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The replacement for the aging Jeep Liberty is expected to debut at next January's Detroit Auto Show, and when it does, a brand-new Pentastar powertrain will reportedly be spinning underhood. According to Automotive News, Chrysler will offer a downsized 3.2-liter V6 in the Liberty mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission sourced from ZF. The current Pentastar V6 displaces 3.6 liters and has been well-received by both critics and buyers in everything from the refreshed Dodge Journey to new Chrysler 300.

Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne reiterated to AN that efficient transmissions play a huge role in the development of engines. "If we had known the eight-speed was coming, we could have made the [3.6-liter] Pentastar a 3.2-liter," he said.

Currently, the Liberty is available with a 3.7-liter SOHC V6 that produces 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque backed by a four-speed automatic transmission. This new 3.2-liter/nine-speed combo will surely improve performance, not to mention overall efficiency, though specific power and fuel economy details are still up in the air at this time.Next Jeep Liberty to get shrunken Pentastar V6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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