Over the years, General Motors gave us a lot of more or less successful engines in terms of design, packaging, and performance. But this is 2018, an era that sees the automotive industry do its best to combine performance with efficiency and reliability. One way General Motors tries to adapt to the trend is the 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the new Silverado, which bears the name Tripower.
“Wait, are you serious? Wasn’t Tripower the name of the three two-barrel carburetors option on performance V8s offered by Pontiac in the 1950s and 1960s?” You’re right, dear reader, but times have changed a lot and so did General Motors.
It was 1966 when the last Tripower V8 was installed in the Pontiac GTO. For 1967, the muscle car switched to a four-barrel Rochester Quadrajet carburetor and a displacement of 400 cubic inches (6.6 liters). Now that the history lesson is over, what is the deal with the 2.7-liter turbocharged powerplant in the half-ton workhorse?
First things first, Tripower encompasses the technologies built into the 310-horsepower four-cylinder engine. The highlights are intake valve lift control, active thermal management, and cylinder deactivation. Under light-load cruising, two of the cylinders shut down to improve fuel economy.
Even though the BorgWarner turbocharger is an all-new design centered on efficiency, the heat produced by the engine is nothing to scoff at. But the engineers optimized cooling as well, furthered by an electric water pump. Better still, the 2.7 outperforms the 4.3-liter naturally aspirated V6 that comes standard in the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado.
In regard to transmission options, the Tripower and 5.3-liter V8 come with the Hydra-Matic 8L90 automatic from the get-go. The 10L80 is exclusive to the Duramax 3.0-liter inline-six turbo diesel and 6.2-liter V8. As for the 4.3-liter V6, customers will have to settle for a six-speed automatic.
The Silverado, which features the largest bed in the segment, will go on sale this fall at prices starting at $29,795.