Chevy Equinox sets new low with a 1.3L, 3-cyl. turbo

When the second-gen Chevrolet Equinox debuted in the USA in 2016, many were unpleasantly shocked to see it shipping with a 1.5-liter engine (standard) and a 2.0-liter turbo (top spec). This week, SAIC-GM took things farther still by announcing a 1.3-liter, turbo three-cylinder spec for the 2021 Equinox facelift in China.

The CUV will be sharing the engine with Buick and Chevrolet compact cars also sold in China. The mill produces 165 horsepower (123 kW) and only supports manual transmission and front wheel drive. Acceleration times remain unannounced, but prospects look quite dismal: even the U.S. base spec with its 1.5 liters of displacements, 169 hp (126 kW) and six-speed auto transmission doesn’t hit 60 mph (97 km/h) until 10.2 seconds in.

In the next model year, the 2.0-liter spec will switch to using a new LSY series engine that other General Motors vehicles are also using. The torque stays unchanged at 350 Nm (258 lb-ft), but should be available sooner now – at 1,500 RPM instead of 2,000. This entails a power drop from 260 to 237 hp (194 – 177 kW, respectively). Fuel economy improves thanks to the cylinder deactivation, and nine-speed auto is available for transmission. Unlike its U.S. counterpart, the China-made3 Equinox stays front-driven in all versions.

Exterior novelty boils down to new bumpers, headlights and radiator grille. Interior only gets minor tweaks.

The 2021 Chevrolet Equinox will hit the showroom floors throughout China this fall, while North America will have to wait until early next year due to disruption caused by the pandemic.