DRIVEN: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 2.7 turbo four cylinder Crew Cab Short Box 4-Wheel Drive LT All Star Edition (48k +/- MSRP)
This is written from the perspective of someone who is not a truck fan, hasn't owned one, loves cars, not crossovers or trucks. Looking for a daily driver with space and utility. I won't be commenting on 'truck stuff' here. I can't tell you if the four wheel drive system is boss. Or anything about trailering. Or, LOADS. This is about a truck as a transportation device.
HIGHS:
-Although many may disagree, I love the new design of the Chevy and GMC trucks. (I prefer the more butch GMC front end)
-OMG, HUGE INSIDE! NO. LIE. Anyone. Who. Bitches about lack of space inside of this crew cab, just ...go.....now. The back seat in particular, this is the new limousine standard.
-Not joking, the dash design feels like a cockpit. Truck style. Command center. All the info, right there in your face, in your crotch. And the touchscreen location is just fine. I like the dash design a lot.
-Good storage all over. This particular truck has the column shifter and middle seat folding down.
-Nice step in, lower than I anticipated. I don't want to 'step up' into any vehicle, just like I hate bending down to get in. There's a little step up, but get the seat where you need it and come back and check again.
-Speaking of seats, well supportive, wide, comfortable. Seat cloth is cheap, like they like to make it, so you up for the leather. But lots of truck drivers spend all day in their perch, and this truck is perfect for those that need to.
-So, I'm not used to sitting in trucks, predatory style on the road. But this felt great. And the thing is there is very good visibility to this truck. Large windows, large mirrors, SHORT HOOD (this is a good thing). Not at all intimidating to just get in and drive (over the top of someone ...j/k). Between the cockpit feel and the good visibility, and good seats, and good dash layout. Very easy to feel at home.
-THE. BED. IS. HUGE. Again, GM breaks the mold. Wider, so much space utilized well. This one did not have a liner. I would want that. Bet you can haul lots of ass in this truck.
-POWER TAILGATE RELEASE. OMG< this is so cool!
-Fairly composed ride and handling as a transportation vehicle. I found the steering to be surprisingly responsive and just fine. Trucks when unloaded have a hard time with just riding quietly and not being upset by bad road surfaces; my only real frame of reference is the old trucks we had when i grew up. Obviously this new truck is much better, but more important is that is not disturbed excessively in ride by daily unloaded driving. When you try to hustle the truck around the corners like a sports sedan, you get bob and weave and shimmy and shake...and dance. But you don't typically rail on a truck in such a way (when do you typically want to stand on the throttle for the turbo boost?).
-Pretty quiet inside when settled down and speed. You can seriously loaf over the highway all day in this thing. This must be why pickups sell so well.
-Wait for it, because what you really want to know about this, is 'how's the engine'. I'll get to that. From my perspective.... completely fine with it, and I actually like it. I'll break it out separately below.
LOWS:
-A big compliant universally on the Chevy trucks has been 'cheap interior'. Ok, is it? Well, yes, but let's dissect this. I don't think the plastics are any worse than previous GM trucks. And I actually didn't mind them myself. I like the pebble texture, surface are a mix of soft and hard. A lot of this discussion is driven by two things. Can they be better? Yes. "The Ram has a better interior". Well, that I don't know. I look at pictures and I can't say I am universally sure. I don't doubt that many may think the Ram interior is nicer. I need to see it for myself. I highly doubt this interior is any or much worse than the typical junk in Fords, Nissans and Toyotas. One thing with GM is the reliance on interiors being all black death. So here I will concede, there is a lot of black in here, which is probably not helping the opinions here.
-TRUCKS. ARE. HUGE. Now i remember why i end up cursing all the douchbags that can't park straight in a parking space. Or they peacock their huge truck by backing in. Well, I remember more why this shit happens. Its probably easier to back in and drive out without reverse, than it is to swing Betsy's WIDE ASS around and on a dime into a 9 foot wide stall. These things have a long wheelbase, and you gotta be dialed in and attentive on where you are going. Folks may laugh and say, well learn how to drive. But that's exactly it....so many driving trucks these days shouldn't be driving trucks. So suburban parking lot ventures are not the best place for trucks...... you get a truck and haven't had one, it's just an adjustment curve. Since the steering is good, a little time and you should learn where all the corners are. Even with Betsy's ass hanging out.
-Column shifter, I don't mind having one in a truck...but OMG this one was STIFF. Maybe it needs to be loosened up over time. A bit clunky too. Do i really need to replicate the motions of using a citrus press to shift my truck into gear? Smooth it up, and it will be fine.
