The new 2018 Chevy Equinox is getting a diesel option

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Chevrolet's compact crossover drops 400 pounds too

The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox will be shorter and lighter than the model it replaces and will be the first compact crossover offered in the U.S. with a diesel engine, General Motors said late Thursday.

The redesigned Equinox will be 400 pounds lighter than the outgoing model, which is GM’s second most po[CENSORED]r U.S. vehicle. It will also be 4 inches shorter while adding 3.5 cubic feet of interior space when it reaches North American dealerships in the first quarter of next year.

The crossover gains numerous active safety features, fold-flat rear seats and a 10 percent tighter turning radius, GM said.

“It is an all-new SUV from the ground up and one that takes on the industry’s biggest competitors with a stronger architecture, greater efficiency and more technology,” Rick Spina, the vehicle’s executive chief engineer, said in a statement.