At the 2015 Detroit North American International Auto Show, Buick unveiled the Cascada convertible – the badge-engineered cousin to an Opel of the same name. More exciting than anything else about the car, this model will finally bring Opel’s excellent 200 HP, 1.6 liter turbo to America’s shores.
But happily, we’ve been told, the 2016 Buick Cascada will not be the last North American model to make use of the power-dense beast.
The turbocharged, direct-injection four-cylinder in-question is an impressive design. It features balance shafts for smooth operation, a dynamic turbocharger boost strategy to minimize lag, and a host of sound and light-weighting features. That includes thin-wall cylinders, and low- and high-pressure resonators on the turbocharger compressor to rid the engine of any pronounced hiss.
This actually confirms speculation that we had back in April of 2013 that the new midsize direct-injection engine would cross the Atlantic. We’d suspected back then that it could make its way into the Chevrolet Sonic, Malibu, and possibly other models as well. We can officially check the box next to the 2016 Buick Cascada as the first North American GM product to use the new (to us) mill.
Comments
iT could be great to see this engine Globally in Chevy models as the Cruze, Sonic, Malibu, Trax and Captiva and even in Buick Verano and Regal
Hurry up and build a Sonic SS before the new car comes out, something they should have done two years ago.
Just think, this engine paired with IVVL, Stop/Start, 7-Speed DCT / 9-Speed Automatic, and the new DSF technology. We’d see at least 45mpg on the highway! That would certainly be impressive with a high output version producing around 205HP and 220LB-FT.
It needs to go in the Cruze as an upgrade engine, definitely on the Sonic RS, and as soon as possible on the Trax and Encore
I was just wondering about the illumination light colors shown on buick .com.
The Display in the IPC is red also the illumination of the light switch.
Shouldnt that be Blue as its a Buick? Just wondering.
The engine feels great, and the new At-8 will be great with that engine too.
The 170 hp variante is also a great performer, as the max. torque starts at lower rpms, more like a diesel.
Perfect cruiser engine.
Greetings from Germany