As the truck wars rage on, GM is firing on all cylinders. After announcing a new range of V8s for its next-generation half-ton trucks and a gigantic 8.3-liter turbodiesel for its heavy duty pickups, it’s time for the little ones to get some attention. GM’s most affordable pickup trucks, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, are getting a new engine for 2027 that could get these pickups on the midsize truck horsepower podium.
Information on the 2027 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon is officially live on GM’s publicly-accessible fleet order guide site, and there’s one big change for the new model year: The engine designation switches from L3B to L4B. It’s still a 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four, but the other vehicles to get the L4B are GM’s new half-ton trucks, and there’s reason to believe a bump in output might carry over to the midsizers.
While the old L3B was initially available in several output levels for GM’s midsize trucks, it eventually settled on 310 horsepower and 430 lb.-ft. of torque. That was an identical match to the output of the same engine in GM’s half-ton trucks. If that’s any precedent, the new L4B could make as much as 350 horsepower and 455 lb.-ft. of torque in the 2027 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. Those would be some spicy figures, especially since it’s the standard and only engine option.
For context, the optional 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V6 in the Ford Ranger pumps out 315 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque, making it the current bronze medalist of midsize truck potency. There’s definitely incentive for GM to dethrone Ford, as although the 400-horspower Ranger Raptor still takes the overall crown, third place would still be a spot on the podium.
Who’s in second? It’s Toyota with the Tacoma HybridMAX. This optional electrified powertrain pumps out 326 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft. of torque, and more importantly, it’s standard on the really serious off-road trims of Toyota’s midsize truck. The Trailhunter and the TRD Pro are heavy-hitters in the same niche as the Colorado ZR2 and Canyon AT4X, and nearly catching the hybridized Tacoma’s output would make going with the General significantly more appealing.
Interestingly, the 2027 Colorado and Canyon will still feature an eight-speed automatic instead of GM’s ten-speed unit, and that’s where the big question mark arises. It’s certainly a stout gearbox, but the code “MFC” on the order guide indicates it’s a carryover unit. As far as I’ve been able to find, GM hasn’t publicly announced the official torque capacity of the 8L80, but it could fall on either side of the fence: Either it’ll take the L4B engine’s full 455 lb.-ft. of torque with no complaint, or the engine will have to be slightly detuned to keep the gearbox happy. Needless to say, I’ve reached out to GM for comment and will keep you updated as soon as I have official horsepower and torque figures.
A boost in output would certainly make the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon more appealing, and the L4B engine has already proven that it’s capable of delivering the goods. Regardless of where final output lands in the midsize trucks, I’d be surprised if it stays the same. Plus, judging by the order guide, every single 2027 Colorado and Canyon is getting the new motor, from base-spec work trucks all the way up to fully loaded examples. Power to the people? Let’s see.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
And here I am thinking that they need a hybrid option to make these smaller trucks more appealing daily drivers. But I’m an idiot, I guess.
Nope, they put all their hybrid R&D into the Corvette instead.
I don’t recall hearing a lot of good things about the GM 8 speed in their half-tons. Is it any better in the smaller trucks?
If they would only offer the 2027 Colorado or Canyon with a regular-cab and a 6-speed manual, I would be at the stealership as soon as I could to place an order to replace my 2010 GMC Canyon 2WD regular-cab, 5-speed pickup.
But alas, they’re not. So I’ll probably get a Slate.
I had a Ford Ranger with a 2.3 Lima that probably had 100hp. And it was plenty.
I miss small trucks.
Still expensive
Box too small
Nissan and Toyota offer long box versions even if dealerships really do not stock many of them, if at all.
Honestly I don’t think Trucks need MORE power. They just need to better utilize the power they have.
e-CVTs and series hybrids are the future of trucks IMHO
While I haven’t driven every modern pickup, from what I’ve seen I feel like Ram did it right with the Hurricane I6. It doesn’t ever feel like it’s down on power, no matter how much you’re towing, how high you’re towing it, or how fast you’re towing it.
It feels like trucks are getting to the same point CPU’s did in history. Forever it was all about the CPU speeds. Will it follow that same path of obvious unsustainable increases?
I don’t think e-CVT’s are suitable for truck duty
Do they actually ever do truck duty?
Why not? It’s a planetary gearset.
I think that’s what the Maverick hybrid has. And it’s sort of a truck.
Existing ones are obviously too small, but the design scales very well, you can just make a larger/wider planetary gearset and larger bearings, they’re components that are already used in immense semi-truck automatics.
Contrast that with belt-type CVT’s that don’t scale worth a damn; as you make the belt larger/heaver. you lose the flexibility you need to contact the edges of the variable discs so you can transmit the power. That’s why CVT’s are generally used in smaller cars only.
The follow up question is will Ford ship with their performance tune built in so they can advertise higher outputs (*premium fuel recommended) of 330HP/385lb-ft and 355/433 to stay in line.
They should offer the L76 5.7L in the ZR2
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