Half-Ton Heavies: Chevy & GMC 3.0 Duramax Diesel vs 6.2 Gas V8

• December 17, 2022
• Story By
  Mike Garrett

For a long time, the engine options for a half ton pickup truck or SUV were pretty simple. You might have an inline or V6 engine as a base choice, followed by a couple of naturally aspirated V8s in different displacements.

Today it’s a different story. Not only do you still find naturally aspirated six and eight cylinder engines, there are a variety of turbocharged engines as well—including Turbodiesels, which used to be strictly for heavy duty trucks.

And when it comes to General Motors current high-end half-ton trucks and SUVs, buyers have a choice between a 6.2 liter V8 and a 3.0 Duramax I6 turbo diesel.

Whether you are looking at a new Silverado 1500, a Tahoe, a Suburban or one of their GMC counterparts—the choice between the 6.2 and the Duramax is one many buyers face. Let’s take a look at the two.

Torque or Horsepower?

Both the 6.2 liter V8 and the 3.0 Duramax serve as upgrades over the more common 5.3 liter V8, and the 6.2 is actually the slightly more expensive option, costing about $1,500 more than the Duramax.

As you'd expect, the choice between the two engines largely comes down to torque, horsepower and fuel economy. The 3.0 Duramax comes in at 277 horsepower and 460 pound feet of torque.

The 6.2 V8 meanwhile makes a lot more horsepower - 420 to be exact, but with the same 460 pound feet of torque. And both engines come mated to GM's ten-speed automatic transmission.

Real World Performance

So how do these two powerplants compare in the real world? The 6.2 easily beats the Duramax in acceleration thanks to its big horsepower advantage.

But when it comes to towing, GM increased the towing capacity of the 3.0 Duramax for 2022 and it now has the same 13,300 lb maximum towing capacity as the 6.2 V8. 

Where the Duramax gets a significant edge is in fuel economy. Depending on specific trim, the 3.0 Duramax can do around 7 miles per gallon better on average than the 6.2.

Keep in mind you'll also want to factor in the difference in price between gasoline and diesel in your area when determining which is more economical to run.

Verdict

Even with its great towing performance and fuel economy, the half-ton Duramax still finds itself in a strange spot. Chances are, if buyers favor a Diesel engine or have serious towing in mind, they’ll probably be looking at a three-quarter-ton HD rig.

And it’s not like the 6.2 V8 is a slouch when it comes to towing. As we just saw, there's no real difference between the towing capacity of the two engines. The V8 also runs on regular gasoline of course, and is a much simpler design overall.

Ultimately, unless a half ton buyer is looking specifically for a the 3.0’s combination of low end torque and improved fuel economy, we’d probably recommend going with the more traditional 6.2 V8 in this case.

With that said, we are happy the GM (and other brands) offer half-ton turbodiesel options that perform so well. It's great that GM lets buyers choose between horsepower and fuel economy.

And in the end, more choice is always a good thing, especially in the hyper competitive half-ton pickup truck and SUV segment where buyers have more options than ever.