Chevrolet Traverse – Dropping an Engine

One of the most popular midsize crossover SUVs on the market is the Chevrolet Traverse which can be great for your family to enjoy together.

For many years, this SUV has been offering us a pair of engines that make it easy for us to have the drive that we want to enjoy on the road. The smaller of the two engines isn’t much different from the larger one, which has led the team at Chevy to decide it’s time to stop making the Traverse with the smaller engine in order to have the drive desired. This change is one that will take place soon, but it might not last very long.

The Engine that’s Dropped

The smaller engine, which was an option for the Chevy Traverse, is the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This model was first offered in the FWD RS models during the second generation to give us 257 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. This power plant was attached to a nine-speed automatic transmission but the numbers don’t give us enough of differentiation from the standard engine. This lack of difference has caused the Traverse with this smaller engine to be one that hasn’t seen sales for a while.

The Remaining Engine for the Traverse

The single engine that will remain when the four-cylinder is dropped in the middle of the 2019 model run, is a 3.6-liter V6. This engine also makes use of a nine-speed automatic transmission and it gives you 310 horsepower and 266 lb.-ft. of torque for the drive. With numbers that make the two engines feel similar, it’s easy to see why GM would want to drop the smaller engine from the mix for the time being. We’re seeing a new engine offered by GM in other models that we hope will make its way to the Traverse in the future.

The New GM Four-Cylinder

The development of a new 2.0-liter twin-turbocharged four-cylinder engine makes it possible that we’ll see a more efficient offering in the Traverse in the near future. This new model makes 237 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, which is a significant difference from the V6 that’s currently in the Traverse. This new engine has the ability to deactivate two of the cylinders to conserve fuel and make up to 26 mpg to make this engine one that could be efficient in the Traverse if it were to be offered in this SUV.

The Planned Models for the New Engine

Right now, we don’t see any plans in the works to put the new four-cylinder engine in the Traverse of the future. This engine makes its debut in the 2019 Cadillac XT4 and it will be included in the 2020 GMC Acadia as one of the three engine offerings that will be standard in the SLT and Denali trims. You’ll also see this engine in the new 2020 Cadillac XT5 and the new CT5. We’ll have to wait and see if this engine will be part of the next model offered for the Chevrolet Traverse.