Which Silverado Engine Is Best? Let's Find Out! 

I could be wrong but I feel like they mainly did it just for the fuel economy numbers "on paper" as they say. We all know it isn't guaranteed to have better real world MPG but automakers have been putting lower powered, or smaller displacement, engines in some models to improve their fleet fuel economy average. It's also the reason they put auto stop/start in damn near everything. JUST to look better by the numbers.

@@JasonYergin agreed

yeah i agree. They either need a V8 or a diesel i6

What does sound right is that it tows more that the 5.3 and people still think the 5.3 is a good engine😂

@@JasonYergin I remember hearing that the engine was intended for the Colorado, but the development of the third gen was delayed so they ended up putting it in the Silverado and some Cadillacs.

I'm planning on picking up 3.0 diesel Silverado as well, I was wondering if you broke it in easy or just drove it normally?

@@Racer18crf i bought it used with only 12000 miles on it.

Besides the 10 speed transmission, I6 engines are well known for their smooth and quiet operation.

How good is it in cold weather

I love diesels, but with the emissions and the corrosive as hell def. I will never buy another one. Every issue with emissions costs a ton of money. And here's the kicker. 25 years ago you wouldn't even know it happened. Cis that shit wasn't on there

Yeah me too love the 6.2 think it's the best non supercharged v8,. That is unless Ram decides to put a 6.4 392 engine. Hello Ram make it and I will buy it.

@@thorpower1015 👍

@@thorpower1015 I put a 6.4 SRT in my single cab short bed ram…. They should’ve done it from the factory for sure! Way more power than my 6.2 chevy but they both have their purpose.

@@nateherd9335 sounds like fun

I e had three trucks with the 6.2 amd and it’s a beast ! 3.0 is great on mpg though. The only downfall of the 6.2 is it has to have 93 octane

The new diesels are awesome, but the emissions are trash. I personally know 2 people who own them and they'll never waste another dollar on them ever again. FCK man my personal favorite for the real Duramax obviously the 6.6 is 04-07 when emissions weren't nearly as disastrous, it actually destroys the engines, shuts them down entirely so wtf? Junk! I have a 2011 Sierra lc9 which is already legendary for bulletproof reliability but! What brings it down? Emissions the EVAP system is/was notorious for always being on, FCKNG bllsht but GM was forced to comply for EPA credits meeting the federal mandate somehow. Just goes to show you can have the most reliable (legitimately with the 11 lc9 5.3 ) yet 1 little "flaw" brings down the entire vehicle. I know how to cheat the system for a sticker but a lot of city boys don't so wtf. And the LC9 5.3 EVAP issues is NOWHERE as bad as the tiny new 3.0 inline 6 diesel, I feel for you man honestly. Do as you wish, as I truely wish you the absolute best of luck no matter what, but dump that whore for a proper 5.3 or a nasty 6.2 they're damn near bulletproof engines still in a world of unreliable Garbage. Even Honda, Toyota (that never make powerful engines) are having severe reliability issues making a tiny engine push too big a vehicle. The Honda problem is their legendary 1.5 l direct Injection Turbo, there's so much pressure being forced into the engine that the fuel bypasses rings which dilutes the oil popping them in less than 50k!!! In a dam Honda!!! Only GM has cracked the code, the 2.0 direct Injection Turbo is reliable but some have in fact had issues but it is accepted as a very reliable engine. The other will copy them, if not already buying GM tech like toyota, Ford, Honda and others lol

I have 77k miles on my 3.0 and still very similar mpgs. This engine is incredible. Towing is great as well.

@@SkinnerFurniture awesome to hear 👍 I assume youve had good luck this far? Straight up wish you the best of luck Man, the rediculous cost of trucks today cannot be reasoned with other than pure greed pure and simple. Which then requires the dealer/GM to step the fck up and fix their product if required. This is what/when good or bad dealers are made

I have the 3.0 my average is 19.5

@@johnserrano9689 I’ve had zero problems with it so far!

