How Much Longer Will The Silverado, Sierra Offer The 4.3L V6 Engine?
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Both the 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 pickup truck and its corporate cousin, the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500, are available with a variety of engines; six, to be exact. The two entry-level powerplants are the naturally-aspirated 4.3L LV3 V6 EcoTec3 and the turbocharged 2.7L L3B I4. The future of the new L3B seems assured, at least for now, but how much longer can the 4.3L V6 last?
The LV3, which is part of the same EcoTec3 family as the 5.3L V8 L83 and the 6.2L V8 L86, is not exactly old. It was introduced for the 2014 Silverado and 2014 Sierra, and featured several modern technologies, including direct injection, Variable Valve Timing (VVT) and Active Fuel Management (AFM), which shuts down cylinders to improve fuel economy when only small amounts of power are required.
But the more modern L3B, which made its debut in the 2019 Silverado 1500 and 2019 Sierra 1500, has these, too. It also has variable valve lift, and the combination of those three features has led GM to give the valvetrain system the TriPower moniker.
| Core Metrics | 21MY 2.7L I4 L3B Turbo | 21MY 4.3L LV3 V6 | +/- 2.7L I4 Turbo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 310 horsepower | 285 horsepower | +25 hp or + 9% |
| Torque | 348 pound-feet | 305 pound-feet | +43 lb-ft or +14% |
| Fuel Economy | 20/23/21 mpg | 16/21/17 mpg | +4 / +2 / +4 or 25% |
| Max Trailering | 9,600 pounds | 7,900 pounds | +1,700 pounds or +22% |
| Payload | 2,070 pounds | 2,040 pounds | +30 pounds or +1.5% |
| 0-60 mph | 6.8 seconds | 7.8 seconds | 1 second faster |
For these and other reasons, as GM Authority reported in December 2020, the four-cylinder L3B beats the 4.3L V6 on six core metrics. It has an extra 25 horsepower and 43 pound-feet of torque, it’s 25 percent more fuel efficient, it adds 1,700 pounds to the trucks’ maximum trailering weight and 30 pounds to the payload, and it improves both trucks’ 0-60 mph times by a second.
4.3L V6 LV3 engine
2.7L I4 L3B engine
Some of this may be due to the fact that the L3B is mated with GM’s eight-speed automatic transmission (MQE), while the 4.3L V6 LV3 is paired with the six-speed MYC auto. Even so, there’s no doubt that the turbo engine and high-tech valvetrian are responsible for the gains.
On the plus side, the combination of the 4.3L V6 engine and six-speed auto transmission most definitely costs less for GM to build, and for customers to purchase, than the L3B and eight-speed auto. However, this might not be enough to save the older LV3. As such, there’s reason to doubt that the motor will end up making it to the 2022 Silverado and 2022 Sierra, both of which will see a substantial refresh.
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Put an electric motor in it already! Or wait for Ford to release the e 150; then do it.
Ford is going the route of Chrysler, oops… FCA, ugh… sorry, Stellantis. Buying third-party supplied components.
GM does not buy power sources, and as far as I know, the only transmissions they buy are manuals that they themselves have a hand in the design!
Fords electric truck will not be powered by their components.
I bought a 2018 Sliverado with the 4.3, V6 motor that has the ECO package. It is the most pathetic Silverado I’ve ever owned. When the ECO package kicks in and the motor drops those cylinders the whole truck shakes and shudders intensely. I’ve taken truck to dealer and contacted GM. They said it was normal! I’ve owned GM trucks all my life and this will be the last one I purchase. Not only does it shudder,but don’t try passing a truck on the highway, it has very little torch and passing speed.
spend 200 deneros on an eliminator or set the trans in M6 and before putting the pedal to the metal tap the pedal lightly to take it to all 6 cyls, firing first or you will have lifter problems
It would be nice if GM to add two cylinders to the four cylinder.
I never wanted all these freaking emails
I have a 4.3 V6 with Towing package with 4×4 on an extended cab 2018 Silverado. I always get the 5.3 an my wife picked up this truck while I was at work I was very pissed she got the 4.3 with heated seats other options could have gotten a 5.3 lease same cost less options. But it was her truck and after finding out the new model does not come with 4×4 low just a hill decent option in place on the button now? I guess you have to go up to trail boss now to even get 4×4 low? None of the 2.7 have low range ether. Anyways I used it like my other truck hauled my boat and camper and even picked up a state owned SUV at auction two states over with a 3000lb flat bed and put a Ford Explorer on it about 5500lbs and hauled it 500 miles home with zero issues. I will say my 5.3 does better on gas on the highway but that 4.3 with Towing package has the same trans and hauls very well. Only truck that hauls better with better hauling fuel economy is my 2020 Ram with a 5.7 and towing package not sure why it weighs a lot more and around town it’s about 14 and towing it’s still 14mpg on the highway the 4.3 with a heavy load is 8mpg on the highway. When we go up north my Ram gets better gas mileage towing my boat or camper than the 4.3 but the 5.3 is the sweet spot. That’s my two cents anyways It’s actually a old school 5.7 with two cylinders cut off all the old 5.7 parts would fit it so I know they could bore it out and put 6.2 cylinders in her and get way more out of it why they do not is a real mistake kind of like the undercoating is falling off and my frame has more rust than my old Ford explorer I guess they have a PSA to clean them up but it’s definitely not looking good long term on the rust front for sure.
its funny more and more comments on this website complaining about gm qaulity and long time gm owners who wont buy a gm product again
As a mechanic when doing inspections i’ve seen lots of late model GM issues.. We all know what GM has been up to.. Do I trust The GM weezer turbo motor mid term .. No.. From Auto stop /start that won’t allow overide to clunky AFM lifter destroyer-Zero real world mileage gains garbage … He is my take.. Why build what the customers want..? Just wait til GM sells en mass their Laptop/cell phone with wheels EV rides.. I’m sure moisture will ruin every seal on that elec motor 5 min after warranty is up like moisture melts Silverado/GMC brakes lines- frames
Gm has always been No1# their trucks are great started out with 1976 5.7 liter cheyne, then 1985 Silverado 5.7 ,1996 Silverado 5.7 Z71,04 Silverado 2500hd 6.0,2013silverado,an last but not least just got 2020 Silverado 5.3 4×4 so far the worst things are brakes on some of them .So far I have never been stranded by a Chevy after many trucks an years..
They could have carried over the 4.2 Atlas I6 from the trailblazer (solid frame) and it would have been a beast. But you know, coulda shoulda woulda, didn’t.
Don’t know why the don’t slap a couple turbos on the 4.3 to compete with the 3.5 ecoboost?
To reply to another user chasing electrical issues my 2018 Silverado went into limp mode at 17k miles took the dealer 2 months and both fuse boxes and miles of splicing wires to get it running I recently sold it back with 26k miles when the limp mode came back again. I looked under the hood and they used black electrical tape and at the time admitted that GM had a Chinese supplier that did not make the copper wiring correctly before sealing in it’s plastic sheathing so when they cut the wires open they are full of green corrosion on a brand new truck. I used a hand held scanner got it out of limp mode and sold it to another GM dealer this month for 29k I then drove directly to the Ram dealer and got another Ram and said good buy to this horribly in consistent truck. Worst part is the techs all drove Rams and told me they refuse to buy another Chevy so I must have come to the same conclusion. It’s a shame the older trucks and the 2500 use to be bullet proof before they started cost cutting all the reliability out of them. Keep in mind I have two trucks one 2018 Chevy and a 2018 GMC Crew cab with the frame absolutely covered in rust I HAVE PHOTOS ITS CRAZY that Ram has a fully powder coated frame now and Chevy just slaps sum sticky tar on that falls off in cold Michigan weather the very first time it can and rust soon after. I have a 2006 Ford Explorer I keep because it’s still rust free? Runs perfectly and requires nothing? What happen to our big three? Very sad told the wife I guess next I will be forced to get an older truck or buy a Toyota