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FCA Inline-Six Turbo Engine Confirmed by Patent Filing

It’s been years since we’ve heard that Chrysler is working on an inline-six with a turbocharger for good measure. Called Tornado, the powerplant is also known as GME-T6 because it’s expected to join the Global Medium Engine family that currently consists of the four-cylinder Hurricane turbo.
FCA Inline-Six Turbo Engine (GME-T6 or Tornado) 6 photos
Photo: USPTO via Mopar Insiders
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From 1,995 cubic centimeters of displacement, the engine available in the Giulia and Wrangler is good for up to 280 horsepower or 284 PS as well as 306 pound-feet or 400 Nm in American and European models. The Jeep Wrangler has also married the eTorque system to this blunderbuss, but looking forward, what should we expect from the Tornado?

First things first, Tornado is the name of a Kaiser-Jeep engine from the 1960s and 1970s. The inline-six served as a replacement for the flathead Super Hurricane developed by Willys, and its successor was the AMC straight-six that soldiered on until 2006 in applications such as the TJ Wrangler.

Mopar Insiders has “full confidence” in their sources, claiming that this patent filing “is the first piece of tangible evidence” about the Tornado. “We are still a few years away from seeing this engine in a production vehicle,” and knowing Chrysler, the first application will certainly be a Jeep model.

The schematic diagram reveals that the GME-T6 comes with a turbocharger, exhaust gas recirculation, and lots of similarities to the GME-T4 we’ve talked about a few paragraphs before. Different outputs are on the table, starting with 360 horsepower and topping at more than 500 horsepower.

Such ratings spell trouble for the 5.7- and 6.4-liter HEMI V8, the engines of choice for both Ram and the Dodge brands in their half-ton pickups and go-faster nameplates such as the Challenger and Charger. Downsizing in both cylinders and displacement is likely for Chrysler if you remember that Groupe PSA will help the American counterpart in terms of R&D and financials.

Another big question mark hovers above the transmission that will be married to this engine. The ZF 8HP is getting on a bit, but don’t forget that ZF Friedrichshafen is currently developing an evolution of the eight-speed transmission. Chrysler has ordered the fourth-generation 8HP in July 2019 for rear- and all-wheel-drive applications, and this gearbox has the option to integrate an electric motor/generator for hybrid and PHEV capability.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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