View Photos of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2.7T Four-Cylinder

Of the many highlights found in the new-for-2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, from the bold new styling to its cleverly optimized cargo box to a factory-lifted off-road variant, the addition of an available four-cylinder engine-a first for a modern full-size pickup-is certainly the most controversial. Beyond incurring the stigma of a wheezy four-banger in a big, burly pickup, can just four cylinders effectively motivate that much tonnage? The simple answer is yes, impressively so, even if the combination will take some getting used to.

The boosted 2.7 produces a solid 310 horsepower at 5600 rpm, but it's the beefy 348 lb-ft of torque stretching from 1500 to 4000 revs that really matters-that's 43 lb-ft more, at far lower rpm, than is available from the base 285-hp 4.3-liter V-6 found in lesser Silverados, and only 35 lb-ft less than the 355-hp 5.3-liter small-block V-8 (a $1395 option on both the LT and RST.)

It mates solely to an eight-speed automatic transmission, and GM says the setup allows 2.7T-equipped Silverados to tow up to 7200 pounds and scoot to 60 mph in less than 7.0 seconds.

The turbocharger's 21.8 psi of boost builds with considerable quickness, endowing the 2.7T with good initial throttle response and the low-speed tractability of a larger, naturally aspirated engine.

Although we did not have the opportunity to evaluate the 2.7T when saddled with a payload in the Silverado's bed or when towing a trailer, it proved more than a match for a 2019 Ram 1500 with the standard 305-hp 3.6-liter eTorque V-6 that Chevy had on hand for comparison drives.

The Silverado 2.7T is available now, with prices starting at a relatively modest $38,395 for the LT and $40,295 for the monochrome-trimmed RST, both in smaller, double-cab, rear-wheel-drive form with a 79.4-inch cargo box; add $2400 to step up to the cavernous crew cab with a 69.9-inch bed.

The turbocharger's 21.8 psi of boost builds with considerable quickness, endowing the 2.7T with good initial throttle response and the low-speed tractability of a larger, naturally aspirated engine.

The four is not an exciting mill to operate, with its diesel-like shove petering out above 5000 rpm and providing merely adequate passing power at highway speeds.

And yet, whether you're inside or out of the truck, there's no mistaking the 2.7T for anything but a four-banger, the acceptance of which in a stubbornly macho truck world surely being its greatest challenge.

All-wheel drive is an additional $3300 upcharge, and a liberal application of options, such as leather upholstery and trailering equipment, can push the mark close to $50K.

The engine in question is General Motors' new turbocharged DOHC 2.7-liter inline-four, dubbed L3B, which comes as the standard powertrain on mid-level Silverado LT and RST models, as well as on SLE and Elevation versions of the equally new 2019 GMC Sierra 1500.