Get ready to ghost your gas station. The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox offers highway fuel efficiency of 6.0 L/100km (FWD model) with the available 1.6L turbo-diesel engine. That number is expected to top the segment in highway fuel efficiency, with lower highway fuel consumption rating than the 2017 Toyota RAV4 hybrid and Nissan Rogue hybrid. The all-new 2018 Equinox is a fresh and modern compact SUV, featuring an expressive design, increased cargo space, the latest connectivity, and expanded roster of available safety features and all-new range of turbocharged engines. Purposeful technologies are designed to help keep passengers safe, comfortable and connected. Teen Driver is offered, along with safety features such as Safety Alert Seat, Surround Vision, Forward Collison Alert with Following Distance Indicator and more.
“At Chevrolet we continue to offer Canadians more choice than ever before,” said Laura Pacey, brand director for Chevrolet Canada. “Our customer’s desire performance and fuel efficiency options, and our three turbo-charged engines on the all-new Equinox provide just that.”
The new turbo-diesel engine is part of Equinox’s trio of all-turbocharged propulsion systems. It is SAE-certified at 240 lb-ft of torque (325 Nm) and incorporates a variable-geometry turbocharger that helps generate strong torque at low rpm and more horsepower at higher rpm. The engine also features stop/start technology to optimize efficiency in stop-and-go driving and it is compatible with B20 bio-diesel fuel.
“It is very fun to drive, with great torque on demand at all speeds,” said Dan Nicholson, vice president Global Propulsion Systems. “In fact, the engine delivers 90 percent of peak torque between 1,500 and 3,250 rpm. The strong torque gives it the feeling of a larger engine, with exceptional smoothness and quietness.”
The 1.6L is a clean-sheet redesign developed entirely within General Motors, including the engine control system. Development was driven from GM’s diesel product center in Torino, Italy, and involved more than 24,000 hours of computational analysis, while simulated and real-world testing totaled more than 7 million kilometres of driving. The Diesel Exhaust Fluid or DEF System is an integral part of the diesel-operated engine, treating the exhaust gases to improve emissions. Design, testing and integration of the system on the 2018 Chevrolet Equinox was executed by the Engineering team at the Canadian Technical Centre in Oshawa, Ontario.
The 2018 Equinox is on sale now, starting at $27,145 (including $1,700 destination charge). Pricing for the turbo-diesel engine starts at $35,645 (including $1,700 destination), when it goes on sale this fall. Tax, title, license and dealer fees extra.
