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1.5L Turbo Engine Reliability

84K views 40 replies 22 participants last post by  repairguy75 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
All,

I am considering purchasing a 2018 Equinox with a 1.5L turbo engine. I am trying to figure out if this engine can be run up into higher mileages (i.e., 200K+) if not abused and well maintained. Most folks I talk to are telling me to stay from anything with a Turbo but can't explain why. I have found online articles about "low-speed pre-ignition," cracking pistons, etc.

Does anyone have any actual real-world-advise or input regarding this engine's reliability? I suspect there is a lot of misinformation on the web because this engine is relatively new.

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
I don't think the 1.5l has been offered in the equinox long enough to know the answer, but maybe you might try the Cruze forum. I think it may have been offered longer on the Cruze, but I am not positive. In the 3 yrs that it has been available on the equinox, there are very few reported problems.
 
#4 ·
I agree with Craig above.

The 1.5T is ok in my daughters LT 2WD.

Recently I rented on a trip a 4WD with the 1.5T, totally unacceptable IMO, couldn't pull a stick out of a lard pail.

The 2.0T is awesome, other than the fuel debate, Premium in some locations around Chicago near $4 gal :help:
 
#30 ·
I agree with Craig above.

The 1.5T is ok in my daughters LT 2WD.

Recently I rented on a trip a 4WD with the 1.5T, totally unacceptable IMO, couldn't pull a stick out of a lard pail.

The 2.0T is awesome, other than the fuel debate, Premium in some locations around Chicago near $4 gal
. We run 87 octane almost all the time. I had the spark plugs changed at 55,000 mile they were ready to change and a little sooty. That's from running 87 octane. We run off-road tires, bull bar, and basket with a full sized spare, 2.0 gas can in it. We get 21-24 mpg on the road at 70 mph.
 
#14 ·
I didn't realize Mudpuddle was pro toyota. He can have them. I came from a Rav4 and didn't have a good experience. Compared engine to engine, the 1.5T is far superior to the 2.5L toyota. similar hp, significantly more torque and much quieter to boot. Don't speak to me about Toyota reliability either. I owned the Rav4 for a year and was nearly stranded in my driveway one cold morning because it refused to move. Felt like the transmission was slipping horribly. Took it into the dealer only to be told there is nothing wrong and I should let it warm up for 10 minutes before driving on cold days. And with that, I dumped it for what has been a totally reliable Nox that gets noticeably better fuel economy.

Ya, mudpuddle can keep is Toyotas....
 
#11 ·
There are very few engines on the market today that would not make 2-300+K miles if maintenance is kept up. There is no doubt that a port injected non turbo 4 cylinder will have less problems but very few if any offer that anymore. Even Toyota's are direct injected I believe. The problems with turbo engines are usually tied to the turbo it's self. They life a very tough life of high rpm and extreme temperatures. Turbo seals will fail eventually which leads to oil in the intake and causing problems. Even brand new turbos will leave an oil residue in the intake pipes. This isn't a GM issue though, the Ecoboost, 1.5T in Honda's and pretty much every manufacturer will eventually have this issue. If you don't want to have this you are limited to Mazda and Toyota products right now. What you give up is TQ compared to a NA engine. Test drive a CX5 or Rav4 compared to the other turbo offerings and it will be immediately noticeable that the turbo engines pull harder off the line.

As for the 1.5 vs 2.0 vs 1.6. First off the cruze has a 1.4T shared with the Encore and Trax. It's not the same engine at all as the 1.5 in the equinox and terrain. The 1.5 "feels" plenty fast. In normal every day driving you will be hard pressed to notice the difference between it and the 2.0 especially in the Terrain with the 9 speed automatic. In the Equinox it can feel labored at time in part to the wider gear spacing of the 6 speed auto. When it comes to merging and passing there is a huge difference in the 1.5 and 2.0 but I never found my self wanting for more with the 1.5. Some may not admit it, but I got significantly better mileage with the 1.5 in real world driving than the 2.0 loaners I had. My biggest complaint with the 1.5 was the lag whether it was turbo or throttle mapping it just didn't respond quick enough. The 2.0 has more tq off boost than the 1.5 so it makes the 1.5 feel even more laggy.

For many other reasons not related to the engine I ended up in a 1.6 Diesel Equinox. To me its the happy middle ground. In the low revs it feels the strongest of the bunch with little lag and a big hit of tq. That does however fall off drastically as the rpm rises but I rarely need to wring it's neck that much. The diesel feels the most like a non turbo high tq engine which I prefer. Ultimately you can't go wrong with any of them, they are all class competitive and should last longer than most people will keep the car if cared for properly.
 
#15 · (Edited)
My GM Commercial for the Day . . .

