Then there's ECU swap, the potential for needed customized drive axles, upgraded radiator size, etc. One might get away without swapping the transmission, but for completeness's sake, we're going to assume this needs to be swapped as well. The Cruze with the 1.4T is equipped with the 6T40 transmission, and the Verano, for instance, is equipped with the 6T50 transmission. Particularly in front wheel drive applications like the Cruze, GM has no less than eight different transmissions supporting varying levels of torque. Now, we would surmise that swapping in a 2.0T (LHU engine) from a Buick Verano, being that the Verano is of the same chassis as the Cruze, might allow the use of factory harnesses and parts that would make the swap much easier, but every element listed above should still be of concern.īut that's just the engine. Right off the bat, custom engine mounts would have to be developed, coolant and oil hoses would need to be customized, new exhaust would have to be fabricated, front to back, wiring harness would have to be customized. The newer 2.0T (LTG engine) has the turbocharger on the correct side, but still has the challenge of being physically larger than the 1.4T. The 1.4T and the 2.0T are of different physical sizes, and are of varying architecture, specifically being that the earlier 2.0T (the LNF/LHU engine) has the turbocharger on the opposite side of the engine as the 1.4T does. Great! So we know we want a 2.0L turbo engine in our Cruze, let's just swap one in! Unfortunately, it's not even close to being that simple. Put an aftermarket calibration on these engines and they approach 200-220HP, and 300-330HP, respectively. The 1.4T engine, from the factory produces 139HP (the new 1.4T “LE2” engine produces 154HP), and the 2.0T engine produces anywhere from 220HP to 272HP depending on which engine and variant is used. Looking at the numbers from the 1.4T engine vs the 2.0T engine, you can see why people that want to go really fast with a Cruze might want to do this.