Exactly, people need to get over the fact that the cylinder count is small. That is light a deep latent bias, that is not really valid when I have seen turbo'd 4's produce well over 500HP. The cylinder count thing changes with technology. Even the heftiest diesels are often just 6 cylinders. And then there is the durability argument. Sure Turbo's run hotter and durability will be an issue, but when, 200,000 miles. Do most people even drive the rigs that long and for that many years? Mostly "no". The Turbo Diesel 3.0L seems to be the sweet spot.

Did you cut your balls off as well?

We've put alot of miles on a pair of 6.2s buying 87 octane. You hear the occasional pinging if you listen real close. Fuel economy is about the same as 91 empty. Towing 91 is better i would say.

Agree. Cost per mile is the real key, but isn’t consistent with upgraded fuel having different markups in different locations. For example, diesel is $1.5 more than regular in NC right now.

@@BabyGators This is insanity, how gas can be cheaper than Diesel today, I remember 30 yeasr ago when people consider diesel as disposal waste and cost less than $2 per gallon. hope this not continue for so long.

@@sam79357 it is insanity, but you can thank absurd regulation for the swap in fuel prices. The amount of taxes on diesel don’t help either. It’s a shame because it’s much better, more energy dense fuel.

@@sam79357 $2 30 years ago is around $4-5 today. So your point means nothing when that’s about where diesel is at now

Yea and Buy all that 93 octane Gas ! You Be lucky to afford the 4 banger !

Yea shure Ya do !!!

​@No Name reliability becomes risky once you mod the vehicle

I had a 12 w the 5.3 and recently bought a 23 6.2 and the power difference is mind blowing that 6.2 shits and gits

Transmission will go maintain i have put 2

The 4 cylinder has been around since 2019, so its proven itself already

I hated the 8 speed transmission, would have rather had the 6 or 10. Less than 30,000 miles on my 2020 RST and it started shifting rough in gears 1-3

Have the 5.3 and use it for work will be going the 6.2 next

if you don't mind me asking how many miles per tank avg ? and are you worried about oil pump belt replacement on the gear train at the back of the motor?

lol..with all that money you saved you’re able to buy your wife’s boyfriend a duramax!

@@JackMeoff-zr4uo no kidding😂 he's actually the kind that thinks Mazda 3s are fast as they get.

We have a 21 4 banger as well. 70k miles and no issues so far. Drives great towing our boat and our camper even in the Tennessee hills.

6.2 seems like a great choice at the surface level but week to week, pumping premium fuel into the 6.2 doesn't seem like a great choice, especially because the 5.3 is a great option and is tuned for regular fuel.

The 6.2 sounds amazing. What an engine. I was surprised on how average the Duramax sounded.

Having driven a 6.2L Trail Boss for a thousand miles or so... it's amazing.

@@motoxrich1 I was running 89 Octane in my 2019 6.0L CHEVY van and it was 13 mpg then when I switched to 87 octane it went to 14 mpg

@@trailblazeratv6306 6.0 and 6.2 are different motors

Same here

How much for Gas tho ?

@@briantcruz3120 8-10 MPG

I would like to see the 6.6l when they sell as a crate, and how they handle forced induction. 😎

2.7 will outperform the 5.3

Bad choice. 2.7 tows more and has way more torque

I bought my truck in 2020 so it has 45 more horsepower and 35 more ftlbs of torque. Tow rating of 9800 pounds which is 3000 higher than the 2.7 of 2020. I also don't worry if the open deck design of the 2.7 will handle the 20-30 pounds of boost without cracking the engine block or failing a head gasket. Fords open deck 1.3, 1.6, 2.0 and 2.3s have had these issues for the past decade but whatever.

@@roblacerra3257 Can’t go wrong with a 5.3 it will outlast that 2.7

The borla exhaust is bad ass I have it on my zr2. I’m also waiting for a lift kit to come out so I can put my 35s on it and new rims

Id love to know how much you had to fork up. 💵

@@manuelmach86 74 out the door, but I put 32k down

@@alexdavis1321 ouch

AWE exhaust 👍

Agree completely, best engine/transmission combo I’ve ever owned and I’ve had them all.

I get 31 mpg highway in sport mode

​@UpsForDays diesel will always have more expensive service and maintenance. If you are getting a 2022 and older model there is a rather pricey service at 140k-160k for a belt that needs to be changed and takes a ton of labour. But 2023 they re-engineered it to dodge that labour cost.

@@upsfordays4662 maintenance is not bad at all. The gas milage and longevity will pay for itself. It like driving Honda civic that tows 9500lb…lol. I have two vehicles with 3.0 durumax no regrets.

They moved the oil belt to 200k miles, even on the 20-22 models

The 6.2 is quite fun also!

I think a lot of people are skeptical of the 4 cylinder engine. Many remember the “Iron Duke” Camaro’s from the 80’s, and assume that the new 4 cylinder trucks are underpowered and virtually useless when it comes to towing a trailer and doing truck things. They’re definitely not underpowered. But Chevy needs to convince people to try them!

My local dealer had six of the 2.7s on their lot when new vehicles were hard to come by. The salespeople were literally begging people to take them. I'm personally less scared of the 2.7 and more scared of the 8 speed that they pair it with.

What are some of the noticeable differences

Always use #2 diesel and max 5000 miles oil interval.

Additives, additives, additives. If I treat my fuel and oil I don't get the DPF related check engine lights. I used Hotshots EDT in the fuel and FR3 in the oil.

The added emi$$ion$ required by big brother on the diesels, plus gas being cheaper than diesel by about a buck a gallon in the NE, would have me opt for the 5.3. And I’m a diesel lover too.

@@breadn5556, terrible advice.

These modern diesels are all like this. Dealers do a TERRIBLE job of not explaining that they absolutely cannot just be driven around town. If you're not on the highway a lot, or at minimum driving in an area where you get long stretches without a traffic light or stop sign, then you are just asking for DPF issues. And you have to keep the oil changed at least twice as much as the manufacturers say you do...I never go more than 6,000 miles without an oil change.

They already have. US car manufacturers are about to have a very very rude awakening. 2023 will be one of the worst years on record for GM, Ford & Dodge.

@@leftycosta1899 Unfortunately for the consumer gm has finally figured out the law of supply and demand. They are no longer flooding the dealers lots, keeping supply low keeping them from throwing money on the hood to move inventory.

I have a 23 Denali Ultimate I just got this week with the Duramax. I like it so far but I don't really have enough time with it to know much but I have had plenty of the v8s and it sure seems I have pretty much always gotten better mileage then what is claimed. I know I get better numbers in my Suburban then what is claimed. Even running flex fuel pretty sure I get better numbers and I am positive you loose like 15-20% economy with flex fuel only reason I ever buy it is its normally $1 cheaper per gallon but the last time I bought it, it was only like $0.25 cheaper. Gas has went up so much the last month here it was $2.99 like 3 weeks ago now its $3.40 range and diesel is only $0.45-0.55 more.

A lot of people are upset over the 2.7's fuel economy. And what I mean by that is that there's a class action lawsuit brewing because the promise of 20+ highway has generally been unmet. Which is pretty sad because the 5.3 actually can, and will last 3 times longer as long as you defeat the cylinder deactivation. I suspect the real reason for its existence is as an insurance policy for when diesel fuel becomes prohibitively expensive and/or unavailable over the next few years.

Better emissions is the only benefit. But I'll take my 6.2 any day of the week.

6.2 💨💨💨

What mileage do you get?

@@ktpinnacle on a recent trip to the coast we averaged 24 mpg. Around town around 20 mpg. We had an Avalanche (2012) that we loved with the 5.3 and were lucky at times to get 20 on highway trips. 17 in the city.

@@loriguinan2206 Really impressive for a 6.2. No lead foots in that family. My 2001 Yukon has a 5.3 that I have to hypermile to get 17 on the highway.

Yep def you should see how good mpgs can be with 5.3 with dfm. Pretty good for a crew cab truck and running 87 octane.