Not sure what "Mudpuddle's " agenda is.
However he has been kind of touting for 'yota" for a year plus. . . mainly because of the 4 cylinder engine. He references getting a different SUV below.
I have a 2014 Terrain with the 3.6. Only issue has been a HVAC actuator. Given the new engine choices that GM has in the Terrain, I'll go with a Toyota Highlander or Honda Pilot next time.
GM still makes quite a few mid size SUV like the GMC Acadia and others with 6 cylinder engines.
If you all will excuse the plug. .. . why does he not consider the GMC Acadia? I have and we enjoy that it neatly fits in the same garage space to spare just like the 2015 Equinox LTZ V6 we previously owned.



And for a daily driver, wife loves her Chevy "Red Rampage" Sonic hatchback. Surprise. . . essentially the same size as Buick Encore or Chevy Trax (except for 2.5" height) and has a port injected 1.8L 4 cylinder engine, REAL 6 speed automatic transmission and zippy enough to work and even freeway cruises.


 

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#19 ·
And for a daily driver, wife loves her Chevy "Red Rampage" Sonic hatchback. Surprise. . . essentially the same size as Buick Encore or Chevy Trax (except for 2.5" height) and has a port injected 1.8L 4 cylinder engine, REAL 6 speed automatic transmission and zippy enough to work and even freeway cruises.



We have a sonic as well, had a 2017 that got totalled in an accident, nice kinetic blue with the 1.8L and replaced it with a 2018 Red Hot/arrest me red colour depending on who you ask. They are great little cars but surprisingly no better on gas than my Nox.
 
#16 ·
I would be all over an Acadia but one of my goals was to get something large enough to handle the family travel plans but fuel efficient enough not to hurt the pocket book for my daily commute. The Acadias are nice for sure. Coworker just bought one, all black with a special black out trim. But he is a grandpa and needs room for strollers, kids toys...etc.
They look good, have a nice ride and smooth V6 but he gets horrible fuel economy. All city driving and he is somewhere north of 15 L/100kms. My average is 7.1l/100kms with a best last summer down to 5.1.

We are getting off topic though. I only have 42000kms. So far I have had no issues. One thing I would do to help ensure no issues with the engine is to change the oil more frequently than the monitor tells you. I'm not comfortable going over 10,000kms on any engine but particularly one with a turbo and active valve control. I've changed the oil twice so far (bought used with 20k on the clock). Both times the monitor was showing about 25% remaining oil life.
 
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#17 ·
Acadia has been getting 21 to 22 MPG mixed city and 31 to 33 MPG highway going +/-70MPH.
Wife's Sonic has a 3 year mixed average of 28.2 MPG with up to 36 MPG highway driving.


And agree,, getting off topic but there are other GM alternatives to Mudpuddles Toyota with their own issues.
 
#18 ·
All, thanks for the responses. I have always owned only GM products and have always had good luck for the most part. I am still not sure what I am going to do. I just don't know if I can see a turbo motor (any manufacturer) running up to 275,000 without some sort of issue. I don't hot rod and am pretty easy on vehicles, so maybe it would.......
 
#21 ·
I am 99% sure that the VUE came with a Honda Engine on some of the "higher" performance models. And yes, the Prism and also the Pontiac Vibe came with a Toyota 4 cylinder Engine that was pretty bullet-proof. I traded my '03 Vibe in on my '10 Equinox,m and at 100K miles, the engine was flawless - in fact the whole car was.
 
#23 ·
I am 99% sure that the VUE came with a Honda Engine on some of the "higher" performance models.
2002 & 2003 Vues with a V6 were the GM Opel 3.0 L with an Aisin 5 speed automatic

2004 through 2007 V6 Vues had the Honda 3.5 V6 and the problematic Honda 5 speed automatic.

All of the 4 cylinder models 2002-2007 were the GM 2.2 Ecotec... very problematic CVT trans 2002-2005, GM 4 speed automatic in later models or 5 speed Getrag manual transmission with FWD only.
2008 V6 were GM motors...3.6 L with 6 speed automatic.

Back to the topic at hand...We have both 2019 Acadia 3.6 and 2019 Terrain 1.5 in the driveway. Terrain better on gas around town...Acadia better on straight highway trips. I like the 1.5 in the Terrain. If its as solid as the 2.2 that was in my Vue I'll be a happy camper for the next 15 years. I'm not reading about any real problems with them yet so I'm feeling pretty confident. The SGE architecture has been around since 2014 so they should have found any issues and hopefully straightened then out by now.
 
#22 ·
I stand corrected. In the early 2000s we were looking to replace a'95 Explorsr and remember looking at a Saturn Vue. It had a pretty powerful V6 that I remembered as a Japanese engine. I remembered it as a Toyota engine, turns out that they actually used the Honda V6. My bad!
BTW, we ended up with a Subaru outback and never looked back.
 
