New Turbo Four-Cylinder Silverado Easily Matches the Competition
To showcase the newest Silverado engine option, Chevy brought some heavy power to the launch.
When Chevrolet announced the 2019 Silverado would come standard with a turbocharged 2.7-liter four cylinder, some in the media called them crazy. To prove the naysayers wrong, Chevy brought along base model V6 powered trucks from Ram and Ford for journalists to drive. Without putting instruments on it, the-seat-of-the-pant result is that the Silverado is the quickest off the line when the light turns green.
The Fast Lane Truck was there to test out the 2019 Silverado, give their overall impression of its capability, and of course, get in some serious tests with the mighty powerplant.
For its competition, the Silverado faced a Ford F-150, powered by the 3.3-liter V6 backed with a six speed transmission. That’s 290 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. Ram had the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 (plus eTorque mild hybrid alternator/starter) with an eight speed transmission. This offers 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque at 4800 rpm. Representing Chevy was the Silverado with the turbo four, which had similar payload and towing, and got better real world mileage (in the video), even though it was a 4×4 with a lower rating.
Despite the four cylinder engine, the sound and the torque were (subjectively) better than the minivan-grade V6 motors in the other trucks. Looking at the spec sheet, it is officially rated at 310 horsepower, and 348 lb-ft of torque. But instead of a peak it is a plateau starting down at 1,500 rpm and only dropping off over 4,000 rpm. And amazingly enough, GM rates the Chevy to tow 7,200lbs for a 4×2 and 6,700 for a 4×4, nearly as much as a base model Ram (7,600 lbs), and hundreds of pounds more than the base model F-150 (5,500 lbs).
The conclusion that The Fast Lane Truck makes is that even the base model of a modern pickup truck, from any brand, is actually full of features and plenty powerful. But in the real world, and in this brief video comparison, it feels more powerful and gets better fuel mileage. You get the best of both worlds. The only question left about the 2.7-liter turbo four cylinder is how well it will holds up to truck use.
The video has a wealth of information on the new Silverado, and gives us an opportunity to see and hear this engine in action.