While there are many people these days who prefer high-end, premium pickups, there are also some who just want the essentials. He likes the cloth bench seat rather than the massage of a leather throne. These are the people who buy Chevy Silverado WT – well, them and fleets. And finally, for the 2027 model year, they can get that work truck spec with the torquey 3.0-liter Duramax diesel.
Until now, the Silverado WT was only available with a 2.7-liter Turbomax four-cylinder and a 5.3-liter V8. The former is still the base engine (although it’s now paired with a 10-speed automatic instead of the old eight-speed), and General Motors’ next-gen 5.7-liter small-block replaces the latter. Although we don’t have power specs for the new 350 V8, I imagine it will be the highest horsepower option, while the diesel probably offers the most twist in its current state with 495 lb-ft of torque.
We still have a lot to learn about the 2027 Silverado 1500 as it just launched on Tuesday, but we can make some informed guesses based on the outgoing model. The 3.0-liter Duramax helps 2026 model-year trucks tow up to 13,300 pounds, and it does so with the diesel inline-six’s signature smoothness. Sure, a V8 can do it, but it won’t be as good. Additionally, the oil burner should get better fuel mileage than a small-block and probably a turbomax four-cylinder, since that thing drinks fuel when the turbo spools up.
I emailed Chevrolet and asked if the Duramax option is limited to a certain cab, bed, and drivetrain combination. It’s only available in the Crew Cab, and that may still be the case. But imagine if Chevy went all out and offered a single-cab diesel. Now that would be something.
I’ll update this story later with a response from the Bowtie brand, but in the meantime, we can collectively applaud a base model truck on steelies that uses the green handle on the pump. The world is a better place with people like this.
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