What Chevy Truck Has the Best Gas Mileage?
When you think of pickup trucks, whether full-size or midsize, the first thing that usually comes to mind isn’t their awesome gas mileage is. Many truck shoppers are willing to sacrifice fuel economy for power, depending upon what they want to use their pickup for. However, you don’t have to sacrifice gas mileage for towing capacity, and Chevrolet is the proof of that. But the Chevy truck that gets the best gas mileage might surprise you.
Which Chevy truck has the best gas mileage?
It might be surprising that the Chevy Silverado, when properly equipped, actually gets better gas mileage than the smaller Colorado. You have Chevrolet’s effiicient 3.0-liter turbodiesel to thank for the half-ton’s superior fuel efficiency.
According to Chevrolet, when the Silverado has the available Duramax turbodiesel engine, it gets 23 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. That’s on par with many sedans and small SUVs.
The Silverado can also be equipped with a 2.7L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine that delivers a combined mileage of 21 mpg. The impressive thing here is that the four-cylinder actually delivers an impressive 310 hp. The 3.7-liter V6 produces 285 hp with less impressive fuel economy. U.S. News calls the 2.7-liter 4-cylinder preferable to the 3.7-liter V6, for good reason.
And the Silverado doesn’t sacrifice power for fuel economy, either.
The Duramax diesel has a towing capacity of 9,500 pounds, while the gas-powered version can tow a respective 9,300. For comparison, the larger 6.2-liter V8 with the max towing capacity package can trailer 13,300 pounds.
If the Silverado is equipped with the 6.2-liter V8, it gets only 16 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway, at best. If equipped with the Trail Boss package without the auto start/stop feature, it gets only 14 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway.
For the customer who doesn’t need 13,300 pounds of towing capacity, the smaller Duramax diesel or the 2.7-liter four-cylinder could be a surprisingly economic buy.
The base price for the 2021 Silverado is an affordable $35,300.
How does the Chevy Colorado stack up?
All that isn’t to say the smaller Chevy Colorado isn’t fuel-efficient. With the standard 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, the mileage is a combined 22 mpg, with 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. But the most popular model sold will set you back to 17 mpg in town and 24 mpg on the highway.
Chevrolet offers a Duramax diesel option for the Colorado too. Though the horsepower comes in at just 181, the torque is 369 lb-ft, making it a respectable option for light towing and four-wheel-drive expeditions. The Duramax gets 18 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway.
Starting at $27,700, the Colorado doesn’t put up numbers as impressive as the Silverado’s, but Chevy’s midsize truck is still respectable.
GMC also offers trucks with good fuel economy
Chevrolet’s sister brand, GMC, keeps up with the fuel-efficient trend with the Canyon and Sierra. The Sierra is the full-size truck, while the Canyon is GMC’s midsize pickup.
The Sierra’s turbodiesel engine gets up to 23 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway while delivering 277 hp. It’s very similar to the Silverado’s towing capacity.
The Canyon, newly redesigned for 2021, also has a diesel option. It gets 20 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and a towing capacity of 7,700 pounds.
Those are, of course, similar to the Silverado and Colorado.
So, if you’re looking for towing and hauling capacity, along with excellent fuel economy, General Motors trucks give you plenty of options.
Next, find out how much worse the Jeep truck’s mpg is Vs. the Wrangler’s, or see General Motor’s 3.0-liter diesel put through the ultimate towing test in the video below:
