Wards 10 Best Engines List for 2017 Includes Pacifica Hybrid’s V6
Wards 10 Best Engines List for 2017 featured a myriad of green cars
For the seventh consecutive year, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles earned a spot on Wards 10 Best Engines list.
The vehicle responsible for achieving that honor is the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and its 3.3-liter Pentastar V6 Hybrid Propulsion System. This unique powertrain allows the Pacifica Hybrid achieve a total driving range of 566 miles, while also providing an electric only range of 33 miles.
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“FCA’s powertrain engineers did all the hard work to make the first plug-in hybrid minivan a success,” said Drew Winter, WardsAuto Senior Content Director. “They not only reworked the V-6 engine for a hybrid application, but undertook in-house development of an innovative transmission capable of effectively coordinating power from two electric motors and the gasoline engine.”
The eFlite electrically variable transmission used in this hybrid minivan features a one-way clutch, which allows the gasoline engine to provide torque to the rear wheels. In a typical hybrid vehicle, where the gasoline motor is used to generate power for the secondary engine, the electric motor is usually the only source of power when it comes to delivering torque to the rear wheels.
FCA designers also cleverly designed the new Pacifica Hybrid so that its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack could be stored underneath the second-row seats. This allowed the Pacifica Hybrid to maintain it spacious storage area, as well as its third-row Stow ‘n Go seating.
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid comes standard with a 120-volt (Level 1) charger that allows the vehicle to recharged completely in as little as 14 hours. In addition, Mopar dealers offer an optional 240-volt (Level 2) charger, which allows the Pacifica Hybrid to charge up fully in a mere two hours.
Thanks to its EPA fuel economy rating of 84 MPGe, the Pacifica Hybrid earned the best possible rating of 10 in the EPA’s Green Vehicle Guide, which measures a vehicle’s greenhouse gas emissions and combine performance on fuel economy.
This is only the second electric propulsion system from FCA to be named to Ward’s 10 Best Engines list. The other came four years ago in the form of the 83-kW electric motor used in the Fiat 500e.
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Gallery: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Photos
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