Since its introduction in 2011 under the hood of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Fiat Chrysler America’s Pentastar engine lineup has become the company’s go-to powerplant across many different product lines; 14 different vehicles across the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands.

Since the beginning of 2015, fully 47 percent of all FCA US vehicles sold are using some form of the Pentastar V6 product line.

“The success of the Pentastar V-6 engine family continues to be a testament to our powertrain engineering prowess,” said Bob Lee, Vice President – Engine, Powertrain and Electrified Propulsion, and Systems Engineering, FCA – North America.

“This engine delivers world-class performance in multiple displacements and vehicle applications around the globe. We’re extremely proud of how this engine family has evolved to provide our customers with a wide range of performance capabilities.”

There are three different engine displacements offered in the Pentastar line – the 3.6-liter, 3.2-liter found in the Jeep Cherokee, and 3.0-liter. They are built in one of three different North American plants – the Trenton Engine Complex in Trenton, MI (3.6/3.2/3.0-liter), Saltillo South Engine Plant in Saltillo, Mexico (3.6-liter) and Mack Avenue Engine Plant in Detroit, MI (3.6/3.2-liter).

Every Pentastar engine uses a 60-degree deep-skirt die-cast aluminum block with six-bolt main caps, a structural windage tray, structural aluminum oil pan, poly-graphite-coated piston skirts, a “silent-chain” timing drive, and variable valve timing, all in an effort to reduce NVH.

For strength, each engine uses forged steel connecting rods, while piston-squirter jets are standard. Unlike many overhead-cam engines, the cam-drive and valvetrain components do not require any scheduled maintenance, passing savings along to the consumer.

In addition, the exhaust manifold in each engine displacement is integrated into the cylinder head for better packaging capabilities.

According to the company, Pentastar V-6 engines contribute to numerous best-in-class benchmarks including best-in-class horsepower in the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town &Country minivans. Best-in-class fuel economy is also offered in the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 full-size sedans.

The 3.6-liter version of the engine is a three-time winner of Ward’s 10-Best Engines (2011-13).