Future Silverados May Receive a Straight-Six Engine

If you think about it, when was the last time a new pickup truck was equipped with a straight-six gas engine? They’ve got all of the necessary power and torque at a low rev range one would expect for a work truck. Now a report by GM Authority suggests that Chevrolet may consider taking the straight-six powerplant off the bench and under the Silverado’s hood.

Right now, the standard engine in the Silverado is a turbo 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine, with 5.3-liter or 6.2-liter gas V8 options available. There is also the 3.0-liter Duramax engine for diesel fans. The 4.3-liter V6 was discontinued years ago, so a newer inline-six engine with forced induction would be a powerful alternative to the V8.

The 6.2-liter V8 is currently the Silverado’s most powerful engine, producing 460 pound-feed of torque.

Stellantis is already making waves with its Hurricane I6 power plant with the added possibility of being installed in the Ram 1500. It can produce 400 horsepower, and 450 pound-feet of torque, and the higher-performance edition makes 510 horsepower and 500 pound-feet. While this shouldn’t suggest that a Chevy engine is capable of producing just as much power, it does open the door for what modern inline-six engines and turbocharging technology can do for today’s pickup trucks.