General Motors will offer the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups with the option for a new four-cylinder turbocharged engine capable of running on two cylinders.

The 2.7L I-4 will make 310 horsepower and 348 foot-pounds of torque.

It is the first modern-day four-cylinder engine in a full-size pickup and the first with the ability to operate on only two cylinders to maximize fuel economy.

new Chevy truck I-4 turbo engine

(Image/General Motors)

The new engine will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and will be standard on the new Silverado RST and popular Silverado LT trims. It will replace a 4.3L V6 currently rated at 285 hp and 305 ft.-lbs.

The new turbocharged trucks will accelerate from 0 to 60 in fewer than 7 seconds and weigh 380 lbs. less than the current V6 model.

The torque production is 22-percent higher than the current V6 base-model Silverado engine. It reaches 90 percent of peak torque at 1,500 rpm, which GM officials say is best in the truck segment, and does so in 1.9 seconds.

The new engine will feature GM’s Active Fuel Management technology, which automatically deactivates and reactivates cylinders continuously to meet performance needs and reduce fuel consumption in between. It is the first four-cylinder GM engine to feature AFM.

In addition to the new I-4, GM also announced a new Duramax 3.0L inline-six turbodiesel that will be available later in the 2019 model year.

These two new engines will join four preexisting engines in GM’s truck lineup to make up the six powertrain configurations GM is offering for 2019. The 4.3L V6 and three V8 options will be available as well.

For more information on the new turbocharged engine, check out: