platform, the Cherokee has waxed and waned in popularity. While it’s a comfortable vehicle whose TrailHawk version did pass the Rubicon test, some of the Jeep faithful deride it; and quite a few 2021s are sitting in inventory in the middle of a vast … Read more

Is “Tornado” inline six coming to New York?

GME-T6

Years ago, Allpar broke the news of a new inline six-cylinder planned for trucks and coded “Tornado,” after the plane—though there was a Jeep Tornado engine. Nobody at Stellantis has gone on record about the new straight-six engine until very recently, though the turbocharged “Tornado” six was briefly listed in the company’s list of plants. As Stellpower … Read more