The 2023 Chevy Silverado is getting a new diesel engine to kick off the model year. The new 3.0-liter inline-six turbodiesel Duramax engine will make 10 percent more horsepower and nearly eight percent more torque than the outgoing engine, but Chevy hasn’t confirmed changes to the maximum tow rating of the Silverado with this new Duramax.
Since the previous 3.0-liter Duramax was just given a higher max tow rating of 13,300 pounds for the 2022 Silverado, it’s likely this new Duramax will keep the same tow rating. The engine also keeps the same displacement and the same configuration as before. But this second-generation I6 turbodiesel will make 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque. For reference, the Duramax in the 2022 Chevy Silverado made 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque.
This is basically just a reworking of the original engine, primed to make more power through a few upgrades including new steel pistons, a retuned turbo compressor, new fuel injectors and better temperature control. The engine will be exclusively paired to the same ten-speed automatic transmission as before, according to Chevy. The days of stick-shift diesel trucks are waning, but with the emphasis on comfort and towing for these machines, that’s to be expected.
The second-generation 3.0-liter Duramax diesel will be available on 2023 Chevy Silverado trucks by the end of this year, and will be an option on the following trims: Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ and High Country.
Chevy hasn’t said yet whether the power bump will be accompanied by a price bump or not. The new Duramax diesel power-plant makes its debut alongside an all-new Silverado ZR2 Bison for 2023. Lately, Chevy’s mid-size trucks had been getting all the attention, but the full-sizers are coming back into focus.
Towing is still mainly the realm of full-size trucks like the Silverado and Silverado HD versus the mid-size Colorado. While the new Colorado will get the older Silverado’s 2.7-liter inline-four cylinder turbocharged gas engine, the Colorado will no longer be available with a diesel engine in the U.S. Ditto the Ford Ranger. And now that diesel engines are becoming more like full-size exclusives it makes sense that we’ll see iterative updates to these engines.
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