We’ve already discussed the shortcoming of the new 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, such as why it barely moved the needle when it comes to fuel economy, but today it’s about towing.
The Fast Lane Truck took one standard issue 2019 Chevrolet Silverado with the new turbo-four engine and decided to run it up and down the Ike Gauntlet in Colorado. The area is a perfect place for towing tests since it features a 7-percent grade. With 6,680 pounds hooked up to the trailer for the towing test, the Silverado tackled going down the hill first.
Throughout the descent, the Silverado braked eight times to keep things under control with all of the weight pushing at its rear end, which wasn’t the greatest compared to other trucks, but still respectable. Up the hill is where the pickup decided to shine.
Trucks such as the F-150 Ecoboost and other Silverado’s with the 6.2-liter V8 engine managed to scoot their way up in about eight minutes. Both hosts pegged the smaller four-cylinder engine would take a minute longer, but the Silverado Turbo managed to complete the hike up in under eight minutes. However, this came with a 3.7 mpg fuel economy rating as the engine worked really, really hard. Listening to the turbo-four rev at around 5,000 rpm the entire time sounds somewhat painful as the engine works to squeeze power. Nevertheless, the Silverado and its tiny engine did it.
The towing test was, overall, impressive for the 2019 Silverado and it managed to work just as hard as other trucks with far larger engines. On a regular fuel economy loop, the pickup also returned 24 mpg combined, which is a good figure for the segment.
Now, it remains to be seen if truck buyers will gravitate toward the smaller engine as it shows it’s just as capable, or if there’s still no replacement for displacement.
Comments
Does GMA have any insight into whether GM was surprised by the fuel economy ratings of the four-cylinder? Was it all about profitability? When they first engineered the engine, did they expect emissions requirements to get more stringent? Or was it just the best they could do with an even larger truck?
All told, GM did a great job with this engine. It has overperformed and exceeded expectations so far.
It is simply a great option.
I’m betting in real life a fully broken in 2.7T in one of the lighter regular or double cab models will easily exceed the EPA’s deliberately lower MPG ratings. The problem as with all 4 cylinder turbos is when you work them hard they totally under deliver in the MPG department.
The 2.7 is a pretty strong engine and will perform really really well in the upcoming colorado. TFL got 24mpg on the highway with this thing. Again GM always is conservative on the the EPA numbers.
The 2.7L turbo is tailor made for the Colorado/Canyon mid size trucks.
The MPG story proves that engineering has just about squeezied every bit of energy it can out of gasoline with the current technologies. To move a 6000 lb truck one mile takes the same energy weather using a four or eight cylinder engine. As stated the
I4 turbo had to crank at 5000 rpms to meet the load, a 5.3l probably would crank at 2500-3000 rpms all depending on gear ratio. So there are about the same number of power strokes between the engines to get the work done. The EPA ratings difference is more displacement means more energy needed to move the larger mass of the engine.
High school science class taught us the definition of “work”.
https://education.jlab.org/jsat/powerpoint/work_and_simple_machines.ppt
The top of that hill is 11,158 feet. At that elevation to 2.7 L turbo is the most powerful gasoline engine in the Silverado. At the start of the hill in Dillon Colorado the elevation is 9111 feet. At that altitude the 6.2 L is down to 305 hp, And the 5.3 L is down to 258 hp. I haven’t seen any specifications from GM for the 2.7 L, concerning altitude. However for four-cylinder turbo that GM publishes the specification, all of them have zero power loss to 12,000 feet.
The 2.7 liter has more torque below around 3000 rpm then the 5.3. At 3000 rpm the 5.3 starts to surpass the 2.7. If the 2.7 couldn’t pull that load at 2500-3000 rpm the 5.3 couldnt either.
Good news for our ever declining environment due to increasing carbon emissions with all the heavy SUV’S and trucks serving as personal transportation vehicles.
Common sense is in critically short supply in the great Ole USA.
Thumbs down proof of my contention about the sorry lack of critical thinking, and Greg and Erick certify the reality of it.
You don’t put a 4 cylinder in a full size truck. Stop lying gm that motor is junk, that truck is junk. It may be able make your tow tests a few times but long term that motor will be shot. I doubt it will tow any more then 3000lbs. Wussy truck.
How do you know the motor is junk? Why are you splattering crap here about a viable and capable truck?
I want to see them hook that truck to a pontoon boat and pull it through West Virginia let’s see how well it does then. I’ve been in a 5.3 doing it and that thing is all it wanted also down shifting and screaming around 5500 rpm my 6.0 did it and it did a great job never shifting out of 4th staying around 2300 I can’t imagine doing it in a 4-cylinder I don’t believe it would make it something would blow.
I think bottom line if you want gas mileage and a truck it’s ok but it’s no better than the Honda truck they shouldn’t have advertised it towing because in towing the bigger engine you have the better fuel mileage you’re going to get while towing that’s bottom line also it is going to be huge wear and tear on the turbo and the engine a bigger engine is going to get better gas mileage while towing a smaller engine is going to get worse gas mileage by towing you can’t want the best of both because it will not happen unless you buy a diesel but then maintenance cost will cost you more than gas in a year’s time. I wouldn’t even buy a truck with a 5.3 in it because I know back in the day that is what we built for race cars and it is amazing for a race car but is not for a truck the 350 was amazing the 6.0 is amazing the 5.0 was just a total fail, but a 4 banger in a truck tells me that Chevrolet is at an all time low you don’t buy a truck for gas mileage you buy a truck because it makes you money, or because you wanted a truck not a failed El Camino.