Photo: GMC
Despite the Dieselgate scandal from a few years ago, General Motors has been high and mighty in regard to this type of engine design in the United States of America. The Duramax inline-six stands true to the automaker’s promise, but the 1.6 in the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain is not long for this world.
Following multiple reports about the discontinuation of the Opel-developed engine, the departure of the 1.6-liter CDTI from these shores has been confirmed once again. “A huge majority of our Terrain customers have opted for one of our two gas engines,” declared GMC spokesperson Stuart Fowle to Autoblog.
Does it come as a surprise compact crossover customers prefer good ol’ gasoline in this part of the world? Not in the least, but General Motors is widely known for not listening to market trends. Coincidence or not, the Equinox and Terrain abandon the turbo diesel while Mazda introduces such an engine in the CX-5-.
The 2.2-liter SkyActiv-D in the compact crossover will be offered only with all-wheel drive in the most expensive trim level, which costs more than $40,000 excluding destination freight charge. By comparison, the Equinox with the 1.6-liter CDTI is $30,000 and change or $2,400 more than the base engine.
As it stands, the 2020 model year sees the Equinox and Terrain relegated to the 1.5- and 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engines from the EcoTec family. Towing capacity doesn’t take a hit from this change, rated at 1,500 pounds or 3,500, respectively. On the other hand, a gasoline engine develops peak torque higher in the rev range compared to a diesel, so do expect worse gas mileage when towing.
Another reason the 1.6-liter turbo diesel wasn’t appropriate for the Equinox and Terrain is the intrusiveness of compression ignition, translating to more vibrations and more clutter getting into the cabin. In combination with the nine-speed automatic transmission that Ford refused to utilize in vehicles such as the Edge, the experience was even worse as far as driving in town is concerned.
Are you sad to see the diesel go or do you believe the 1.5 and 2.0 are more than enough to fill the void?
Does it come as a surprise compact crossover customers prefer good ol’ gasoline in this part of the world? Not in the least, but General Motors is widely known for not listening to market trends. Coincidence or not, the Equinox and Terrain abandon the turbo diesel while Mazda introduces such an engine in the CX-5-.
The 2.2-liter SkyActiv-D in the compact crossover will be offered only with all-wheel drive in the most expensive trim level, which costs more than $40,000 excluding destination freight charge. By comparison, the Equinox with the 1.6-liter CDTI is $30,000 and change or $2,400 more than the base engine.
As it stands, the 2020 model year sees the Equinox and Terrain relegated to the 1.5- and 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engines from the EcoTec family. Towing capacity doesn’t take a hit from this change, rated at 1,500 pounds or 3,500, respectively. On the other hand, a gasoline engine develops peak torque higher in the rev range compared to a diesel, so do expect worse gas mileage when towing.
Another reason the 1.6-liter turbo diesel wasn’t appropriate for the Equinox and Terrain is the intrusiveness of compression ignition, translating to more vibrations and more clutter getting into the cabin. In combination with the nine-speed automatic transmission that Ford refused to utilize in vehicles such as the Edge, the experience was even worse as far as driving in town is concerned.
Are you sad to see the diesel go or do you believe the 1.5 and 2.0 are more than enough to fill the void?
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