zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Chevy Is Putting Its New 401-HP V8 In A Van
Chevy Is Putting Its New 401-HP V8 In A Van-February 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:44

Image for article titled Chevy Is Putting Its New 401-HP V8 In A Van

When the debuted in the mid ‘90s, it happily puttered around with . Two and a half decades on and Chevrolet has gifted this utility van its new 6.6-liter V8, good for 401 HP. It’s not what the van needed—it’s what it deserved.

It’s both surprising and reassuring for me to learn that Chevy has been selling the same van for almost 25 years with almost no changes, and its sales have never dipped lower than 50,000 units a year.

There’s always been one relatively high-power V8 on the options list, it’s just that now it has crossed into complete bonkers territory. GM is swapping out the older 6.0-liter V8 unit for the new 6.6-liter unit found in the new heavy-duty Chevy Silverado pickups.

If you’ve ever driven a van, just keep in mind what that was like. Very little weight, very little bullshit, only somewhat nerve-racking to drive down city streets. Now add a 401 HP, 464 lb-ft of torque V8 engine into that mix and things are either going to be a lot of fun, or that wedding cake you’re trying to deliver is going to have to be eaten with spoons out of the back of your van.

Those new power figures beat out the old 6.0-liter V8 by 60 more horsepower and almost 90 lb-ft of torque, which is what comfortably fits into the category of “way, way, way more than enough.”

The engine itself isn’t just some copy-paste job shared with the average grocery store SUV either. It’s an iron block that , which is in a lot of mall lot SUVs, but the new 6.6-liter is an iron block and the greater displacement makes for more torque over the 6.2. It’s a beefier engine for a beefier job.

The new engine will be available on the Express as well as Chevy’s Low Cab Forward trucks starting this summer, though it’s unclear if that will also come with a price change for the biggest V8 option. Currently, the base Express with the 6.0-liter V8 starts at .

The best part of this all, though, is that GM isn’t sticking its neck out for the new engine. GM knows what people want; it opted for the most powerful 6.0-liter V8 option, and commercial sales of the model rose by 12 percent last year (though overall Express sales ).

This Express is unhinged, but so is America, I guess. You could fit a lot of hand sanitizer in the back of this thing and haul ass to your quarantine pretty quick. It’s the future.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
Subaru Had It Right All Along
Subaru Had It Right All Along
When first came to the United States, it sold small funky cars that were decidedly un-American. As the company grew its own identity and became more established in the U.S., it became the first automaker to offer an all-wheel-drive passenger car in 1975. Subaru was also an early-adopter of...
Feb 15, 2026
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I Can't Get Enough Of This YouTuber Who Builds Tiny, Fully Functional Scale-Model Cars
I love tiny, of . I have a that is roughly half the size of a normal cat, and she’s perfect. I own a 2013 , which is like the miniature version of a normal-sized vehicle (at least here in Texas) — but beyond that, I also own a Hot...
Feb 15, 2026
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
Toyota Is Moving A Prewar 700-Ton Press Machine Halfway Around The World
closed its São Bernardo Plant in November 2023, marking the end of its first overseas production facility. The closure caps off a period of continuous car production in São Paolo, , lasting over 60 years. The plant was home to a Komatsu 700-ton press that predates itself. And now...
Feb 15, 2026
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Kia EV9: What Do You Want To Know?
At long last, we are about to get behind the wheel of for the first time. Sure, , and sure, , and sure , but hey — what can you do? Anyway, before we get behind the wheel of this three-row electric beast, we want to know what you...
Feb 15, 2026
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I Entered My Lifted Miata In A Real Off-Road Race, Here's What Happened
I have two automotive loves: The first is the Miata, the second is off-road racing. For a while I raced air-cooled Volkswagens in the deserts of California and Nevada and I was lucky enough to co-drive in a class 11 stock bug in the Baja 1000 a few years...
Feb 15, 2026
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
Watch ABS Fail When MotorWeek Tests A 1997 Chevy S-10
MotorWeek’s is some of the on the internet. The long-running automotive news magazine has a treasure trove of tests after being on the air for over 40 years. Where else can you find detailed instrumented testing of long-forgotten cars like the or a ? MotorWeek’s recent Retro Review upload is...
Feb 15, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved