GM’s 2019 Pickups Will Have An I-4 Turbo To Help With MPGs

General Motors is doubling the available choices of engines available in the redesigned 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups. Automotive News reports This includes the addition of a new four-cylinder turbocharged engine that can run on two cylinders to increase fuel economy. This is in hopes of getting in the MPG battle with Ford’s aluminum-bodied F-150 with V-6 Ecoboost engines and Ram’s 1500 with a mild hybrid system.

The 2.7-liter I-4 turbo engine is a huge step for the automaker as it’s the first modern-day four-cylinder engine in a full-size pickup and the industry’s first pickup capable of running on two cylinders.



“Everybody’s going to get their chance to claim they’re winning. We’re going to claim that we’re the highest fuel efficiency vehicle and what it means for our customer and the value we give back to our customer,” Tim Herrick, executive chief engineer of GM’s full-size pickups, said during a media briefing.

However, the company noted that EPA testing is not finalized for the 2019 models and did not release expected fuel economy estimates for the engine.

The engine is rated at 310 hp and 348 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and will be standard on the new Silverado RST, replacing a 4.3-liter V-6.

GM reports the new engine package in the Silverado delivers 0 to 60 mph performance in less than 7 seconds and weighs 380 pounds less than the current pickup with the 4.3-liter V-6. The global director of gasoline engines at GM said “it is very possible” the new four-cylinder could eventually replace the traditional V-6 in the pickups.

Compared with other full-size trucks, GM says it’s expected to deliver comparable payload capability with greater torque than the 3.3-liter, V6 engine in the Ford F-150 XLT and the 3.6-liter V-6 engine in the Ram 1500 Big Horn.

All engines in the next-generation Silverado and Sierra pickups feature GM’s Active Fuel Management system that can operate in two different cylinder modes or its new Dynamic Fuel Management technology that continuously adjusts the number of cylinders firing, down to two, between 17 modes based on performance needs. It is GM’s first use of active fuel management in a four-cylinder engine.

Overall, GM is offering six powertrain configurations with six engines and three transmissions for the 2019 model-year Silverado and Sierra. Production of the pickups is expected to start in the fall.