During the Investor Day presentation, GM President Mark Reuss touted the success of the Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickups powered by the 3.0L I6 LZ0 turbodiesel Duramax engine compared to their closest rival from the Blue Oval, the Ford F-150 with the PowerBoost hybrid V6. Reuss says GM is beating Ford in this arena in both efficiency and sales numbers.
“The Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra equipped with our 3.0-liter diesel are more affordable than the F-150 Hybrid and get better fuel economy at 27 to 30 miles per gallon highway while running on less expensive fuel,” Reuss boasted. “And by the way, we sold more diesel pickups this year than Ford has sold hybrid pickups.”
Reuss was slightly off when he said the diesel Silverado/Sierra can get up to 30 mpg on the highway. The official EPA rating is up to 26 mpg highway with 4WD and 29 mpg highway with RWD. For comparison, the 4WD-only hybrid F-150 is rated at 22 city/24 highway/23 combined mpg.
Trim Level | Engine | Drivetrain | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined MPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All | Turbo-Diesel 3.0L I6 LZ0 | 2WD | 23 | 29 | 26 |
All | Turbo-Diesel 3.0L I6 LZ0 | 4WD | 22 | 26 | 24 |
All with Mud-Terrain Tires | Turbo-Diesel 3.0L I6 LZ0 | 4WD | 21 | 24 | 23 |
ZR2 | Turbo-Diesel 3.0L I6 LZ0 | 4WD | 20 | 23 | 21 |
All | Turbo 2.7L I4 L3B | 2WD | 18 | 21 | 19 |
All | Turbo 2.7L I4 L3B | 4WD | 17 | 20 | 18 |
All | 5.3L V8 L84 | 2WD | 16 | 21 | 18 |
All | 5.3L V8 L84 | 4WD | 16 | 19 | 17 |
All | 6.2L V8 L87 | 4WD | 15 | 20 | 17 |
All with Mud-Terrain Tires | 5.3L V8 L84 | 4WD | 15 | 19 | 17 |
All with Mud-Terrain Tires | Turbo 2.7L I4 L3B | 4WD | 16 | 17 | 16 |
All with Mud-Terrain Tires | 6.2L V8 L87 | 4WD | 14 | 17 | 15 |
ZR2 | 6.2L V8 L87 | 4WD | 14 | 17 | 15 |
Trim Level | Engine | Drivetrain | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined MPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All | Turbo-Diesel 3.0L I6 LZ0 | 2WD | 23 | 29 | 26 |
All | Turbo-Diesel 3.0L I6 LZ0 | 4WD | 22 | 26 | 24 |
All with Mud-Terrain Tires | Turbo-Diesel 3.0L I6 LZ0 | 4WD | 21 | 24 | 23 |
AT4X | Turbo-Diesel 3.0L I6 LZ0 | 4WD | 19 | 20 | 19 |
All | Turbo 2.7L I4 L3B | 2WD | 18 | 21 | 19 |
All | Turbo 2.7L I4 L3B | 4WD | 17 | 19 | 18 |
All | 5.3L V8 L84 | 2WD | 16 | 21 | 18 |
All | 5.3L V8 L84 | 4WD | 15 | 19 | 17 |
All | 6.2L V8 L87 | 4WD | 15 | 19 | 16 |
All with Mud-Terrain Tires | 5.3L V8 L84 | 4WD | 15 | 19 | 17 |
All with Mud-Terrain Tires | Turbo 2.7L I4 L3B | 4WD | 16 | 17 | 16 |
All with Mud-Terrain Tires | 6.2L V8 L87 | 4WD | 14 | 17 | 15 |
AT4X | 6.2L V8 L87 | 4WD | 14 | 16 | 15 |
It’s true that the diesel-powered Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 have higher fuel economy ratings than the hybrid Ford F-150, but in their most efficient forms, they have identical estimated annual fuel costs from the EPA. Another thing to keep in mind is that the F-150 has standard four-wheel drive when opting for the PowerBoost hybrid powertrain, and the Ford has lower estimated fuel costs than a Duramax-powered full-size GM pickup with 4WD.
On the point of affordability, there’s no questioning Reuss’s claim that GM has the advantage. The most affordable hybrid F-150 you can configure comes in at right around the $60k mark since the lowest trim where the hybrid engine is available is the XLT SuperCrew.
Meanwhile, it’s possible to get a Chevy Silverado 1500 LT Double Cab with a diesel engine and RWD for only about $53k. Since diesel-powered Chevy Silverado 1500 units are turning so fast on dealer lots due to a lack of direct competition, Chevy is planning a far higher diesel engine mix for the 2025 model year.