“That thing got a 350 in it?” is a question I’d often hear when driving my beloved 1989 Chevy K1500 — a truck I sometimes regret selling because it was, by far, the best truck I’ve ever owned. But with the new millennium, the beloved 350 left the Silverado and was replaced with another icon: the 5.3-liter small-block V8. This became the standard for the last quarter century, but now it’s gone and the 350 is back. Joining those cubic inches is a fresh new face, a new interior with a big passenger-side screen, and so much more. Let’s have a look at the new 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500.
Upon hearing that the 2027 Chevy Silverado is ditching the 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V8, my first thought was “Wow, that 5.3-liter has been around a while!” And so my initial headline was “The 2027 Chevy Silverado Ditches Its 5.3L V8 After 27 Years.” But then I saw what that 5.3-liter is being replaced by — a 5.7-liter (350 cubic-inch) V8 — and I decided it was best to celebrate the return of the most iconic Chevy truck engine displacement than to lament the 5.3-liter’s passing.
To be sure, this is obviously not the same 350 as my GM400’s TBI 350, but it’s still a cool throwback that Chevrolet says on its press release “honors Chevy Small Block heritage.” The 350 is joined by a 6.6-liter replacing the 6.2-liter that’s been around for almost two decades. Sadly, we have no power or torque figures, but displacement for both motors is up by 0.4-liters, so things sounds promising. Chevy says about the two motors: “these next-generation V8s deliver improvements in power and torque giving customers more choice without compromise.”
The gigantic 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is sticking around (Chevy says it has been “enhanced”), though now it’s mated to a 10-speed auto instead of an 8-speed, and a 3.0-liter turbodiesel joins the fun, as well.
Chevy emphasizes that of its seven trims, three of them are lifted: the ZR2, the Trail Boss and Custom Trail Boss. (Random thought: If Chevy had six trims, would they say three are lifted or three are lowered? Food for thought…).
The ZR2 sits on 35s with a two-inch lift, a special “off-road hood,” standard lockers front and rear, and Multimatic DSSV dampers.
The Custom Trail Boss (a more budget friendly Trail Boss) and regular Trail Boss (shown above) has the same two-inch lift, but makes do with 34s.
I myself like the Work Truck trim, because the steelies look great. On the other end of the spectrum is the High Country, which is the flagship trim:
It’s got a gorgeous interior that matches the aggressive, angular exterior styling pretty much perfectly:
There’s a lot of screen happening in the cabin, with a 16.3-inch center display, a 12.2-inch gauge display, and an 11.5-inch screen for the passenger. How well will all of this screen-ification age? I don’t know. But as of right now, it looks great.
Really, overall the truck — built on the T1-2 platform that is a modified version of the outgoing truck’s T1 bones — looks nice. It’s not a huge departure from the outgoing machine stylistically or architecturally speaking, but it’s a nice update, and I’m really excited to learn more about how the new V8 motors perform in the Silverado 1500.
All Images: Chevy
Big improvement over the current gen, it looks like a scaled-up Colorado, which is the best looking midsizer.
The grille could be cleaned up though; I don’t dig the upsidedownface styling. I’m curious to see the GMC version, over the past few gens of truck the GMC has looked cleaner.
My first vehicle ever was a 350 powered Chevy pickup, so it would be cool to be able to get one again. I’ll give it a few years to see how the new engines shake out though. It’s a sad world where GM is building unreliable V8’s.
The work truck model seems excessively lifted. There’s a massive gap between the tire and the fender that looks… off to me.
36″ load height will do that.
well; it has to faux bad azz.
Interior designers looks at ever larger and wider vehicles, the shifter out of the way on the steering column, with all that extra room what to do? Lets add a center console that takes up a third of the width of the cab, will not allow sliding to other side, makes it so only two can sit in front where three could with room to spare, or four in a pinch. The solution: add a full second row, two more doors, shorter bed but a longer truck. And $10,000 more to the price. Apply to all trucks, suv’s, and cars.
But does it still have the transmission co-developed with Ford? If so, no thanks.
Give me a genuine Allison transmission any day.
sure it does, they need to recoup their investment…
They’ve had the issues worked out of that trans for several years now
All these powertrain choices, but none are the PHEV or EREV that I really want to buy. Electric commute to work. Gas for long trips pulling my camper. Gobs of instant torque for getting my trailer moving. Come on!
Have you considered the Silverado EV? with 450 miles of range its about the only EV truck that can haul a camper legitimately
Not really. I don’t want to deal with EV charging while going to camping destinations. We have an EV and a PHEV, but will stick with gas for the truck for now. My truck is a 21 with 40,000 miles on it, so truthfully, I won’t be in the market for a different truck for quite a while.
