Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has been actively seeking to improve the performance and efficiencies of their newest powerplants with turbocharging and direct injection. The latest sighting of a test Jeep Grand Cherokee and other FCA vehicles in the Colorado Rockies may suggest that the company will release the new engines sooner than we thought.
This Grand Cherokee, spotted doing what looks to be a towing test, doesn’t seem to have any cosmetic upgrades over the present model. It’s likely, then, that Jeep is testing the towing capacity of a brand-new Pentastar Upgrade (PUG) motor in its flagship SUV.
Several sources indicated at the end of last year that FCA is developing a twin-turbocharged version of the current 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. The PUG Pentastar could slot in between the base V6 and the 5.7-liter HEMI V8, providing buyers with a balance of power and fuel economy.
In addition to developing the turbocharged Pentastar V6, Chrysler is also designing a reworked 3.2-liter turbocharged V6 that could see duty under the hood of the new Town & Country minivan. TFL Car has spotted a Town & Country prototype testing in the Rockies several times in the past few months, so the company could be testing a selection of engines.
The PUG engine will improve Town & Country fuel economy 25 percent over the current model. Best of all, the 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 is likely to come over to the Charger/Challenger lineup, marking another example of muscle cars with forced-induction engines.
Please enjoy this TFLcar.com video review of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee during a Towing Test.
