Small, turbocharged engines have a tendency to break down earlier than naturally aspirated engines. Electric pickups often struggle to match combustion-powered trucks when it comes to long-haul towing. Hybrids are fine, but the electric power system is one more thing that can break.
We’re not saying we don’t see the appeal of a variety of powertrain options; we’re just saying a naturally aspirated V8 is hard to beat for powering a pickup. Thankfully, there are still plenty of eight-cylinder trucks out there with no turbos or electric motors. Here are seven to pick from.
We selected these models for their naturally aspirated V8 engines. We arranged the final selection from least to most towing power.
7
2026 Ram 1500 5.7-Liter Hemi V8
A Hemi-Equipped Ram 1500 With Crew Cab And 5’7″ Box Starts At $51,070
Engine
5.7-Liter NA 8-Cylinder
Power
395 hp
Maximum Towing Capacity
11,470 lbs.
Ram made a questionable decision to drop the 5.7-liter Hemi from the Ram 1500 lineup for 2025. The brand lost 19.5% of its sales. It immediately reversed course for 2026, bringing the beloved eight-cylinder powerplant back to the lineup.
We have nothing against the Hurricane inline-six, which Ram intends as the Hemi’s replacement. It’s a twin-turbo inline engine producing 420 horsepower in its Standard Output variant and up to 540 in its High Output iteration. But the Hemi’s low-range torque, producing 410 lb-ft at just 3,950 rpm, makes it a cornerstone of the full-size pickup segment and an excellent tower.
6
2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3-Liter V8
A 2026 Silverado 1500 With A 5.3-Liter EcoTec And Crew Cab Starts At $43,000
Engine
5.3-Liter NA 8-Cylinder
Power
355 hp
Maximum Towing Capacity
11,600 lbs.
The 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V8 in the Chevy Silverado 1500 produces 383 lb-ft of torque at 4,100 rpm and sends its power through an 8- or 10-speed automatic transmission.
This engine is part of the Generation V Small Block powerplant family and has powered the Silverado, Tahoe, and Suburban since the mid-2010s, with a proven track record of more than a decade on the road.
5
2026 Ford F-150 With 5.0-Liter Coyote V8
The 2026 F-150 XL Starts At $39,330 With A 5.0-Liter And A Regular Cab
Engine
5.0-Liter NA 8-Cylinder
Power
400 hp
Maximum Towing Capacity
12,800 lbs.
The Ford F-150, when equipped with a 5.0-liter Modular V8, better known as the 5.0L Coyote, can pull roughly three times its curb weight. Ford introduced the Coyote in 2010 for the 2011 model year to give the Mustang GT an edge over the GM 6.2-powered Chevy Camaro and the 6.4 Hemi-powered Dodge Chargers of the time.
4
2026 Ford F-150 Lobo
Ford’s Street Truck Starts At $51,070
Engine
5.0-Liter NA 8-Cylinder
Power
400 hp
Maximum Towing Capacity
12,800 lbs.
When it comes to towing, Ford’s new street truck is pretty much the exact same model as a 5.0-powered Ford F-150. It has the same 400-hp output, 12,800-lb towing capacity, and torque rating, with the Wards 10 Best winner cranking out 410 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm.
The F-150 Lobo has earned some criticism for being more of a cosmetic package than a true muscle-truck upgrade, but the Rumble Bee didn’t make the list because the track-tuned suspension cuts into its towing capacity. The F-150 Lobo might not be a match for the Dodge on the drag strip, but try pulling your fishing boat in a Rumble Bee.
3
2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 6.2-Liter EcoTec3 V8
An LT Trail Boss With A 6.2-Liter EcoTec3 Starts At $67,735
Engine
6.2-Liter NA 8-Cylinder
Power
420 hp
Maximum Towing Capacity
13,300 lbs.
Another Gen V Small Block-powered pickup, the 6.2 has been one of General Motors’ often-used V8s since 2014, powering the Silverado to 460 lb-ft of torque at 4,100 rpm. The EcoTec3 is very similar to the LT1 V8 that powers the C7 Corvette to sub-four-second takeoffs, but it’s modified for truck use, with active fuel management that switches between V4 and V8 modes to deliver the power you need in any given scenario.
2
2026 GMC Sierra 1500 6.2-Liter V8
The GMC Sierra AT4 Starts At $72,990 With A 6.2, Short Bed, And Crew Cab
Engine
6.2-Liter NA 8-Cylinder
Power
420 hp
Maximum Towing Capacity
13,300 lbs.
The GMC Sierra is the Silverado’s 6.2-powered counterpart. Functionally, they are practically the same truck, with the same engine and towing capacity. The Sierra is slightly more upscale than the Silverado, with better-quality cabin materials, less road noise, and a higher price to reflect the difference. On the highway, though, there really are no significant changes from one to the other.
The 2027 Sierra and Silverado both dropped the 6.2-liter engines for 2027, as General Motors is in the process of phasing the Gen V Small Block engine out entirely. The Small Block family will stick around, but the previous generation is nearing the end of its term. There’s speculation surrounding reliability issues and warranty payouts. The bottom line is that engines will eventually be rendered obsolete, no matter what, and the Gen V Small Block is no exception.
1
2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.7-Liter V8
A 2027 Silverado With A Long Bed, Regular Cab, And 5.7 Engine Starts At $45,460
Engine
5.7-Liter NA 8-Cylinder
Power
402 hp
Maximum Towing Capacity
13,700 lbs.
Yet another Small Block engine. This one is a Gen VI, with the 5.7 being new for the 2027 model year, and ushering in a whole new era for the legendary powerplant family. The 5.7 is intended to serve as a direct replacement for the outgoing 5.3-liter Gen V. There is also a 6.6-liter Gen VI available. In the 2027 Silverado, the Small Block brings torque up to 428 lb-ft at 4,300 rpm, and the truck can tow up to 13,700 lbs when properly equipped.
We wouldn’t say GM has a monopoly on naturally aspirated, eight-cylinder towing machines, but the automotive giant definitely has its name on the lion’s share of powerplants in this category. The Small Block family is a big one, with a history dating back to the 1950s, when the Ed Cole-designed 265 cubic-inch V8 first powered the 1955 Task Force pickups to 145 hp.
Base Trim Engine
2.7-liter TurboMax Inline-4
Base Trim Transmission
10-speed automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Four-Wheel Drive
Segment
Full-Size Pickup Truck
GM has invested an estimated $2.2 billion into the production of the next generation of Small Block engines, with $888 million going to the Tonawanda Propulsion plant in New York, pivoting from an earlier plan to convert this facility to build EV-drive units. This tells us that the Small Block family isn’t going anywhere just yet.
While other automakers may fall in and out of love with naturally aspirated V8 power, we suspect Chevy and GMC will keep packing NA Small Blocks into their pickups for decades to come. We’ll happily acknowledge a well-built turbo-six or hybrid powertrain when it comes along, but when it comes to towing, a V8 engine with no frills is still hard to beat.
Sources: Chevrolet, GM, GMC, Ford, Ram, Stellantis.