-Hinted above....lots of shimmy and shake in aggressive driving. (UM IT'S NOT A SPORT SEDAN). Yes, but as a daily driver, those choosing between a pickup and even some of the more trucky SUV / crossovers, you may want to lean to the SUV's if the way trucks drive isn't what you are used to.
OK< HERE IT IS<
ENGINE AND POWERTRAIN
So the thing here is ultimately a review on this new FOUR CYLINDER Silverado engine. OH THE HORROR! Well, hey it's good! But some disclaimers first.. I typically don't care much for the big v8 rumble of the GM pushrod engines. I don't care for the sound, sorry. I do like 'cammy' sounding engines. And i have no idea what expected behavior for truck engines is these days. Whether it is the Ford Ecoboost v6, or the GM pushrod v8's. I have no measuring stick as to how smooth they are, how they feel, and what their power delivery is like.
I wish i had gotten more time at the 70+ mph range, but in every other way I liked the 4 cylinder. Let me start out with the sound. I have driven the new 2.0t in the XT4, which is a smooth engine but it's raspy snarl has offput some Cadillac fans. It's a cammy engine that makes itself heard when you lean on the gas. And this 2.7t, even if it is uniquely designed for truck use with a long stroke and all that.....has a similar feel. And sound. You can tell the engines are related. What is good here on the 2.7 is the throttle response. The throttle response is so good. And no turbo lag. You lean on the gas HARD, and the tranny works quickly in concert with the boost and a snarl, and it muscles you through in quick fashion. So it's responsive. When being softer with the throttle, it may feel less responsive, and there is a lot of gears it is thinking about. But it's not 'hunting'. The trans always seemed to settle into the right gear quickly. With small displacement, the power and torque sometimes merely seem 'good'....good enough for my butt. I don't know how it compared to the sometimes maligned 5.3, which is what this is supposed to be comparable to. I do know GM fans diss the 5.3 a lot. All i know is when i really kicked ass with the throttle foot, the response was right now with boost and torque. Now, how much torque is the question. But ultimately for my daily driving and i don't tow and haul anything. For what i do, it's a darn snappy truck. The response is surprising considering the small displacement and long stroke of the motor. It revs very happily, smooth and not coarse. It can just get loud and cammy for those not used to it, and those that don't like that. And again, it sounds a lot like the cousin 2.0 in the XT4. You have to decide if that's what you want in a truck or if you prefer the v8.
GM did a smart thing and decided to forego a turbo v6. Why? Because Ford is doing it, and has claimed that space. Using four cylinders is Chevy's opportunity to innovate. And if we are honest with ourselves.....we'll end up in four cylinder territory eventually anyways. Out of the gate, if this is reliable, I say this engine is a win. I think the lesser than expected fuel economy is a problem. But I haven't done an interstate trip with the cruise set to see the numbers myself. Really this engine is an engine for the future, now put in some high volume models to beta test it in the real world before they put it in a bunch of other vehicles. Colorado / Canyon I am talking about you. This would be a perfect engine for those pickups. Some of the crossovers and SUV's would benefit from this engine also (Acadia, Traverse, Enclave, XT6, Tahoe). And could they even retune it and put it in a CT5 or CT6? Methinks it would do just fine in either of those Cadillac sedans. Look at how Ford, when they rolled out the Ecoboost v6's, put it in every vehicle they could think of, to test it out and amortize it. ANd now it's typical and expected in their trucks.
Just think, maybe there will be an inline six derivitive of it. Or maybe they will make a 5.4 litre v8 version of it with 600 hp and 600 lb ft.
SUMMARY
So for the non truck guy, this was a fun ride. I think the 4 cylinder for me in this truck is just fine. I say that without trailering anything with it, or hauling anything. For me the actual hurdle is can i live with the size and handling and ride of a truck. And in some ways I could. In other ways, I love my responsive sedans. The space, comfort, and utility of this thing cannot be ignored. In that regard, I am a huge truck fan and love these new GM trucks. I honor and respect those that have issues with the interiors on these but for me I never expected much out of a truck inside anyways. The benefits of the room and space far outweigh how erotic a particular dashboard surface may feel here when i touch it.
Love these new trucks, and I should drive a Ram for a real comparison. But if forced to have a truck I could surely enjoy this, and I WOULD be fine to get one with the 4 cylinder if you asked me with a gun to my head (and would need to also be thinking about price and resale). Partially because I like the SNARL and a well dialed in powertrain.