Beauty only a sleep-deprived engineer can see I guess. Because I sure can’t see any of it. Fugly is as fugly does.
The engines needed to get even bigger why exactly? Did they get any less explodey? How ’bout those 10 speeds? Any less shuddery?
It is easier to meet emission standards and maintain power with more displacement.
The 6.6L isn’t new – it has been in the HD trucks, vans, and commercial vehicles for awhile.
That L8T doesn’t produce more power than the L87 6.2 though, just 4 more foot-lbs. I believe this new generation V8 architecture spawned 3 new variants off the jump: the 350, the Corvette’s LS6, and new 400 cubic-inch.
The L8T doesn’t need more power or torque – it is about the perfect truck engine with more than 400 lb-ft of torque from 1800 RPM.
Fair, but it’s still a LT-based engine. I’m betting the ’27s get a new 6.6L, and not the L8T.
When I’m wrong, which for some reason I kinda hope I am, then hey, GM made a good choice for once.
I can’t really see why GM needs two 6.6L V8 pushroad truck engines but you might be right.
This could be a new aluminum block 6.6L for the light duty trucks and SUVs that will have more power for the spec sheet racers and require premium fuel like the current 6.2L.
EDIT: Some other sites are speculating this is a new 6.6L that will make 500 hp and that GM is claiming it to be the most powerful NA V8 in a light duty truck.
Pretty sure this is an all new 6.6. Not the one that has been available.
I looks like you are right. This is a new 6.6L tuned up so GM can claim the most powerful NA V8 in a light duty truck. It is the bench racer’s engine not the engine for people doing work.
The larger displacement is because they can make more torque in 4 cylinder mode. Then for EPA fuel economy testing it will stay in low displacement mode more often improving those numbers. YMMV in the real world….
The explodeyness probably won’t. I bet it’s contagious.
fugly. agreed
Screens will age like the high technology of the 80s and 90s did: poorly
Those fleet spec steelies are dope though
Yes and no. I love buttons as much as anyone, and prefer analog gauges. But just as I don’t see aircraft going back to steam punk dials and a thousand buttons, I don’t see screens in cars going away completely. But wall-to-wall is absurd. I think there is a happy medium, and with the incorporation of a handful of buttons for common quick access things like climate control. The new VW ID Polo appears to get it right.
Yes, I think auto UX designers need to spend some time with flight deck design engineers for Airbus/Boeing/Embraer and the FAA/EASA. Modern flight decks are the product of a hell of a lot of testing on human responses in stressful situations, and while there’s touchscreens all over, none of the critical controls (including pilot air conditioning!) are shunted solely to them, they have to have their own unique and recognizeable-by-touch-alone form.
I would peg touch-screen bullshit in the current auto UX design world as being responsible for upper 4 to lower 5 figures of deaths a year around the world. Utterly insane.
Yeah the entire-dash display is gonna look stupid and cringe in five years though, mark my words
Airplanes are just an entirely different use case than cars. Distraction from looking outside is mostly not a thing, and in those occasions where the pilots NEED to be looking outside, the distractions are actively suppressed. There is a HELL of a lot more information that needs to be displayed, and absolutely none of it is purely for entertainment purposes. Plus at least in theory, highly trained professionals working the systems. And even then, aircraft controls are mostly not touchscreens. Just a few less-critical ones are starting to be, but I doubt it will ever be the way it is in cars.
In cars it’s just a combination of cost-cutting and bling factor. And far, far, far too tempting of a distraction. And/or in too many cases, actual obstruction of using the it.
“Exterior passenger front 3/4 beauty shot.”
Hmm, I missed the beauty, just saw the shot.
Dear gawd modern full sizers are ugly.
I’m digging the refresh. the 2.7 turbo would actually be plenty of truck for me but i’m interested in the 3.0 i6 diesel
I suspect the 2.7 gas turbo will have lower cost of ownership.
Unless you need the extra towing capacity, the 2.7 is pretty solid. It pulled my 5k camping trailer over the Sierras without breaking a sweat. It was mostly in the 2-3k rpm range the entire time.
The 2.7l turbo puts out 40+hp and 100+ lb-ft. of torque compared to the 5.3l in the GMT400, so that tracks.
Have GM sorted the issues with the LZ0? I believe it was crank thrust bearing failure.
It’s a shame that it still looks like it’s at least 6″ taller than it needs to be and STILL looks like it was beaten with the ugly-stick.
Beaten hard with the ugly stick.
Once that broke they got the ugly pole out for a few more hits.
My dad had two C10s when I was a kid so even though my car’s a Honda I’m culturally obligated to be a Chevy man if I ever needed a pickup.
Good thing I can carry everything I need to in a hatchback.