wild that a 2.7T 1500 is now rated to tow what a 3/4 ton with a decent size V8 would do not all that long ago. That 2.7T is rated nearly the same as the 8.1 in my suburban in terms of output, and has more than double the gears to work with.
Photography by J.G. Pasterjak
Half-ton trucks have four cylinders now. What a world.
Chevy just dropped off a new half-ton pickup, but instead of V8 power under the hood, it’s a 2.7-liter turbo four-cylinder hauling your load to the construction site. It’s… weird. But, hey, if it works, it works.
Chevy says the pressurized mill is good for 310 horsepower, a stump-pulling 430 ft.-lbs. of torque and a 9500-pound towing capacity, which is certainly appropriate for a half-ton truck.
The 6.2-liter gas V8 and 3.0-liter Duramax diesel versions have stronger tow ratings at 13,300 pounds, but the four-cylinder variant claims the highest payload capacity of the Silverado lineup at over a ton.
Inside it's basic, but good basic. A cloth split bench in the front and tons of legroom in the back, with seemingly good basic equipment. Still, it’s $60 grand, which is more a reflection of truck prices in general these days than the inherent level of equipment.
We’ve got our 2015 BMW 435i hitched to the back for a trip to the test track, so we’ll see how it tows. In the meantime, if you have any more questions, post them up in the thread.
wild that a 2.7T 1500 is now rated to tow what a 3/4 ton with a decent size V8 would do not all that long ago. That 2.7T is rated nearly the same as the 8.1 in my suburban in terms of output, and has more than double the gears to work with.
How does using this compare to the Lightning?
FWIW: We looked at a Trail Boss back in July. I really like the look of these and thought that would be the truck we would end up with. I don't remember which trim level it was but I wasn't impressed with the fit and finish of the interior. It also had the roughest ride out of the three trucks that we test drove. (Ford/Dodge/Chevy). I also briefly drove a 1500 LT 2WD earlier in the year and had the same impressions.
How does it do towing through the mountains of FL? ;)
As an early adopter to the GM 2.7T I can say that it's a great companion.
2021 Silverado Crew Cab 2.7t 2WD.
Over 67,000 miles of daily operation I have averaged 22.3mpg with a little over over 10,000 miles towing a 22 foot open deck car trailer with nothing lighter than Angrys Corvair. I am still on the stock brakes and replaced the OE Bridgestones at 66566 miles with a set of Michelins because it was them or mud tires that day.
Torque? Yep it's got it. Android Auto? Flawlessly works. Comfortable? To me, yes. It's tall, wide, has a lot of seat adjustment.
Complaints? Stock sound system is almost adequate. Needs 150 more watts and better drivers as well as a powered subwoofer. Needs seat height adjustment, I'm a little long in the torso and I can't get a view of the speedo no way no how.
Two thumbs up from me.
In reply to elwoodboll :
The ones in Tennessee didn't phase mine.
In reply to gearheadE30 :
Mine has the 8 speed and it uses like 4 of them. It's possibly the ONLY thing on the drivetrain that I am not IMPRESSED with, I'm more "oh it's there"
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I will tell you that under my foot it feels like it accelerates better than my 2000 GMC 6.0 4L80e the 16.5mpg while towing is double than what the 6.0 got.
14.1 mpg on the 180-mile round trip to the FIRM towing the BMW today. Mostly 65-ish mph backroads where setting the cruise is an option, but only for 5-10 minuts at a time. So that's slightly better than my Tundra, although that's not a high bar to clear.
So that's about a 17% drop in range :)
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