Stellantis has a wide range of automotive companies under their umbrella, one of the lesser known Italian companies in their group is VM Motori.Few people outside the automotive (and maritime, actually) industry would have even heard of them. This is mostly because they have been exclusively owned by Fiat for decades now and don’t usually display any of their own branding. They are one of the largest diesel engine builders in the automotive industry, having designed and built millions of compression ignition engines for a host of different brands (not all tied to Stellantis). These are some of their best engines they have made over the years, as well as the cars that got those engines.
8 RA 420: Chevrolet Cruz
These engines will be more commonly associated with Korean brands, as Hyundai, Kia, and Daewoo all used them in a host of different cars, usually referring to the engine as a CRDi (common rail direct injection).
Being under the GM banner, Chevrolet decided to make use of their access to these fairly efficient engines. Most of the Korean cars only made around 120 horsepower, but somehow Chevrolet were able to tune it to make 150, very respectable for a small displacement turbo diesel.
7 HR 488: Alfa Romeo Alfetta
Mercedes-Benz beat VM Motori to the small turbo diesel punch by little more than a year. Their engine made it into the Alfetta just a year after the world’s first turbo diesel hit the market.
It was a pretty revolutionary effort but was still in its early developmental stages, so as much as the Alfa offered good mileage, it was far from perfect reliability wise. It proved to be a learning curve for the company, and it served them well later on.
6 HR 492: Range Rover
When the Range Rover first came out in the late 70s, they only had one engine; the hopelessly inefficient Rover/Buick V8. Diesel, specifically turbo diesel, seemed like a logical path forward.
Early versions were heavily criticized because the torque delivery couldn’t actually match the less-than-spectacular Rover lump. Improvements were made, and the uprated version made almost 180 lb-ft of torque at a low 2,400 rpm.
5 425: Chrysler Voyager
The 425 engine found its way into a wide range of Chrysler products, including the Jeep Cherokee and Dodge Dakota.
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For Europe, the Voyager was arguably the more important vehicle it was found in. The minivan segment was catching on all over the world, and every model needed at least one diesel option by the 90s, and this was their offering.
4 R 425: TX4
Although there are several other vehicles that get this engine, the most famous one gets a detuned version.
From 2006 they have been supplying engines for the London Taxi, other vehicles equipped with the R 425 can make as much as 180 horsepower but the TX4 only makes 100 horsepower with a tune focused on fuel efficiency.
3 A 428: Chevrolet Colorado
Marketed as the Duramax, the global version of the Colorado (somewhat different to the US version) has been in production since 2011 and has made use of a couple different VM Motori engines.
This version of the Duramax was uprated in 2014 though and is capable of making as much as 200 horsepower and has been offered as an option for the US version of the Colorado since 2016.
2 RA 428: Jeep Wrangler
In an effort to attract more buyers outside the US, this JK version of the Wrangler was the first to offer a diesel powertrain as an option. It proved to be a stroke of genius, as these sold well all over the world, with this version of the Wrangler making a solid 180 horsepower.
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Although it sold well all over the world, it could never be included in the local US lineup as it failed to comply with emissions standards.
1 A 630: Jeep Grand Cherokee
The EcoDiesel engine is easily the most advanced to ever come from VM Motori. Having been in production since 2011, this complex V6 lump is capable of making as much as 300 horsepower in the Maserati Levante. You would think this should be their finest hour.
Sadly, this is the engine that has now taken the company to the brink of extinction. Diesel has already been given a death sentence thanks to what the Volkswagen Group did not long ago, now VM Motori, and by extension Stellantis, are also in hot water. Both the Grand Cherokee and Ram pickup that are equipped with these engines have been found to have emissions defeat devices.