#26 ·
A little more off topic...:wink:

I traded in my V6 Isuzu Rodeo on our 19 Nox...the V6 Isuzu motor ran smooth only had about 130k on the clock. It was about the same size SUV really as the Nox. The motor didn't leak anything but it had a healthy appetite for oil that would very depending on the load. On the expressway if you would push that Rodeo 70+ it would sometimes chew up a full qt every 150 miles. Heavy 20/50 dino oil slowed it's consumption considerably but living here in the frozen tundra corruption center Illinois, the heavy oil was an issue for the cold months when I needed this vehicle & the 4wd the most! Happy to see it go, I'm sure the dealer only showed $ on the paper for trade in so I'm not feeling terrible about anyone getting shafted. Most of my vehicles when I'm done with em are ready for the crusher.

So yes we drifted off the specific subject asked again...but all post are related, even the bashing cause we all have opinions and here on the internet getting advice for free many times you have to consider you are getting what you are paying for.

Good luck with your purchase!
 
#28 ·
All,
I am considering purchasing a 2018 Equinox with the 1.5L turbo engine. I am trying to figure out if this engine can be run up into higher mileages (i.e. 200K+) if not abused and well maintained. Most folks I talk to are telling me to stay from anything with a Turbo, but can't really provide any reason why. I have found articles on the web about "low speed pre-ignition" cracking pistons etc. Does anyone have any actual real-world advise or input regarding this engine's reliability? I suspect there is alot of misinformation on the web due to the fact this engine is relatively new.

Thanks in advance.
The only comment I can make is that my 2018 Equinox FWD 1.5 Turbo (15000 miles) has a noticeable turbo lag, when cold, at 1500 rpm on a light throttle and feels like the engine is kicking back through the transmission. I don't consider it major but thought you should know.

Overall fuel consumption has been 33.2 mpg over 15000 miles. Not too shabby!
 
#33 ·
All,
I am considering purchasing a 2018 Equinox with the 1.5L turbo engine. I am trying to figure out if this engine can be run up into higher mileages (i.e. 200K+) if not abused and well maintained. Most folks I talk to are telling me to stay from anything with a Turbo, but can't really provide any reason why. I have found articles on the web about "low speed pre-ignition" cracking pistons etc. Does anyone have any actual real-world advise or input regarding this engine's reliability? I suspect there is alot of misinformation on the web due to the fact this engine is relatively new.

Thanks in advance.
I have a 2018 Terrain SLE with a 1.5 litter Turbo. I am on my second engine with just over 31000 miles. In the first there was a problem with the oil pump causing it to through a rod. It is now in the shop again with bad bearings on the #4 piston. The Crank shafts is shot. So far not so good.
 
#36 ·
Too early for long term reliability result for GM's new turbo 4's.. We got the 2.0 in our terrain and love it.. Doesn't use any oil and and has been perfect so far, it's a 19'.. Over 30mpg on the highway at 70mph.. I can live with that AND I can tow my two place enclosed snowmobile trailer, can't do that with the 1.5
 
#38 ·
All,

I am considering purchasing a 2018 Equinox with a 1.5L turbo engine. I am trying to figure out if this engine can be run up into higher mileages (i.e., 200K+) if not abused and well maintained. Most folks I talk to are telling me to stay from anything with a Turbo but can't explain why. I have found online articles about "low-speed pre-ignition," cracking pistons, etc.

Does anyone have any actual real-world-advise or input regarding this engine's reliability? I suspect there is a lot of misinformation on the web because this engine is relatively new.

Thanks in advance.
I have a 2012 buick regal turbo and never changed any engine part, my car is going on mid 200,000 miles.
 
#39 ·
I have owned a 2019 Equinox Lt since new. It has the 1.5 liter turbo four cylinder with six speed auto. No warranty work since new at 45,000 miles. The engine does. Or use any oil between change intervals of about 5000 miles. The turbo is water cooled and oil is used only to lubricate the bearing I’m told. I’ve been on a few long trips and average over 35 mile per gallon on the highway. The engine provides plenty of power to pass on backroads and handles above 70 mph all day on the highways. Great backseat leg room. The vehicle handles and. Rakes well for its size. I do have the upgraded package that includes the larger screen, navigation, remote start and auto climate control. The headlights work well at night as well. The six speed trans does a good a job as well. Yes I would buy it again.
 
#41 ·
The torque on the 1.5T LYX and newest LSD is actually pretty impressive. It has 203 lb-ft fully available between 2000-4000 rpm. The low weight make it pretty solid for passing and merging. It isn't exciting off the line but practical needs are fairly robust. Just change that oil with quality dexos1 and PF64 or UPF64, mind those short drive cycles and it will be wonderfully reliable. I'm totally confident in the 2019+ 1.5s from GM. There are reasons it became the sole powertrain engine in the Terrain, Equinox, and Malibu.
 
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