Quick Spin: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4-Cylinder

2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4WD LT Double Cab

Class: Large Pickup Truck

Miles driven: 703

Fuel used: 37.0 gallons

Real-world fuel economy: 19.0 mpg

Driving mix: 35% city, 65% highway

EPA-estimated fuel economy: 19/22/20 (city, highway, combined)

Fuel type: Regular gas

Base price: $40,200 (not including $1495 destination charge)

Options on test vehicle: Convenience Package $2025), Convenience Package II ($920), Safety Package I ($890), Leather Package ($760), black tubular assist steps ($725), Bed Protection Package ($635), auto-locking rear differential ($395), Trailering Package ($395), all-terrain tires ($350), 18-inch bright-silver-painted aluminum wheels ($300), trailer brake controller ($275)

Price as tested: $49,365

Quick Hits

The great: Four-cylinder engine provides better-than-expected power; capacious pickup bed

The good: Good ride composure for a pickup

The not so good: So-so interior materials; observed fuel economy, while quite good for a full-size pickup, doesn’t quite meet EPA estimates

More Silverado prices and availability information

CG Says:

Considering the variation of cab styles, drivelines, and engines available to the modern large pickup, the rollout of a next-generation truck can continue making news throughout the model year. If a manufacturer plays its cards right, bloggers, broadcasters, social mediators, and even whatever remnant of ink-stained wretches that’s still alive can keep the new-product buzz going as the model line comes out bit by bit.

Test Drive: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss

Chevrolet ran out a fresh Silverado 1500 for 2019, confining it at first to crew cab models with V8 engines, but promising other kinds of passenger accommodations and powerplants in short order. Consumer Guide tested one of those early models, an off-road-ready LT Trail Boss crew cab with a 5.3-liter V8.

We’re following it now with a truck bodied with a shorter “double cab” and driven by a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

Extended cabs are nothing new, but slipping a four in the engine bay of a big pickup hasn’t been tried since International did it in the Sixties. Chevy’s four is a 2.7-liter unit that produces 310 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 348 lb-ft of torque at 1500 revs. The obvious rationale for a 4-banger Silverado is fuel thrift, and its EPA economy estimates—19 mpg in city driving, 22 on the highway, and 20 combined with 4-wheel drive—are pretty impressive on paper. However, CG’s on-road testing found it falling short of those targets, even when running the test truck in rear-wheel drive and without a load.

Upon its arrival, the turbo 2.7 became standard in LT and RST models. It actually makes 25 more horsepower and 43 additional lb-ft than the 4.3-liter V6 standard in lower-level models. Nonetheless, Chevy’s listed towing limits for 4-cylinder trucks are lower than with its other available engines. Indeed, the 6700-pound maximum cited for the 4×4 standard-bed double cab that we tested is the lowest of all engine/driveline/cab-and-bed configurations for the 2019 Silverado 1500.

Behind the wheel, you certainly feel the engine’s quickly peaking torque down low, which is a saving grace. However, the engine doesn’t feel like it’s really hitting its stride until about 3000 rpm or so. The 4-cylinder truck definitely feels slower than its V8 sibling, but to damn it as outright underpowered would be wrong. The 2.7 is joined to a column-shift 8-speed automatic transmission that does an effective job of keeping the engine in the power band, and it kicks down effectively for passing.

Test Drive: 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4

The ’19 redesign increased cab and cargo-bed dimensions, but when it comes to transporting more than two or three adults in a Silverado, the double cab is just a temporary solution at best. Rear legroom is limited, especially if front-seat passengers are so long of limb as to need extra space. (Crew cabs have an additional 8.2 inches of second-row legroom.) Actually, a middle-rear passenger on the 60/40-split-folding bench might have it best because his or her knees can fit between the backs of the front seats. Double-cab rear seat backs are very upright and stiff. However, despite the short doors and tight space, second-row entry and exit aren’t too difficult. Personal-item storage falls to pouches on the backs of the front seats and small door pockets with bottle holders.

The Red Hot (that’s a paint color, not a subjective judgement) LT-trim truck that CG tested had the standard 40/20/40 bench seat with the potential for 3-abreast seating when the wide center armrest is flipped up. The armrest sports molded-in cup holders and trays for small objects, plus a spacious covered storage compartment within. As in any Silverado, there are upper and lower glove boxes, and large map pockets in the doors. LTs have soft-to-the-touch material on the upper half of the instrument panel and the tops of the doors, but there was no compressible material on the tops of the rear doors in the double cab. The extensively optioned test truck was made a little plusher with extra-cost heated leather front seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

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Rolling on optional all-terrain tires, the LT double cab rode a little smoother and quieter than the Trail Boss with its standard off-road tires. The suspension was commendably resistant to bumps. The double cab is not too hard to handle in traffic or in parking lots. It steers and brakes well.

Anyone who uses a pickup for serious towing jobs likely needs more engine than a 4-cylinder Silverado has. But it should be right for weekend squires who want utility for hardware/garden-store runs in a vehicle that can still serve their commuting needs the rest of the week.

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Silverado 4-Cylinder