The pickup’s 2.7-liter ‘high output’ engine is new-and-improved…and still kind of weird.

The Silverado was recently updated by Chevrolet for 2022. 

The Silverado's new halo, F-150 Raptor-challenging ZR2 off-road variant is the marquee-grabbing highlight, 

but one of the other noteworthy upgrades comes with what Chevy calls the "2.7-liter High Output" engine, also known as the turbocharged four-cylinder.

Chevy increased the engine's torque for 2022 by 20 percent, to a remarkable 430 lb-ft, 

and made adjustments to the eight-speed automated transmission to make shifting more natural.

Do the adjustments make the much criticised engine worthwhile? Chevy gave me the option of taking one for a quick trip in Palm Springs, California, to find out.

4-cylinder trucks are…weird Four-cylinder engines are not common in body-on-frame trucks. 

In a full-size truck, only GM offers one; even at the mid-size level, which is smaller, six-cylinder engines are the favoured option.

 An affordable base engine option for the Colorado and Tacoma is a four-pot. 

The 2.0-liter engine from the Wrangler is not available from Jeep for the Gladiator. The only vehicle that uses one exclusively is the Ranger.

Is having an inline-four engine in a contemporary full-size truck the quintessential example of how bizarre it is? 

There is no General Motors PR material about it that uses the term "four-cylinder."