Chrysler Pacifica 3.6L eHybrid Pentastar Engine Named A Wards Automotive 10 Best Engine

The heart and soul of the Pacifica Hybrid is a Fiat Chrysler propulsion system mating the automaker’s stellar 3.6L Pentastar V-6 with an FCA-developed dual-motor, eFlite electrically

variable transmission. Unlike most electrical drive units, where one motor is dedicated solely as a generator and a second exclusively putting torque to the wheels, the eFlite system uses both to power the wheels. This permits a smaller drive motor, which smartly reduces the system package.

A 16-kWh lithium-ion battery boosts efficiency to as much as 84 mpg-e (2.8 L/100 km) and an overall range of 570 miles (918 km). The system still packs 260 hp. The 3.6L V-6 gas engine stood alone as a Wards 10 Best Engines winner in 2011, 2012 and 2013.


FCA US says of the 100 Pacifica eHybrid customers participating in monthly ownership-experience surveys over a two-year period, 47% of respondents report more driving range than expected and 22% say they have observed “much more.”