2020 Chevrolet Silverado 3.0L Duramax Delivers EPA-Estimated 33 Miles Per Gallon Highway
With all-new turbo-diesel engine, Silverado delivers full-size truck capabilities with highway fuel efficiency of some family sedans
DETROIT — The 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with the available, all-new 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel engine delivers an EPA-estimated 33 mpg highway and 23 city in rear-wheel-drive models. EPA-estimated fuel economy for four-wheel drive models is 29 mpg highway/23 city.
With an SAE-certified 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, the Silverado 3.0L Duramax with four-wheel drive is also capable of towing up to 9,300 pounds and a max payload of 1,870 pounds, meeting the towing needs of about 90 percent of light-duty customers.
“We designed the all-new Silverado and the all-new 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel to deliver both performance and efficiency,” said Tim Herrick, Silverado executive chief engineer. “The engine utilizes state-of-the-art technologies to optimize every drop of fuel, and takes advantage of architectural changes to make Silverado larger, lighter and more aerodynamic than before. The resulting combination offers all of the performance, refinement and capability customers want in a full-size truck, with highway fuel efficiency you would expect from a family sedan.”
For comparison, the highway fuel economy of the Silverado Duramax is 10 percent greater than the Ford F-150 diesel, and 22 percent greater than the previous Ram. “It surprises me that a 4×4 and 4×2 are 4 and 5 mpg apart for Silverado and F150. The EPA does test them at different at rolling resistance.” MrTruck
| 2020 Silverado 1500 3.0L inline 6 Duramax | 2019 Ford F-150 3.0L V-6, 10-speed | 2018 Ram 1500 3.0L V6 diesel | |
| 4×2 | 23 city / 33 highway | 22 city / 30 highway | 20 city / 27 highway |
| 4×4 | 23 city / 29 highway | 20 city / 25 highway | 19 city / 27 highway |
This is the first diesel offered in Chevrolet’s light-duty trucks since 1997, and the brand’s first-ever inline-six configuration for full-size, light duty trucks. As such, engineers had a clean sheet to leverage the efficiency and balance of an inline-six-cylinder architecture.
“We set out to offer light duty truck customers the best of diesel – outstanding fuel economy, great horsepower and responsive torque – plus unexpected levels of refinement,” said Nicola Menarini, director for diesel truck engine program execution. “We leveraged our global diesel expertise to make sure the all-new 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel engine offers the impressive performance and durability our truck customers demand.”
Highly durable materials make up key components, including iron cylinder liners within the aluminum engine block, a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods as well as blended silicon/aluminum pistons for greater heat resistance and reduced expansion. The engine was subjected to the same extreme simulated and real-world performance testing every Chevrolet truck engine undergoes to ensure the highest standards of durability and performance.
The truck draws on innovative technologies to deliver impressive fuel economy and a refined customer experience.
- The inline-six engine provides an inherently balanced configuration for low noise and vibration characteristics. It features an aluminum block for weight reduction, an 84mm x 90mm bore and stroke, dual-overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder.
- A new active thermal management system warms up propulsion components more quickly for more efficient operation.
- The exhaust brake, which is available in tow-haul mode, can provide additional driver confidence when towing, especially when going downhill.
- The driver-selectable stop/start technology enhances fuel economy by shutting off the engine at stoplights and certain other stop-and-go situations, helping save fuel. The engine automatically restarts when the driver takes his or her foot off the brake.
- The 3.0L Duramax is exclusively paired with a Hydra-Matic 10L80 10-speed automatic transmission, featuring smaller gear steps and an overall larger ratio spread to enable peak efficiency. Intelligent controls adjust to the driver’s needs for smooth operation and aggressive response.
The Duramax 3.0L turbo-diesel marks Chevrolet’s fourth diesel truck in the available lineup, joining the Colorado, Silverado HD and Silverado Medium Duty. The company draws on deep diesel truck experience from the Silverado HD with the Duramax 6.6L Turbo-Diesel V8 and Colorado with the Duramax 2.8L Turbo-Diesel.
The new diesel option completes the all-new Chevrolet Silverado 1500 propulsion portfolio, which provides maximum customer choice through eight trims paired with six engine/transmission combinations. The 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel is available on the LT, RST, LTZ and High Country trims. For the LTZ and High Country, the 3.0L Diesel is a $2,495 option, identical to that of the 6.2L V-8. For the LT and RST, it is a $3,890 increase over a 2.7L Turbo engine.
Beyond the 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel, the 2020 Silverado 1500 propulsion lineup includes:
- The most advanced V-8s in the brand’s history and updated versions of Chevrolet’s proven 5.3L and 6.2L engines equipped with industry-first Dynamic Fuel Management featuring 17 different modes of cylinder deactivation. The available 6.2L RST achieves class-leading light duty towing capability of 13,400 pounds.
- An all-new, advanced 2.7L Turbo engine that replaces the 4.3L V-6 as the standard engine on the high-volume Silverado LT and new Silverado RST.
- Proven 4.3L V-6 and 5.3L V-8 engines deliver full-size truck capability and performance for the most affordable trucks in the Silverado lineup.
The first customer deliveries of the 2020 Silverado 1500 with the available 3.0L Duramax turbo-diesel are expected to begin in September.
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