Two-door “regular” cabs were once the most popular configuration of full-size trucks. But today, the regular Ram, the Toyota Tundra, and the Nissan Titan don’t even offer a two-door option. The remaining two-door half-ton pickups are usually ordered as barebones work trucks, the most expensive of which is the GMC Sierra 1500 Pro. It starts at $37,200. And even at that price, this pickup truck only comes with a four-cylinder (I4) engine.

Does GMC Sierra have a 4-cylinder engine?

The base engine for half-ton General Motors pickup trucks (the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500) is a 2.7-liter turbocharged I4 shared with the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon. But before you balk at this four-pot, know it makes 310 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. It even began its life as a mid-trim upgrade.

V8 die-hards may make fun of the new Silverado and Sierra’s I4. Critics have complained that its noise reminds them more of a car than a truck. And this is the only engine not paired with the new 10-speed automatic GM co-engineered with Ford (it comes with an eight-speed). But beyond these three potential downsides, the turbocharged I4 has a ton to offer.

The GMC Sierra 1500’s I4 engine uses an efficient turbocharger and cylinder deactivation to improve fuel economy. In a 2WD configuration, this 2.7 gets 18 city/22 highway mpg (20 combined).

According to the EPA’s FuelEconomy.gov, the 2.7 doesn’t come close to the GMC Sierra 1500’s diesel powerplant: an inline six-cylinder. Chevrolet’s 3.0-liter I6 turbodiesel claims 23 city/29 highway mpg (25 combined) for the 2024 model year.

What may shock you is that the current generation of the GMC Sierra 1500 “Pro” originally came with a naturally aspirated V6. Back in 2019, the efficient turbocharged I4 was a premium engine option reserved for mid-trim Sierras. But GMC rolled out the high output version for 2022 (improving torque from 348 lb-ft to 420 lb-ft) and made it the standard base engine.

How much can the GMC Sierra 1500’s straight four pickup truck engine tow?

Since GM tuned its 2.7-liter turbocharged I4 pickup truck engine for 420 lb-ft of torque in 2022, its towing capacity is 9500 pounds. Yup, you can buy a base model 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 that gets 22 mpg on the highway and is rated to tow 9,500 pounds.

This is impressive because most entry-level half-ton trucks come with naturally-aspirated V6 that make closer to 300 lb-ft of torque. These engines may be popular in midsize pickup trucks, but even in half-tons they offer towing capacities closer to a midsize. Chevrolet and GMC offer something unique with their entry-level engine rated at 9,500 pounds.

If you must max out your half-ton GMC Sierra or Chevrolet Silverado 1500’s towing capacity, you can bump your engine up to the 5.30-liter “EcoTec3” V8. With the right towing packages, this engine will haul up to 11,200 pounds. But most folks who tow heavy loads often will opt for the heavy-duty, 3/4-ton, or one-ton versions of these trucks.

What is the most expensive two-door pickup truck?

Ordering a two-door “regular cab” pickup truck is a good way to save some money if you don’t need the extra seats. But the regular cab configuration of the 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 “Pro” will still run you at least $37,700. This is by far the highest MSRP of any full-size, two-door pickup truck.

See how the four regular cab half-tons you can buy right now stack up in the table below:

	Configuration	Manufacturer’s Advertised MSRP	Edmunds’ Estimated Total
Ram 1500 “Classic”	Regular Cab (2-door)	$31,270	$31,445
Ford F-150 XL	Regular cab (2-door)	$34,585	$35,735
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 WT	Regular cab (2-door)	$36,300	$37,480
GMC Sierra 1500 Pro	Regular cab (2-door)	$37,100	$37,157
Ram 1500 Tradesman	Quad cab (small 4-door)	$37,905	$38,295
Toyota Tundra SR	Double cab (small 4-door)	$38,965	$39,049
Nissan Titan S	King Cab (rear suicide doors)	$40,350	$41,495

Next, find out the cheapest full-size pickup truck with a turbocharged engine, or see a review of the GMC Sierra 1500 with a 2.7-liter I4 in the video below: