GM says its diesel-powered Silverado 1500 is now the most powerful in its class
As we see muscle cars topping 700 horsepower and exotics putting out more than 1000, it’s worth noting that we’re witnessing another horsepower war among automakers. General Motors fired the opening salvo when it promised to deliver class-leading power with diesels returning to the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups.
According to Automotive News, the General has delivered. Its new turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder Duramax diesel engine puts out 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque.
That exceeds the Ford F-150’s 3.0-liter Power Stroke V-6 diesel by 27 horsepower and 20 lb-feet. You can’t get a diesel in the current Ram 1500, but the EcoDiesel V-6 available last year made 250 hp and 440 lb-ft. Chrysler is developing a new EcoDiesel, and it’s safe to assume the engine will end up in the Ram 1500 after first launching in the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator pickup.
Though GM has recently offered diesel power in its heavy duty pickup trucks, this is the first time in two decades that the automaker will offer its standard full-size pickups with compression ignition engines, according to Automotive News.
The new Duramax straight-six will start appearing in Chevy and GMC dealers this summer, with the same $3890 premium you’d pay for the optional 6.2-liter gasoline powered V-8. No data on fuel economy has been released, nor have payload and towing capacities. With pickup buyers, those specs might be more important than raw power and torque figures.
