Jeep JL Wrangler to be available with a 300 HP Hurricane Turbo Four

[wayoflife]

Just read the following article on Autoblog by Noah Joseph and while we've all known for a while now that there was a good likelihood that the new Jeep JL Wrangler was going come with a 4-cylinder engine and that it was going to be called the Hurricane, I don't think any of us though it would might come with as much as 300 HP!! Check it out...

Fiat Chrysler has been working for some time now on a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Dubbed "Hurricane," the engine is now said to produce nearly 300 horsepower. And its first application could be in the next-generation Jeep Wrangler.

With that much power coming from such a small engine, the Hurricane would offer an even higher level of specific output than the 1.75-liter engine in the Alfa Romeo 4C – one of FCA's highest-stressed engines – far eclipsing the 4C's 120 horsepower per liter with 150 hp/l. By way of comparison, the latest 2.0-liter, four-cylinder version of Ford's EcoBoost engine produces "only" 245 hp (122.5 hp/l). The 2.0-liter turbo four in the latest Mercedes-AMG CLA45 and GLA45, however, produces 375 hp.

To get so much out of so little an engine, FCA will utilize a twin-scroll turbocharger and variable valve timing. That could make it ideally suited towards a compact performance model, but according to Automotive News, its first application could be in the new the Wrangler. The larger 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 produces 285 hp, nearly as much as the Hurricane will. But with a smaller engine, an eight-speed transmission, and aluminum construction, the new Jeep will likely benefit from dramatically-improved fuel consumption.

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/05/09/...-turbo-four-report/?ncid=edlinkusauto00000016

 

[swampdog]

Is there not any concern for a turbo in a dusty / muddy environment? Seems like a recipe for ingestion and early failure, no? On the highway it would be perfect.

 

[WJCO]

Hey, that's cool. When I had my WRX, it surprised the shit out of me how much power you can get from a Turbo'd 4cyl. Hope it works out for them. You can get some decent mpgs too if you keep your foot off the gas.

 

[WJCO]

Is there not any concern for a turbo in a dusty / muddy environment? Seems like a recipe for ingestion and early failure, no? On the highway it would be perfect.

Yep. Gotta keep oil and air filter changed very regularly on a turbocharged engine. If you keep up on maintenance though, they'll last awhile.

 

[wayoflife]

Is there not any concern for a turbo in a dusty / muddy environment? Seems like a recipe for ingestion and early failure, no? On the highway it would be perfect.

Oh yeah, there's a legit concern and for me, it'd be more in the fact that turbos and superchargers tend to have the HP on the high end of the RPM range. In other words, they aren't very useful for rock crawling or for bumping up ledges in Moab. And before all the supercharger fans come on to say otherwise, let me just say that this is just based on what I have seen over the years and I've always been far from impressed. Again, just me.

 

[swampdog]

Oh yeah, there's a legit concern and for me, it'd be more in the fact that turbos and superchargers tend to have the HP on the high end of the RPM range. In other words, they aren't very useful for rock crawling or for bumping up ledges in Moab. And before all the supercharger fans come on to say otherwise, let me just say that this is just based on what I have seen over the years and I've always been far from impressed. Again, just me.

Exactly right. It could make for some great flying, 4 wheels in the air, ledge bumps like the one in the recent Moab thread. 5k rpm and let it rip!

 

[WJCO]

... it'd be more in the fact that turbos and superchargers tend to have the HP on the high end of the RPM range. In other words, they aren't very useful for rock crawling or for bumping up ledges in Moab. And before all the supercharger fans come on to say otherwise, let me just say that this is just based on what I have seen over the years and I've always been far from impressed. Again, just me.

I'm a forced-air-induction fanboy, yet still completely agree with you. For Jeeping, it's not an ideal setup for the low rpms. But for racing down the roads, they rock.

 

[wayoflife]

With all that said, I still think it's cool that Jeep is pushing for more power out of their engines and that they're trying harder to make a more affordable 4-cyl Jeep again. Something we haven't seen since the TJ.

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

Every bit of news about the "new" Wrangler makes me happy with my decision to buy the 2016 now. We have been hearing a lot and while new technology can be great, the added issues with new designs that have not been tried bring up all kinds of issues. I have owned and also own a few Turbo aspirated engines (WRX's and now the VW Tiguan) and must say that they are just not designed for off-road.

I agree that there are issues with a dusty environment and the turbo. The turbo's, spinning at 120,000 RPM are held together with liquid bearings, making the need for clean oil critical. Any wearing in that bearing creates a ton of issues with the turbos. I am curious if they can reduce turbo lag though with the variable fin and dual turbo technologies, but at what cost? I already have 285 horses in my current 2016 so why pay a ton more for that extra 15 horses. While I do see some cost savings on the back end, I would need to drive a certain amount of miles to just recoup my costs. For example, I was looking closely at a TDI model for the Toureg. It was $20,000 more!! So that meant that I would NEVER see a cost savings and the TDI would just be cool (until VW ran into their nefarious practices, ahem.)

So for me, as a recent consumer, I am so glad I got my JK now before all of the craziness.

 

[Thegreenmachine12]

Is there not any concern for a turbo in a dusty / muddy environment? Seems like a recipe for ingestion and early failure, no? On the highway it would be perfect.

Yeah I was wondering the same, I think with a good inlet on the turbo and a good air filter, you should be fine though.

 

[Thegreenmachine12]

I'm happy to see that Jeep is bringing back a 4 cylinder option for the Wrangler!

