Chevrolet Blazer to Add Four-cylinder Turbo for 2020

When asked about the possibility of adding a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine to the Chevrolet Blazer lineup for 2020, a GM Canada spokesman told us earlier this year that “it would make sense.”

Now, we’ve learned that the automaker is making it official. Car and Driver first got the confirmation from GM.

Codenamed LSY, this engine was initially offered with the Chevrolet Traverse following its 2018 redesign, but has since been dropped. It’s also available in the all-new Cadillac XT4 and, starting this fall, in the facelifted 2020 GMC Acadia. The Blazer will follow suit at around the same time.

The 2.0-litre turbo leverages GM’s tripower valvetrain technology to optimize performance across the rpm band, plus active fuel management (cylinder deactivation) to maximize efficiency. Fuel economy ratings for the 2020 Blazer and Acadia in Canada have yet to be announced, however.

The turbo is a dual-scroll design developed to enhance low-speed torque delivery. Peak torque of 258 pound-feet is available from 1,500 to 4,000 rpm, while output amounts to 230 horsepower—7 horsepower less than in the XT4.

A nine-speed automatic transmission will come standard just like with the naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder and 3.6-litre V6 engines, which deliver 193 and 305 horsepower, respectively. All engine offerings feature a stop/start deactivation switch.

Pricing for the 2020 Chevrolet Blazer equipped with the turbocharged four-cylinder engine will likely start somewhere between the base 2.5-litre FWD model at $35,100 and the cheapest 3.6-litre AWD model at $40,895.