Photo: Dodge / Direct link
Internally designated the GME-T6, the Hurricane engine is now available for purchase in crate and long-block formats. Assembled engines start at $10,495 for the 420-horsepower HurriCrate Cat 1, while the long-block will set you back at least $7,995.
Before we go any further, long blocks build on the short blocks by adding heads and valvetrain. The short block assembly includes the block, crankshaft, connecting rods, and pistons. Short blocks may also include the camshaft(s), timing chain, and covers. With that out of the way, how does the HurriCrate Cat 1 compare to the closest HEMI equivalent?
Simply put, it costs just a few bucks more than the 392-cubic HEMI we all know and love. The free-breathing V8 is $9,600, or $6,995 in August 2024, with the 392 boasting 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet (644 Nm) on premium dino juice.
The HurriCrate Cat 1 is pretty close in terms of peak torque (468 lb-ft or 635 Nm), which is produced at 2,500 rpm instead of just over 4,000 rpm. Needless to say, the TT’s 3.0-liter inline-six engine features a different block material, namely 356+ aluminum instead of cast iron with four-bolt powder-coated metal caps.
Both engines use aluminum for the pistons and forged alloy steel for the crankshaft. Aluminum is also used for the cylinder heads. The connecting rods, meanwhile, are made of powdered metal in the 392 HEMI versus forged steel in the 183-cube Hurricane. Similar to the Hurricane engines in the 2025 Dodge Charger SIXPACK and 2025 Ram 1500 SST, the HurriCrate sports a water-to-air intercooler with a single-inlet cooling loop.
Photo: Dodge / Direct link
The PTWA coating in the cylinder liners also deserves a mention, along with a boost of up to 22 pounds per square inch for the lesser of the two available versions. By comparison, the Hellephant C170's supercharger is good for up to 21.3 pounds per square inch. As you may have guessed by now, the Hellephant C170 is the crate-engine version of the Demon 170's corn-drinking engine.
However, it’s not the most powerful HEMI engine out there. Direct Connection’s flagship is priced at $59,990 and makes a whopping 1,500 horsepower, while peak torque is rated at over 1,000 pound-feet (1,356 Nm). For comparison, the HurriCrate Cat 3 makes 550 ponies and 531 pound-feet (720 Nm) for a much more reasonable $13,745. The long block retails for $11,715.
Interestingly, the HurriCrate Cat 3 is 10 lb-ft (13.6 Nm) more torquey than the high-output version of the Hurricane in the Dodge Charger SIXPACK and Ram 1500 SST. Moving up from the HurriCrate Cat 1 to the more expensive HurriCrate Cat 3 also means a bit more boost, to the tune of 26 lb-ft, as well as a dual-entry cooling circuit. In addition to those vehicles, the Hurricane is standard in the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer.
Considering that both Jeeps are technically related to Ram's half-ton pickup, it's no surprise that the Ram 1500 got this engine for the 2025 model year in lieu of the outdated but sonorous 5.7-liter HEMI. The Hurricane and HurriCrate that replace the HEMI are built by Stellantis at the Saltillo Engine plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.