The new Silverado/Sierra had a rather lukewarm reception, but in all the talk about the new styling, features, etc, not many people bothered to report on the all new 4.3L v6. Myself, along with practically every other S-series pickup owner out there, would love to see a more efficient powerplant for these trucks. The typical engine swap is to a Vortec 350 or LS-based v8. And while these motors increase power significantly, it is at the expense of extra weight and reduced FE (albeit marginal).
Enter the new 4.3L v6. Similar to the its historical cast-iron cousin, it is derived from a small-block GM v8 with two cylinders removed. However, the new motor is an
all-aluminum, direct injection, variable valve timing V6 with active fuel management (displacement on demand) that turns the motor into a V4 on closed loop.
So now we have an all-new, lightweight, efficient, and powerful V6 from GM. Complete specifications have not yet been released, but estimates are around 260HP/300TQ and 25MPG in a full-size truck. And it should retrofit nicely in DaGnoma. About darn time!!