You can thank Ford for that 10 speed

That 6.0 gas was one of GMs best engines ever. Darn near bulletproof. Almost bought a 06 1500 Hd with the 6.0 once. I should have. I’m curious to see how the new 6.6 gas in the 2500 is going to fair long term.

What is your fuel economy in Canada with the 5.3

What a waste of money. Rolling pile of crap.

Return it or sell it. Lifter will go out before 100k and kill your engine

Also they are plagued with a bunch of problems I just got rid of mine had multiple no starts no crank tdc emissions. I’m not the only one either there’s a bunch of people complaining about them on RU-vid

Same experience for me, went from 5.3 8spd to 10spd and it’s AMAZING how different the trucks feel.

​@Matthew B what year was your 5.3 8 speed?

Pretty sure the 5.3 has had a bump in hp and tq since 07 though.

MY 07 and my 13 Silverado with the 5.3 both used oil like I owned a well. 2-3 quarts between 5000 mile oil changes. The dealership told me that was normal oil useage. Now I drive a Toyota Tundra.

Wow..had my.04 5.3 for 12 yrs. Dosent burn any oil,or.leak..4 speed trans.. wonder how the 8 speed would work with that.

The v8 will almost the same mileage. Much more reliable and long lasting

@@freedomliberty7611 I agree, but I'm leasing it. I saved about 3K because it's the turbo.

@@jnmcs You didn't save anything. Leasing guarantees you will have a car payment forever. You are burning money to borrow a vehicle. My V6 Toyota SUV gets 28 mpg average, 30+ on the highway. These smaller engines are cheaper to produce, get worse gas mileage and will die far sooner than a proper V6 or V8.

@@tx611 Opinions vary.

​@@tx611 Your Toyota is junk though, just like you.

You’re forgetting the diesels have higher resale value than their gasoline counterparts

When I bought my '21 Sierra 1500 with the duramax, the duramax was less than $2500 more than the 5.3. Not to say the fuel economy will make up for it, but it's not the massive $10k-$12k upcharge you see on the heavy duty trucks.

I ordered a Denali Ultimate a month ago and the 6.2 is a $995 option, the diesel is cheaper in the higher trim levels.

I tow with it everyday, stop fucking lying to people

Somebody's going to get a really special truck very soon! 😅

Finally someone says it

It'll be okay fellas. The owner will never know

The factory breaks them in on dynos before they even hit a dealership. Transmission too

@@streetrider4130able So, the manuals all say "Zero break in period. Tow at full GVWR immediately?" Porsche is the only engine maker that I'm aware of that does engine break-in at their factory. Each engine gets a full hour on the engine dyno, after which all fluids are dumped. Then each car is taken for a test drive up to 80% of top speed on the autobahn before final shipping to dealers. Chevy ain't doing that bro. 😂

Or just drive it in L9 instead D (in fact I'm doing this for 6 months now. I can feel the difference when I shift back to D to drive short distances)

The Pulsar LT is a nice tool for throttle sensitivity. But a tuner will give you that same option while actually adding power. I love my Superchips tuner on my '21 6.2 Trail Boss!

@@craigstark2712how much horse power did you gain, I've dealt with tuners a bit before with mixed reviews.

@@thorpower1015 they claim up to 45 horse to the tires in the mid range on 93 octane, peak about 17 horse. I don't have 93 around here so around 35 horse for me. I can definitely feel the difference though!

@@craigstark2712 cool I may check it out

Lol

Could be

Definately, happened to a family members 2022 GMC with the 6.2, it only had 36,000 miles on it.

The guy works for a Chevrolet dealer. He's not going to tell you anything negative about the product if he wants to keep his job. Duh.....

@@wesfudge Thank you for clarifying that for me.

Have one. Great for what it is. Better than any GM V8 I’ve owned. Will it tow your goose neck? No. Is it fast, great on gas and a smooth driver? Yes. People just need to calm down and by what they need. Lol

But your turbo on the 2.7 will not last long and the truck is useless then😮

2022s, 5.3 do not have DFM…6.2 does

Same but traded my raptor for a TRX