In spite of the high price of gasoline, diesel engines continue to be a favorite amongst truck drivers. Chevrolet and GMC both understand this very well, which is why they offer the same Duramax Diesel engine on the Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500. But how reliable is this engine, and is it worth the cost?

How good is the 3.0 Duramax Diesel engine?

The Duramax Diesel engine is in its second generation, and there are a few updates. Chevrolet was pleased to announce the new Duramax 3.0L Turbo-Diesel engine pushes out 7.6 percent more torque and 10 percent more horsepower. It can deliver 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque. This is an increase of 28 hp and 35 lb-ft of torque from the 2022 model, which generated 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque.

GMC offered a few more details and stated that some of the new updates included improved temperature control features, a new steel piston design, new fuel injectors, and a revised turbo compressor.

For the 2022 model of the Duramax, which was the LM2, many people complained it was too slow to start. Chevrolet and GMC addressed this by making the pistons shorter. You can also go 200,000 miles before having an engine inspection.

GM diesel truck fuel economy

The fuel ratings for the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 are actually impressive for a truck – which is one reason drivers still opt for a diesel engine. The EPA estimates 24 MPG in the city, 29 MPG on the highway, and 26 MPG combined. These figures drop a bit when powering a 4WD pickup truck. The 2023 Silverado with a Duramax diesel takes 7.1 seconds to go from zero to 60 MPH, and 21.5 seconds to hit 100 MPH. The top speed on the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is only 114 MPH, so it’s not the type of truck that will win races.

The EPA gives the same fuel economy figures for the 2023 GMC Sierra 1500. It gets 22 MPG in the city, 27 MPG on the highway, and 24 MPG combined when equipped with 4WD, with those numbers increasing a bit in 2WD. Speed is where the 2023 Sierra 1500 stands out over the Silverado 1500. It can go from zero to 60 in 5.9 seconds, and 100 MPH in 13.9 seconds.

Do the 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 and 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 diesel trucks have different Duramax engines?

They are very similar, but the Silverado 1500 has the more powerful Duramax engine. At first glance, both look the same. The horsepower and torque are both equal. When you begin to look at the max payload and max trailering, however, it becomes clear that the 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 doesn’t offer quite as much power.

The two-wheel drive 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 has a max payload of 1,890 lbs. The four-wheel drive is rated at 1,880 lbs.

For the 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, the two-wheel drive offers 1,970 lbs. max payload. The four-wheel drive has a max payload of 1,960 lbs. The same applies to the max trailering. The Sierra 1500 gets an impressive 13,200 lbs for the two-wheel drive option. This drops slightly to 13,000 lbs for the four-wheel drive.

The Silverado 1500 outdoes this with a max trailering capacity of 13,300 pounds for the two-wheel drive. The four-wheel drive is equal to the Sierra 1500.

Which 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 trucks offer the new Duramax engine?

Currently, there are six 2023 Chevy Silverado trims that offer the Duramax Diesel engine. These include the Custom Trail Boss, LT, RST, LT Trail Boss, LTZ, and the High Country. The Sierra 1500 includes it as standard on the AT4, and it’s available on the SLE, Elevation, SLT, Denali, and Denali Ultimate.

More vehicles will be getting it next year, including some Cadillacs. Chevy includes the Duramax diesel engine option on the Tahoe and Suburban, GMC includes the option on the Yukon and Yukon XL, and for Cadillac it’s the Escalade and Escalade ESV.

The new Duramax available on the vehicles next year is even more powerful, with the ability to generate 470 hp and 975 lb-ft of torque. There will also be a price increase, but that’s to be expected with the upgrade in power.