I have to say, while the 2.5 AMC I4 was a bit of a dog, it was nonetheless a torque monster that was inexpensive to maintain and they had a great history of running forever!

The 4 cylinder option will make the Jeep Wrangler more readily available to a broader range of customers, with a lot better fuel mileage and upfront cost of the Jeep, I think you'll see more and more people daily driving them.

It will be interesting to see what the aftermarket will offer for the turbo 4, maybe different tuning or even aftermarket turbo setups. I am intrigued to drive one with a manual transmission, I bet it will be tons of fun!

 

[Thegreenmachine12]

I'm a forced-air-induction fanboy, yet still completely agree with you. For Jeeping, it's not an ideal setup for the low rpms. But for racing down the roads, they rock.

Didn't know you had a WRX, Subies rock! They are a ton of fun and pretty dang quick

 

[WJCO]

I am curious if they can reduce turbo lag though with the variable fin and dual turbo technologies, but at what cost?

The VGT technology is great in theory, but since it's been out, I have yet to see it perfected. It does eliminate lag, but with the constant heating and cooling, the VGT vanes and actuator get carboned up with exhaust soot very quickly and then the vanes start to stick. I have yet to see this fixed for the long haul. It's a great idea, I just hope it can be perfected.

 

[WJCO]

Didn't know you had a WRX, Subies rock! They are a ton of fun and pretty dang quick

Had one about 7 years ago. Great cars. I put about 5k in mods to it and had it running 12s. It was very fun to drive in the mountains. But I'm addicted to mods so I decided to sell it before I went bankrupt!

 

[JeepFan]

<RANT>

I'm not sold on this configuration. I wish Jeep would spend more time on quality control and less time on engineering new ways to make the JK/JL more expensive. Can't wait to see the 1st turbo charged 4 cylinder JL pushing 40's! :crazyeyes:

Am I the only one who wonders if the minor increase in fuel economy will offset the price to buy and own one? :thinking:

I seem to recall Jeep tried going the 4 cylinder route a long time ago. I wonder why they stopped producing them? Maybe because they failed to meet consumer expectations?

Here's a thought... Maybe Jeep should build one with a small V8. Just sayin... WHO'S FOR A V8? Come-on people!

</END OF RANT>

 

[sipafz]

With all that said, I still think it's cool that Jeep is pushing for more power out of their engines and that they're trying harder to make a more affordable 4-cyl Jeep again. Something we haven't seen since the TJ.

The 4 cylinder option will make the Jeep Wrangler more readily available to a broader range of customers, with a lot better fuel mileage and upfront cost of the Jeep, I think you'll see more and more people daily driving them.

I personally think that this engine will increase the base price, more technology = more $. Truth be told FCA is somewhat unlimited on what they can charge looking at the overall sales of the JK over the years.

 

[Sharkey]

<RANT>

I'm not sold on this configuration. I wish Jeep would spend more time on quality control and less time on engineering new ways to make the JK/JL more expensive. Can't wait to see the 1st turbo charged 4 cylinder JL pushing 40's! :crazyeyes:

Am I the only one who wonders if the minor increase in fuel economy will offset the price to buy and own one? :thinking:

I seem to recall Jeep tried going the 4 cylinder route a long time ago. I wonder why they stopped producing them? Maybe because they failed to meet consumer expectations?

Here's a thought... Maybe Jeep should build one with a small V8. Just sayin... WHO'S FOR A V8? Come-on people!

</END OF RANT>

Lol! While I have to agree across the board, I am left wondering if you have had morning gin. Your posts are always more animated after some gin.

And yes, I'm all about the V8.

 

[wayoflife]

<RANT>

I'm not sold on this configuration. I wish Jeep would spend more time on quality control and less time on engineering new ways to make the JK/JL more expensive. Can't wait to see the 1st turbo charged 4 cylinder JL pushing 40's! :crazyeyes:

Am I the only one who wonders if the minor increase in fuel economy will offset the price to buy and own one? :thinking:

I seem to recall Jeep tried going the 4 cylinder route a long time ago. I wonder why they stopped producing them? Maybe because they failed to meet consumer expectations?

Here's a thought... Maybe Jeep should build one with a small V8. Just sayin... WHO'S FOR A V8? Come-on people!

</END OF RANT>

LOL!! This for sure ^^^^
Bring on the HEMI and I can assure you that people will buy it :thumb:

 

[WJCO]

<RANT>

I'm not sold on this configuration. I wish Jeep would spend more time on quality control and less time on engineering new ways to make the JK/JL more expensive. Can't wait to see the 1st turbo charged 4 cylinder JL pushing 40's! :crazyeyes:

Am I the only one who wonders if the minor increase in fuel economy will offset the price to buy and own one? :thinking:

I seem to recall Jeep tried going the 4 cylinder route a long time ago. I wonder why they stopped producing them? Maybe because they failed to meet consumer expectations?

Here's a thought... Maybe Jeep should build one with a small V8. Just sayin... WHO'S FOR A V8? Come-on people!

</END OF RANT>

Lol. Agreed. The demand for a v8 among Jeep owner's has always been there. You'd think they would have listened by now.

 

[Speeddmn]

You know, everyone is all v8 this v8 that... death to the v6, 4 bangers blow... blah blah blah...

Well maybe if we use reverse psychology... and say death to v8's and their dumb awesome power, jeep will ditch the 4 banger and put an 8 cyl in. I actually would like to see a inline 6 again, even with a turbo it would be fun! It might not be practical for Moab, the Rubicon, etc but for top down beach cruising... Every jeep is set up how the owner wants, I just wish Jeep would give us more factory motor options and axle choices....