Pentastar V6 Engine Earns a Place on Wards Best Engines List
Photo: FCA
The 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine with eTorque electrification has received a spot on the Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems list for 2020. This is the second year in a row that the Ram 1500 engine option has made the list.
Beating Out the Competition: Ram 1500 vs. Ford F-150
Specifications of the Pentastar engine
The Pentastar V6 engine with eTorque delivers 305 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. Paired with the TorqueFlite 850RE eight-speed automatic transmission, the engine comes standard on the Ram 1500.
The eTorque mild-hybrid system adds a belt-driven motor generator unit in place of a more traditional alternator. With a 48-volt battery pack, the motor generator is able to improve the value, performance, fuel efficiency, and drivability of the truck. It has six modes of operations, consisting of energy recovery along with brake regeneration and stop-start functions.
During stop-start movements, eTorque can send up to 90 lb-ft of supplemental torque toward the engine crankshaft to provide smooth engine restarts. The torque goes to the wheels in just 400 milliseconds, which is over twice as quick as most of the engine stop-start systems that are starter-motor-actuated.
“There are lots of drivers who dislike stop-start systems because the engine may turn back on with a shudder, or they might think the engine won’t restart at all. But the Ram 1500’s 48-volt eTorque system is so smooth, quiet and consistently reliable that truck owners will appreciate the technology – and the money they can save at the pump,” said Tom Murphy, WardsAuto managing editor.
When equipped with the Pentastar engine with eTorque, rear-wheel-drive models of the 2020 Ram 1500 get an EPA-estimated 20 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. The city mpg rating is an impressive 18 percent higher than the rating on the previous generation of the truck.
The Optimal Truck: Ram 1500 vs. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
The 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine with eTorque is available on both the 2020 Ram 1500 and the 2020 Jeep Wrangler Sahara four-door model. In total, FCA US and its predecessors have made the list of Wards 10 Best Engines 20 times.
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