by Max
1. August 2009 00:16
Specially-equipped 5.3-liter versions of the Chevrolet Silverado
and GMC Sierra will be rated at 22 mpg on the highway when they go on sale soon. A thorough round of shift pattern optimization, the addition of variable valve timing and a more comprehensive cylinder shut off help the full-size pickups achieve best-in-class fuel efficiency.
GM hopes the highest full-size pickup efficiency will help move a few more units as large truck and SUV sales have slipped over the last year.
“We’ve enhanced the trucks’ fuel-saver mode, which optimizes shift patterns in the six-speed transmission for the best fuel economy,” Chevrolet spokesman Brian Goebel told our friends at Pickup Trucks.com. “Also, Active Fuel Management is now able to hold four-cylinder mode longer. Plus, we’ve added variable valve timing to the engine.”
The XFE (Xtra Fuel Economy) label, introduced last year when gas prices were hovering around $4 per gallon in the United States, will remain. Ford, on the other hand, dropped its SFE (Superior Fuel Economy) badge for 2010 despite keeping all of the tweaks that helped the trucks earn 21 mpg on the highway.
The XFE trucks are now rated at 15 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway – the same highway figure as GM’s pricier hybrid variants.
by Andrew Ganz for
www.leftlanenews.com
fd2a0449-c902-48eb-ae95-c5e30f72f81b|3|5.0
Tags:
Auto News