2027 Silverado HD vs. Ford Super Duty: GM Wins the Power War. Does It Win the Truck?
GM's new 8.3L Duramax out-muscles Ford's Power Stroke on paper. Ford still holds the towing, payload, and pricing cards, and its truck is on sale now.
General Motors fired the loudest shot in the heavy-duty pickup fight in years on September 24. The 2027 Chevrolet Silverado HD gets an all-new 8.3-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8 rated at 555 hp and 1,230 lb-ft, figures GM calls best in class. That tops the 500 hp and 1,200 lb-ft of Ford's 6.7-liter High-Output Power Stroke.
Horsepower is only one line on a work truck's spec sheet, though. On towing, payload, price, and plain availability, Ford's 2027 Super Duty still holds most of the cards, and GM has left several of the most important numbers blank.
2027 Silverado HD vs. 2027 Ford Super Duty: Specs at a Glance
| 2027 Chevrolet Silverado HD | 2027 Ford Super Duty | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | U.S. dealers beginning late 2026 | Orderable now |
| Starting price | TBA | F-250 XL from $45,975 (before destination) |
| Diesel option price | TBA | $12,495 (F-250 XL) |
| Gas engine | 6.6L V8 | 7.3L V8 |
| Gas output | 412 hp / 472 lb-ft (rpm TBA) | 420 hp @ 5,350 rpm / 445 lb-ft @ 4,250 rpm |
| Diesel engine | 8.3L Duramax turbodiesel V8 | 6.7L High-Output Power Stroke turbodiesel V8 |
| Diesel output | 555 hp / 1,230 lb-ft (rpm TBA) | 500 hp @ 2,600 rpm / 1,200 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm |
| Transmission | Allison 10-speed automatic (10L1000) | TorqShift 10-speed automatic |
| Max conventional towing | 20,000 lb | 30,000 lb |
| Max gooseneck towing | 38,000 lb | 40,000 lb |
| Max GCWR | 46,500 lb | 48,000 lb |
| Max gas towing | TBA | 22,500 lb |
| Max payload | TBA | 7,900 lb (gas); 6,935 lb (diesel) |
| Steering | Electric rack-and-pinion | Hydraulic power assist |
| Front brakes | 14.6-in rotors, four-piston fixed calipers, electronic brake boost | 14.29-in rotors (F-250/F-350); 15.39-in (F-450) |
| Diesel powertrain warranty | TBA | 5 years/100,000 miles |
Sources: GM's 2027 heavy-duty announcement and Ford's 2027 Super Duty specifications. Maximum ratings apply to specific, properly equipped configurations, not to every truck.
The Engine: GM Finally Takes the Crown
The 8.3L Duramax is GM's first heavy-duty pickup diesel V8 designed, developed, and built in-house. It uses a compacted graphite iron block, a forged crankshaft and connecting rods, and steel pistons, and it will be built at GM's DMAX plant in Brookville, Ohio.
Compared with the outgoing 6.6-liter Duramax, rated at 470 hp and 975 lb-ft, the gain is 85 hp and 255 lb-ft. Against Ford, the margin is narrower: 55 hp and 30 lb-ft. The 8.3-liter engine also has about 24% more displacement than the 6.7-liter Power Stroke. We covered the hardware in detail in our breakdown of the 8.3L Duramax specs.
One caveat: GM hasn't published the engine speeds at which peak power and torque arrive. Ford rates the Power Stroke's 1,200 lb-ft at 1,600 rpm. Until GM shares its curve, the comparison stops at peak numbers.
On the gas side, the picture splits. GM's updated 6.6L V8 now makes 412 hp and 472 lb-ft. Ford dropped its 6.8L V8 for 2027 and made the 7.3L standard on F-250 and F-350, but now lists it at 420 hp and 445 lb-ft, down from 430 hp and 485 lb-ft in 2026. Ford's gas engine has 8 more horsepower; GM's has 27 more lb-ft.
Towing and Payload: Ford Still Leads
GM raised its maximum gooseneck rating to 38,000 pounds and its maximum gross combined weight rating to 46,500 pounds. The company also says every diesel dual-rear-wheel model can tow at least 30,000 pounds.
Ford's ceiling is still higher. The Super Duty's 40,000-pound gooseneck rating requires an F-450 Regular Cab 4x2 with the diesel and the High-Capacity Gooseneck Tow Package, which carries a 48,000-pound GCWR. For conventional ball-hitch towing, Ford lists up to 30,000 pounds versus GM's 20,000.
Payload is a blank on the Chevy side, because GM hasn't released 2027 payload ratings. Ford quotes a maximum of 7,900 pounds, reached by an F-350 Regular Cab 4x2 dually with the gas engine and the Heavy-Duty Payload Package. The best diesel figure is 6,935 pounds.
Steering and Brakes: GM's Quieter Advantage
The bigger long-term story may be what GM changed around the engine. The 2027 Silverado HD swaps hydraulic power steering for a rack-and-pinion electric system that GM calls a first for the segment, with roughly 30% more steering output than the old hydraulic gear. It also adds an electronic brake-boost system, 14.6-inch front rotors, and four-piston fixed front calipers.
Ford's 2027 spec sheet still lists hydraulic power assist for Super Duty steering, with 14.29-inch front rotors on F-250 and F-350 and 15.39-inch rotors on F-450. Electric steering eliminates the pump, hoses, and fluid, which should mean less to maintain. Whether it feels as natural as a well-sorted hydraulic setup with a 30,000-pound trailer behind it is something only a drive will answer.
Price: Ford Has One, GM Doesn't
This is where the comparison gets thin. GM has not announced MSRP for the 2027 Silverado HD or the cost of the 8.3L diesel option. The trucks are due at U.S. dealers beginning in late 2026.
The 2027 Super Duty is already orderable. An F-250 XL starts at $45,975 before destination, and the High-Output Power Stroke adds $12,495 on the F-250. Until GM publishes its prices, there's no way to say whether the extra 55 hp costs extra.
Shopping one size down? See our F-150 vs. Silverado 1500 ownership-cost comparison.
What We Don't Know Yet
- Pricing for the 2027 Silverado HD and its diesel option.
- The rpm at which the 8.3L makes peak horsepower and torque.
- Towing and payload ratings for specific cab, bed, axle, and engine combinations.
- Whether the 6.6L Duramax stays in the lineup. GM's announcement doesn't address the older diesel.
- How Ford responds. Ford hasn't announced new Power Stroke output.
Which One Should You Wait For?
If you tow at the top of the segment, with gooseneck loads beyond 38,000 pounds or bumper-pull trailers heavier than 20,000 pounds, the answer today is the Super Duty. It has the higher published ratings, a known price, and trucks you can order now. Nothing GM has released changes that.
If your loads sit comfortably inside GM's new limits, the Silverado HD is worth waiting for. It brings the highest published diesel output in the segment, electric steering, and a new brake system in one model-year change. Those are meaningful upgrades for anyone who spends long days behind the wheel with a trailer.
The case for patience has limits. The 8.3L is a first-year engine in a refreshed truck, and GM hasn't shown prices or configuration-level ratings. Our advice: don't put down a deposit on a Silverado HD until GM publishes its full trailering tables. If those numbers land close to Ford's at a similar price, GM will have won more than the horsepower war. If they don't, the spec-sheet crown is mostly bragging rights.
