GM's 2.7L - Deep Dive

The 3rd Gen has everything going for it including the interior which is now by far the best in class. They really did a nice job across the board with the 3rd Gen Colorados. Of course, time will tell how it holds up in the real world. The transmission is new. Engine has been in the Silverado for quite some time and appears to be very reliable.

Transmission isn't new, it's a "fixed" version of the old 8 speed. Time will tell.

Interior looks nice, but no headlight switches? Not a fan of important controls being available only in the infotainment system, because we all know that screen is not going to last nearly as long as the rest of the truck and then what do you do.

Also not a fan of milking the 2.7 engine choices. Just give us all the same HO 2.7 and call it a day. Apparently there are some minor physical differences between the plain 2.7 and the next one up, but the second and third options are identical with just a difference in tune. GMC Canyon at least its all one HO engine across the trims.
 
Transmission isn't new, it's a "fixed" version of the old 8 speed. Time will tell.

Interior looks nice, but no headlight switches? Not a fan of important controls being available only in the infotainment system, because we all know that screen is not going to last nearly as long as the rest of the truck and then what do you do.

Also not a fan of milking the 2.7 engine choices. Just give us all the same HO 2.7 and call it a day. Apparently there are some minor physical differences between the plain 2.7 and the next one up, but the second and third options are identical with just a difference in tune. GMC Canyon at least its all one HO engine across the trims.
“I wouldn’t say it’s all new, but from a component perspective, there’s a lot new in it,” 2023 Chevy Colorado Chief Engineer, Nick Katcherian, told GM Authority Executive Editor, Alex Luft, when asked if the eight-speed was all-new from the ground up. “We learned a lot from the first-gen eight-speed on this truck, we’ve taken all those learnings and added more componentry, and really tried to move the eight-speed to a position where we could be proud of. We know what the customers have been complaining about on the current generation and we fixed everything that we could within reason,” Katcherian added.
 
I doubt they said it compared equally to a 3.5 EB. Possibly they said it matches well to Fords 2.7 v6 EB?
Yeah, just went a rewatched it. No real comparisons made and it would've been a moot point anyhow as the towing capacity (for the older version) was several thousand pounds lower than the 3.5EB.
 
The engineers always talk-up a new engine well but this exposition sounded good.

I'd love to know more about the sliding components of the camshafts. It's cool both varying lift and cylinder deactivation are accomplished.

Does the "hammering effect", provided by the "dual valute" exhaust routing, occur at both sides of the driven wheel (say, 180 degrees apart)?

Any video needs to lose the "6 o'clock news chatter" angle. "Oh, this is where we put our gloves on", sounds so dopey.

Let's just hope this isn't another Vega engine.
CUSTOMER: My engine doesn't work!
GM: Oh yeah, we had block warpage probs we didn't anticipate. Sorry....bye. Just buy another GM product".
The Vega engine problems manifested themselves in production soon enough that it had a bad reputation within 3 years. The 2.7L has been in production for 5 years, so it's basically a good engine. The Vega was gone by '77 anyhow, why do people want to keep bringing it up?
 
I really like the 2.7 in my Silverado. I typically see about 18 to 19 MPG city, and about 24 highway. That may not sound great, but the hilly PGH area causes even the old 4.3 v6 trucks to see 12-14 city.
What is your fuel economy on the highway at 80 MPH?

Biggest issue with my truck is I can get 20+ but your grinding at 65mph. Aerodynamics are hard to beat.
 
Looking at this engine Silverado or Colorado in 1-2 yrs. Since the V8s are more desirable, these usually end up on the lot and I'll wait till they start dealing again with 8-9k off sticker on the Silverado. Specs are impressive, and I already have a 6.2l.
 
What is your fuel economy on the highway at 80 MPH?

Biggest issue with my truck is I can get 20+ but your grinding at 65mph. Aerodynamics are hard to beat.
I have never taken it on a trip driving that speed aside from maybe passing. Usually I do about 70. I can tell you having the bed cover makes a huge difference in aerodynamics with the 8 foot bed.
 
Some of my questions:
What performance change if any running premium? What was the OCI on the test engine? How many 4 to 2 to 4 cylinder cycles were completed in the test run over how many runtime hours? What is the EPA fuel economy improvement due to the cylinder deactivation? Were 4 bolt crankshaft mains considered given the high power output?
 
What is the reliability and cost of ownership / operation over a 10 to 20 year period? That is to me the most important thing for a vehicle.
When Ford no longer stocks parts after ten years, manufacturers could care less past 10 years. Can't rely on aftermarket either, thinking engine harness as an example I had, running a Ford fleet of light, medium duty trucks. Could not get one as Ford did not stock it past 10 years and no aftermarket available.
 
I'm not against 4 cyl turbos in full size trucks and suv's if theyre more efficient than the v6's and are reliable. Who cares if they take 12 seconds to go to 60. I wonder how efficient a 2.7 suburban or 2.3 f150 or expedition would be. Especially with the hybrid powertrain and the hybrid powertrain also in a 2.7 for efficiency comparison. The vast majority don't tow and don't plan on towing.
 
What is the reliability and cost of ownership / operation over a 10 to 20 year period? That is to me the most important thing for a vehicle.
That's a thing of the past. Today you can't get lots of parts for a 5yr/old vehicle. If you're lucky there's aftermarket support.
 
It does look like GM got a lot of things right with that engine. However, an old saying comes to mind: "just because you can, does not mean you should". I don't believe for a second that there is any significant BSFC difference between Ford's epic 2.7L V6 and GM's 2.7L 4 cylinder. I do believe a basic 4 cylinder engine can be amazingly unpleasant in some conditions and this is the area where Ford wins out. GM goes to great lengths to smooth out the edges, and the result is pretty good. Even so, why? In the end, it is neither more simple, nor more efficient, nor smoother or more pleasant.

Would I want one as a company truck? Maybe to try it, but I'd guess I'd find it not a place I'd want to sit for 19 hours straight. I typically don't tow more than 6000 or 7000 pounds, or carry more than 1500 pounds, so the power would be sufficient.
 
2.7L in the Cadillac/ 10 speed auto;

CT4 hp 310/350 tq
CT4V hp 325/380 tq

CT5 3.0L V6 hp 335/405 tq /10 speed auto

I think the 2.7 in the Cadillac is using the older/original 2.7. This new version in the Colorado came out in 2022 for the Silverado and is now at 420 lb/ft of torque. There are also physical differences between the two versions, some strengthening of the block.
 
That's the big question. How does this engine stack up against Ford's 2.7 v6 EB? Not just on specs but on cost, real world application and reliability.

Some guy on a gm forum made the claim that GM tried to brake this engine while testing and couldn't, whereas the 5.3 broke under the same test. Dunno about that, but I will try and find the post back to see if he left a reference.

If you watch the video this engine has some "diesel tech" put into it around the pistons, the rings, the block, the undersquare design (which means a long stroke giving you lots of low end torque).

Ford apparently has the water pump buried inside the engine.
 
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