Which domestic V6 is best

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There have been plenty comments on which of these 3 makes good power -
But, how would the discussion be if the 3.5 EB was in the mix ?
What was the purpose of this drill ?
 
Ford 3.5 ltr found in the 2011 and 12 fusions and Taurus. Fuel efficient and good power. Grew up and became the 3.5 ltr eco boost
 
I had a '90 Cutlass Ciera special edition with the 3.3 V6, that motor was freakin' bullet proof. Sold it at 220K in 2006 and it still wasn't using a drop of oil and the only thing besides regular maintenance I did to it was replace the coil packs.
 
I own a CTS with the 3.6DI and a Grand Cherokee with the 3.6 Pentastar. Both very smooth and I like both engines. I cannot believe how fuel efficient the pentastar is in the GC while the 3.6 in the CTS is a bit thirsty. The GM 3.6 has issues such as timing chains (2008-2011) range and they all consume oil but run like a scalded dog with lots of power. The pentastar burns no oil, has no real issues (other than the oil filter/cooler can crack and leak) has great power and MPG. My nod goes to the pentastar as the better engine of the 2 but only by a thin margin.
 
Apples to oranges comparision of course but,
I owned a 2011 Dodge Charger with a 3.6 and now a 2014 Ford F150 with a 3.7

To me, in general the 3.7 feels torquier and gets the same or better fuel mileage in a heavier vehicle.

One feature I prefered on the 3.6 was the easier access top mounted cartridge filter
versus a block mounted forward facing spin-on right in line with the front cross member.
 
Originally Posted By: mlatour
Apples to oranges comparision of course but,
I owned a 2011 Dodge Charger with a 3.6 and now a 2014 Ford F150 with a 3.7

To me, in general the 3.7 feels torquier and gets the same or better fuel mileage in a heavier vehicle.

One feature I prefered on the 3.6 was the easier access top mounted cartridge filter
versus a block mounted forward facing spin-on right in line with the front cross member.


I have heard before from people that they felt the pentastar 3.6 was kind of a slug in lower rpm when mated with the older trans (5sp?).

Mine is with the 8 sp trans. And it feels pretty impressive for a 6 cylinder. But I will say the eco programming that makes it shift quicker to the next gear does make it feel sluggish, especially around town. When I drive it now I automatically turn the eco button off and its much more responsive and quicker feeling.

I think the eco programming on mine is a little to aggressive.
 
Originally Posted By: Srt20
I have heard before from people that they felt the pentastar 3.6 was kind of a slug in lower rpm when mated with the older trans (5sp?).

Mine is with the 8 sp trans. And it feels pretty impressive for a 6 cylinder. But I will say the eco programming that makes it shift quicker to the next gear does make it feel sluggish, especially around town. When I drive it now I automatically turn the eco button off and its much more responsive and quicker feeling.

I think the eco programming on mine is a little to aggressive.


+1 on the eco button.
I would not be surprised if a lot of people test driving Chrysler products had the eco button turned on, and came back unimpressed with the tranny and the engine.

On my Grand Caravan I came to the conclusion that for our type of driving, the eco button is useless.

I had it on for a while, when traveling to Florida recently, and I could not figure out why, when going through the hilly terrain, the downshift was delayed for so long and the vehicle lost so much speed, that the cruise control would have to go almost WOT up the hill to regain the set speed.
It finally dawned on my that I had the eco button was ON. Once it was Off, the tranny would downshift much sooner and did not have to accelerate as much while going up a hill.
I found that my car used less fuel with the eco button Off.

Also, the tranny behaved the same even with the cruise control off. It felt almost like an ON/OFF switch when ascending a long hill that for sure required a downshift. I would press the gas pedal further and further, waiting for the tranny do downshift, but once it did, the throttle was opened up so much that I got this sudden acceleration and had to back off the gas pedal. Once th eeco button was off, the tranny behaved as it should, with no sudden power surges.
 
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The plain 3.7 is not direct injected. Only the ecoboost engines have DI (to a few people who mentioned DI being a downside of the 3.7).
 
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Chevy 3.6 VVT for me,have one in my 08 Malibu LTZ and the wifes 2015 GMC Terrain DENALI, no timing chain issues or oil, great HP and super smooth idle
cheers3.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Hands down the Pentastar. Plenty of power, it makes its HP up high in the RPMs but there's plenty of it. 2013 and newer ones have proven reliable.


My late year 2013 Pentastar just failed miserably. It's with the dealer for the next 2-3 weeks waiting on a new long block. Failed head, which lead to a failed block after further inspection.

It has 84,000 KM (~52k miles).

I wouldn't put 2013's into the 'reliable' bucket just yet.
 
Originally Posted By: webfors
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Hands down the Pentastar. Plenty of power, it makes its HP up high in the RPMs but there's plenty of it. 2013 and newer ones have proven reliable.


My late year 2013 Pentastar just failed miserably. It's with the dealer for the next 2-3 weeks waiting on a new long block. Failed head, which lead to a failed block after further inspection.

It has 84,000 KM (~52k miles).

I wouldn't put 2013's into the 'reliable' bucket just yet.


There is no manufacturer out there that does not have freak engine failures in their history.
 
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