In today’s TFLnow Live, we discuss the recent reveal of Chevy’s 2.7L Four-Cylinder and how it stacks up against Ford’s EcoBoost V6.
Downsizing is a trend that makes sense in cars, but it’s also been hitting trucks these past few years. First Ram introduced a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel back in 2014, and Ford’s EcoBoost V6 engine has been around in the F-150 since 2011. Then Chevrolet introduced their new 3.0-liter Duramax diesel for the 2019 Silverado and Ford came out with a 3.0-liter version of their Powerstroke diesel.
Now Chevrolet’s at it again with a surprising new entry to the Silverado lineup: a turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. That seems crazy in the truck world, which has long catered to big V8 gas and diesel powertrains. That sort of downsizing makes sense in small economy cars, but small economy cars don’t haul anything. Small cars don’t tow. In order to tow, you need a healthy amount of torque, and that means a big engine. Or does it?
The 3.5-liter EcoBoost in the 2018 F-150 puts out 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. By comparison, an eleventh generation F-150 (2004-2008) equipped with Ford’s 5.4-liter Triton V8 put out 300 horsepower and 365 lb-ft of torque. That’s a big difference, and let’s face it – 2008 wasn’t all that long ago.
Downsizing and fitting turbochargers to the F-150’s engine have boosted power and efficiency, and now Chevrolet has followed that philosophy. Only now, they’ve taken it a step further. Instead of a turbocharged V6, they’ve stepped down to a four-cylinder. Chevrolet introduced a “dual-volute turbine” and an electric waste-gate to spin up the turbocharger faster and make the truck more powerful and responsive.
See the highlights and numbers for Chevrolet’s newest engine below:
Chevrolet versus Ford: The numbers
The result? Chevrolet’s new 2.7-liter turbo, set to debut in the 2019 Silverado, makes 310 horsepower and 348 lb-ft of torque. All that torque comes in low down as well, from 1,500 to 4,000 RPM. That’s nearly the same output as Ford’s 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 – which makes 325 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque – with two fewer cylinders, no less.
So is downsizing the way forward? It would appear so, as the drive increases again and again toward greater efficiency. Check out our TFLnow Live show above for our opinions.
In other news…
Not only do we discuss the EcoBoost and Chevy’s new four-cylinder turbo, but there’s much more. We also discuss the upcoming 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor and changes to the 2019 Chevrolet Colorado. We also discuss a huge FCA recall affecting 4.8 million vehicles – including Ram trucks, and Mr. Truck answers some of your most pressing questions.
