Stop, Start, Save - Fuel-Saving Technology Standard on Jeep Cherokee

Chrysler Group is offering fuel-saving Engine Stop-Start (ESS) technology as standard equipment on certain models of the award-winning 2015 Jeep Cherokee mid-size SUV and all-new 2015 Chrysler 200 mid-size sedan.

Jeep Cherokee customers who choose the available 3.2-liter Pentastar V-6, and Chrysler 200 customers who opt for the 2.4-liter Tigershark I-4, and will experience estimated fuel-economy improvements of up to three percent, compared with the conventional vehicle-engine pairings.

“We’re taking highly efficient engines and upping the ante to further benefit our customers,” said Mike Duhaime, Global Director-Electrified Powertrain Propulsion Systems. “ESS leverages intricate control strategies to deliver a superior driving experience, as well as the expected fuel-savings and emissions-reduction.”

ESS applications in the Jeep Cherokee and Chrysler 200 and will account for an estimated C02 emissions-reduction of up to three percent.

Availability in the popular Jeep Cherokee is scheduled for third quarter. ESS arrives the following quarter in the all-new Chrysler 200.

ESS works this way:

- Engine controls constantly monitor vehicle speed
- When the vehicle brakes to a stop, fuel flow is cut and engine turns off – events that save gas and reduce emissions
- Beefier batteries maintain other vehicle systems so in-cabin comfort is unaffected
- When the brake pedal is released, the engine automatically restarts and the nine-speed automatic transmission, the segment-exclusive nine-speed automatic transmission is engaged – all within 0.3 seconds

If a driver chooses to forgo the benefits of ESS, the feature can be deactivated with the push of a button, and then reactivated.

Efficiency and refinement are hallmarks of the Tigershark and Pentastar engine families. ESS just complements these attributes.

The Cherokee’s available 271-hp 3.2-liter Pentastar V-6 is derived from the acclaimed 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6, named three times one of Ward’s 10 Best Engines. The smaller-displacement V-6 helps the Cherokee deliver fuel-economy improvements of up to 30 percent, compared with the model it replaces.

Individual exhaust-manifold runners are integrated into the aluminum cylinder-head casting, a key Pentastar-family differentiator. This design feature reduces weight and affords packaging benefits.

The 24-valve engine’s 10.7:1 compression ratio aids in lowering fuel consumption and improves performance while its variable-displacement oil pump further reduces parasitic losses to maximize fuel economy. The pump is programmed to operate as needed, staying in low-pressure mode below 3,500 rpm, and then bumping up pressure as demand follows engine-speed.

The high-tech transmission – which also comes standard in the Jeep Cherokee – dispenses power smoothly for elevated refinement. Such performance is made possible because the ratio steps between its gears are smaller than those of other transmissions.

The Jeep Cherokee has earned multiple media accolades, from Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association’s SUV of the Year to 2014 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, courtesy of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).

As read on: http://www.chryslergroup360.com/featured_news/stop-start-save/