GM 6.2L V8 claims most powerful light-duty truck engine title

Thu, 12 Sep 2013

General Motors has officially captured the horsepower crown for mainstream pickup trucks with its 6.2-liter V8. The big mill, available in both the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, comes to market with 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, handily outdoing its two cross-town competitors, Ram (5.7-liter V8, 395 ponies and 407 lb-ft) and Ford (6.2-liter V8, 411 hp and 434 lb-ft).

The new GM 6.2 will take a bit of an investment, though. Those that want the extra thrust will need to go with either the LTZ or High Country trims from the Chevy, or the SLT and Denali trims from GMC, which are the two highest trim levels for the respective vehicles. Trim levels aside, if you're in the business of towing, GM has you covered. Optioned with the 6.2-liter V8 and the Max Trailering Package, owners will be able to pull 12,000 pounds, a hugely impressive figure.

We still aren't certain as to what sort of economy the new engine will get, but it'll probably be a bad bet for the fuel conscious. As for availability, expect to see the 6.2-liter trucks in showrooms later in the fall.

It's Official: 2014 Silverado and Sierra Deliver Most Power
New Chevrolet, GMC light duty pickups also deliver best towing capacity in class

DETROIT – The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and High Country and the GMC Sierra and Sierra Denali 1500, available this fall, with a 6.2L V-8 produces an SAE-certified 420 horsepower (at 5600 rpm) and 460 lb-ft of torque (at 4100 rpm), the most power of any pickup engine and torque of any light duty pickup truck engine.

The 6.2L V-8 available for Silverado LTZ and High Country and Sierra SLT and Denali models also delivers class-leading maximum available trailering capacity of 12,000 pounds when properly equipped.

"Power and towing capacity are fundamental capabilities for full-size pickups," said Jeff Luke, General Motors Executive Chief Engineer for full- and mid-size trucks. "The 2014 Silverado and Sierra deliver unmatched power and towing capability with a host of ingenious driver aids."

The optional Max Trailering Package is available on 2WD and 4WD V-8 crew cab and double cab models and includes:

Trailering package with seven-pin and four-pin connector
Enhanced cooling
Automatic locking rear differential
Heavy-duty 9.75-inch rear axle with 3.73 ratio
Increased-capacity rear leaf springs
Revised shock tuning for increased control
Integrated trailer brake controller.
In addition to the 6.2L V8, Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 will offer a 4.3L V-6 SAE-certified at 285 horsepower and 305 lb-ft of torque and a 5.3L V-8 certified at 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque.
Silverado and Sierra trucks equipped with the 4.3L V-6 will have available towing ratings of up to 7,600 pounds, the highest for any base V-6 in the segment. Silverado and Sierra trucks equipped with the 5.3L V-8 and the max towing package, available later this year, will have towing ratings of up to 11,500 pounds when properly equipped.

All three engines feature direct fuel injection, Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) and continuously variable valve timing, a combination not found in competitor vehicles. The engines also use a compact overhead-valve design and weight-saving components such as aluminum blocks and cylinder heads to reduce mass for additional energy savings.

All three provide the proven power, torque and dependability of a large-displacement engine, seamlessly switching to four-cylinder mode to save fuel during light-load driving. The 5.3L V-8 has EPA-estimated fuel economy of up to 23 mpg highway (2WD models), the best of any V-8 pickup, and better than Ford EcoBoost V-6. .

EPA fuel economy estimates for the 6.2L V-8 will be finalized in the near future.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

By Brandon Turkus