GM’s New Small-Block V8s Turn Everyday Pickups Into Sleepers

Chevy has a new Corvette Grand Sport for 2027, and if you know that, you’ll also know that the GS was the first GM vehicle to get the automaker’s all-new, sixth-generation small-block V8. But today we got a look at the versions that really matter, the ones bound for GM’s big selling pickups.

Headed for the incoming model year Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, the new L76- and L78-code V8s comprehensively kick the butts of the engines they replace. Both should make life easier for GM truck fans, whether they’re tugging a boat or bed full for timber, or just trying to teach a hot hatch a lesson at the lights.

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Each engine sticks with the gen-five’s familiar 4.4-inch (112 mm) bore spacing, as well as the single cam and two overhead valve layout that seemed high-tech when the very first small-block dropped in 1955. But compression ratios and throttle body diameters are up versus last year’s specs, and so is the cube-count. The new V8s displace a nice, round, and retro-sounding 350 and 400 cubic inches.

Towing Demon

The base V8 is the L76 5.7 that replaces the old 5.3 EcoTec3. Power jumps from 355 to 402 hp (360-408 PS), and torque climbs from 383 lb-ft (519 Nm) to 428 lb-ft (580 Nm). Those numbers sound pretty solid to us, and GM claims the Silverado’s 13,700-lbs (6,200 kg) tow rating beats out anything else in its class. But if you’re hurting for more, the L78 is only a check box away.

The bigger motor displaces 6.6 liters, which compares with 6.2 liters for the V8 it replaces, and 6.7 liters for the 535 hp (542 PS) LS6 in the MY27 Corvette. The Vette has a fractionally longer stroke. Instead of the old 6.2’s 420 hp (426 PS) and 460 lb-ft (624 Nm), GM’s fresh 6.6 gives you 481 hp (488 PS) and 501 lb-ft (679 Nm).

TurboMax Also Gains Horses

GM didn’t expend all its efforts on the new V8s, though. The entry-level 2.7-litre four-cylinder TurboMax gets a 40 hp (41 PS) and 25 lb-ft (34 Nm) boost to 350 hp (355 PS) and 455 lb-ft (617 Nm). And though the 3.0-liter Duramax Turbo-Diesel’s 305 hp (309 PS) and 495 lb-ft (671 Nm) stats are unchanged, GM says it’s tweaked parts like the pistons and turbo vanes and injector to improve performance and reliability.

One thing we don’t yet know is how fast these V8-equipped pickups can go. But that 6.6 has the makings of a real stealthy truck.

*Payload and Maximum towing varies by vehicle configuration, trim and available packages.

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