GM Pickups Get Fuel Economy Figures In 5.3L V8 Configuration
GM announced that prices of their new 1500-series trucks would remain flat, while the new 5.3L V8 is estimated to beat Ford’s F-150 Ecoboost in fuel economy and towing capacity.
Silverado and Sierra trucks with the 5.3L engine will apparently return 16/23 mpg city/highway in 2WD and 16/22 in 4WD configuration. The new trucks can also out-tow the Ecoboost F-150 by 200lbs (11,500 lbs versus 11,300 lbs for the Ford) while besting the 5.0L Ford trucks by a full 1,500 lbs.
Until EPA and real-world fuel economy figures are confirmed, we can only report on GM’s estimates. Also worth noting is that fuel economy ratings for the 4.3L V6 and the uprated 6.2L V8 were absent. Pricing for the Silverado will be flat, with the new model selling for the exact same base price as the 2013 versions – but without the very generous discounts that have been available for the last 16 months.
More by Derek Kreindler
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Where's the MPG ratings on the other motors?? Will the 4.3L get 25-26 mpgs? If GM ever installs their planned 8sp tranny behind the 5.3L, what will that MPG be? Another 2-3 mpgs? Overall, I'm really liking the MPG wars in the truck market.
What's really sad is that the Bugatti Veyron has that big engine with turbos, 1,000hp, AWD, and I don't even think it has a rated towing capacity. What's the point in all of that horsepower and AWD if you can't tow your boat, camper, or jetskis with it ?. Not only that, it only gets 8mpg city /15mpg highway !. Does Michelin or anybody else even make studded snow tires for that thing, or is the AWD capability just a waste too ?. Now with these new trucks coming out I could see some improvements in highway MPG's through the use of aerodynamic enhancements like full length skid plates that would double as a aero belly pan. Maybe ditch the fancy aliminum wheels for some steelies with Moon discs too. If a guy was really clever he'd eye up the ground clearance on those trucks and realise you could fit some really big-assed ground effects venturis underneath those things too. Maybe build some deep side skirts into the running boards that automatically lower at highway speeds. With the venturis you could fit under a truck you could probably use it for a street sweeper at 65mph, and pull manhole covers out of the pavement.
On Autoline Detroit a while back the head truck man from Dodge/Ram stated that they already had engineering efforts in play with their 5.9L V8 that would match the Ecoboost empty and in towing would beat it by a considerable margin. Trade in all of the mumbo turbo jumbo for displacement and get the same or better MPG in the process? If this comes to pass, I will lay money the truck based Ecoboost will be a memory within 5 years. I say this because the cost to manufacture the Ecoboost vs a conventional V8 along with the long term maintenance consideration doesn't make it a viable option if performance is equal.
I am curious as to why they keep the old 4.3 V6 around. Fleet sales?