Manoli Katakis 
The 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is here. And it will be arriving in dealerships in the first quarter of 2022, should all things go according to plan. There are plenty of notable changes for this extensively refreshed truck, including the addition of the much-talked-about Silverado ZR2, the implementation of Super Cruise on the top-shelf High Country, and a reworked engine lineup. While MC&T has detailed that some engines and transmissions would be cut from the team, the 2022 Silverado engine family sees big improvements on two distinct motors: the LM2 Duramax diesel, and the now-standard 2.7L L3B turbocharged four-cylinder gasser.
2.7L L3B Turbo Engine Upgrades
The 2.7L L3B turbo engine may just have four cylinders to its name, but GM engineers have found to improve its torque rating to 420 lb-ft; the highest of any standard engine in the half-ton truck segment, and an improvement of 20 percent over the outgoing version. The horsepower rating stays the same, at 310 hp. Internally, the part number of the engine is different, but the RPO code stays the same.
So, how’d they do it? Did they just turn the boost up and run away? Not at all.
The improvements start with a more rigid cylinder block casting, adding an extra kilogram of aluminum to the engine block in the form of additional ribbing. Meanwhile, the L3B crankshaft is stiffened 30 percent. The pistons now feature steel compressed rings, and are supported by cast-in-place ring carriers, which are supported by tri-metal rod bearings and forged steel bearing caps. The bottom end of the engine remains fully forged. Such techniques are normally found in diesel engine designs, which operate under far more pressure than a typical gasoline engine.
These enhancements enabled 2022 Silverado engineers to reduce noise and tune the engine for greater torque production, particularly in the usable low-to-mid RPM range. Ultimately, the revisions have the L3B rated to deliver an estimated 420 lb-ft (569 Nm) of max torque, which again, is a 20-percent increase compared to the outgoing engine.
2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 engineers also recalibrated the transmission shift scheduling on the eight-speed automatic transmission that’s paired with the 2.7L L3B Turbo (the 10-speed is available on the V8 and diesel engines out of the gate). This is said to return smoother shifting, along with quicker downshifts, for more refinement and power on demand.
Despite the extra oomph, the L3B turbo has a max tow rating of just 9,500 pounds in 2WD regular cab configuration. So if you’re in it for towing, consider the improvements made on the 3.0L LM2 Duramax diesel engine option, which you can read all about here.
