GM Gives Official Ratings for EcoTec3 V-6

The new GM EcoTec3 4.3-liter V-6, the base engine for both the new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2014 GMC Sierra 1500, now has official fuel economy and maximum payload and towing numbers, and they're pretty impressive.

Just we speculated about what the exact fuel economy numbers would be in a chart comparing all the makers of full-size pickup truck V-6s, and we were pretty close.

Silverado and Sierra 4x2s will offer an EPA rating of 18/24 mpg city/highway,making them just as good as the Ram 1500 with the new Pentastar and eight-speedtransmission in the city and only 1 mpg less than the Ram on the highway.

In 4×4 configurations, the new Silverado and Sierra half-tons will get 17/22 mpg city/highway, the former being the best city number in the V-6 full-size pickup segment. Additionally, according to the the most updated spec sheets, maximum payload capacity for either pickup will be 2,108 pounds, and maximum towing capacity will be 7,200 — both class leading when equipped with a V-6.

We're hoping to get a pair of identically equipped Chevy or GMC V-6 pickups — one with a trailer, one without — at some point down the road so we can repeat the same long-distance routes and tests we've done with both the Ford F-150 EcoBoost andRam 1500 Pentastar. Stay tuned.