Sand rails and rock crawlers are likely to be among the first customers for Chevy Performance’s latest crate engine, a 275-horsepower 2.0-liter Ecotec turbo 4-cylinder.
The engine, normally found in the Cadillac ATS, was unveiled Monday night at the SEMA Show. It’s designed for rear-wheel-drive use and can be mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.
“It’ll be a stand-alone unit with wiring harness and controller,” says GM Powertrain engineer Jim Williams. “It’s also the same rear-wheel-drive transmission used in the ATS.”
The all-alloy Ecotec will easily fit in any number of performance applications, especially purpose-built vehicles that can benefit from lower weight and tighter dimensions.
“The main thing was to offer an engine that comes in a compact size and gives very good power density,” adds Williams. “We’re looking at 137 horsepower per liter.”
Codenamed LTG, the engine is rated 275 horsepower with 295 lb-ft peak torque. GM says 90 percent of that torque is available from 1,700 up through 5,500 rpm.
Based on the new Gen III Ecotec platform, the dual-overhead-cam LTG features direct injection and continuously variable valve timing along with a Borg Warner K04 twin-scroll turbo that puts out around 20 pounds of boost. Compression ratio is 9.5:1.
Other internal notes include forged-steel crankshaft, rotocast A356-T6 aluminum cylinder head with sodium-filled exhaust valves, 2-stage variable-displacement oil pump and air-to-air intercooler for the intake charge.
The engine will be available in January 2015 with an MSRP of $9,000.