Fiat Chrysler is supposedly cooking up an all-new 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine codenamed “Hurricane” that sources say will debut in the next-generation (JL) Jeep Wrangler making “nearly” 300 horsepower. Sounds like a fun Wrangler to me.
This morning Jeep expert Larry P. Vellequette over at Automotive News reported that the “aluminum-block” Hurricane engine will be a “high-output, direct-injected inline-four with variable valve timing and a twin-scroll turbocharger.” AN’s sources say it’s “expected to make close to 300 horsepower.”
And this engine is apparently just the “fuel-saving” engine option for the next Wrangler. That could be pretty righteous, considering the current Wrangler’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 only burps out 285 horsepower and maxes out at a mediocre 21 MPG. I’m guessing that means “no diesel,” at least in the onset of the next-gen Wrangler.
That Pentastar V6 is currently made at FCA’s Trenton Engine Complex, which FCA has already announced will get a $75 million investment soon to start producing “the next generation four-cylinder engine” instead in the near future.
Bring on the turbo Wranglers!