New Dodge Charger TBi Powered by Alfa Romeo’s 1.75 Liter Turbo Engine

Now here’s some news we weren’t expecting. The Chrysler Group announced today the premiere of a new variant of the 2011 Dodge Charger bearing the TBi moniker, which stands for Turbocharged Boosted Induction. The Charger TBi is powered by a four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine sourced from sister company Alfa Romeo. The Italian flavored 1.75-liter powerplant is the same one found on a variety of Alfa models including the Giulietta and 159, as well as the upcoming 4C sports coupe previewed in Geneva last month.

On the 2011MY Charger, the force-fed four-pot delivers a maximum output of 225HP and a peak torque of 250 lb-ft / 340Nm at just 1,900 rpm.

The Detroit automaker said that the gasoline engine “ensures performance that matches or exceeds that of a 3.0-litre V6 whilst still delivering the moderate fuel consumption which is typical of a compact, 4 cylinder unit”. The new powerplant will be matched exclusively to a new automatic "TCT" twin dry clutch transmission with eight gears.

According to Dodge, the Charger TBi completes the standard 0-60mph sprint in 8.1 seconds while returning an estimated average fuel consumption of 25mpg city and 32mpg highway. In comparison, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 model is rated at 18mpg and 27mpg respectively. More details are expected to be released before the end of the day so stay tuned.

PHOTO GALLERY 2011 DODGE CHARGER