Chevy L92 Engine: How Much HP Does It Have & Which Vehicles Came With One Under The Hood?

With the sheer number of years it has under its sleeve, General Motors is one of the largest and most revered vehicle manufacturers in today's market. The company was established in 1908, and you might recognize these discontinued GM brands. Whether you're looking for a classic truck that should have gotten a revival by now, a muscle car ready to take anyone on the dragstrip, or a reliable engine that will last decades, General Motors has you covered. 

While it's not one of GM's 10 highest-horsepower engines, the Chevy L92 engine is rated at 403 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque. This 6.2-liter V8 with a compression ratio of 10.5:1 has cemented itself in the annals of great motors. GM used it in a handful of 2007 and 2008 trucks and SUVs, including Chevrolets, Cadillacs, and GMCs. Let's uncover what makes it such a cult classic and why it only lasted two years.

The Chevy L92 engine, introduced in 2007, is part of the LS family of GM engines. It was the first engine in the 6.2-liter Vortec family and is often known as the Vortec 6200. The engine featured an aluminum block with a 4.065-inch bore and a 3.622-inch stroke. Its cylinder heads were also aluminum and featured a high-flow rectangular port design, with a 2.165-inch intake valve diameter and 1.590-inch exhaust valve diameter. The engine received praise for its power, efficiency, and tuning potential, with some modifications boosting the output of the motor significantly.

The L92 was used in premium and luxury trucks and SUVs. It excelled both in everyday driving and in demanding conditions where tasks like towing were common. GM fitted the Chevy L92 into three of its major brands vehicles. The first was GMC, which integrated the engine into the 2007 and 2008 model years of its Sierra 1500 Denali, Yukon Denali, and Yukon XL 1500 Denali. Alongside GMC was Cadillac, which also used the L92 in 2007 and 2008 model years of the Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT. The 2008 Chevy Tahoe LTZ also featured the L92 Vortec 6200.

Denalis have always been known for their luxurious features and the premium feeling they evoke. With the powerful Chevy L92 under the hood, the model was elevated even further, given that these trucks now featured the might of 400 horses. As with the Denali, Escalades are known for their luxury. They have also long brought power to the table, and the L92 foregrounded this feature for a very brief time. As for the Chevy Tahoe LTZ, it could seat up to nine people and came with OnStar turn-by-turn navigation.

The L92 was only available between 2007 and 2008. Luckily, GM didn't completely pull it out of production but instead upgraded it over the years. In 2009 and 2010, the company introduced aspects such as flex-fuel capability and active fuel management technology to the engine, giving rise to the L9H and L94, respectively. Both of these motors went by the name Vortec 6200. 

The L9H delivered the same 403 horsepower and 417 pound feet of torque as the L92. It was available in the 2009 models of the Cadillac Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT, as well as the 2009 version of the Chevy Tahoe LTZ. The engine was also featured in the 2009 to 2013 model years of the GMC Yukon Denali, Yukon XL 1500 SLT, and the Sierra 1500 Denali, SLE, and SLT. Finally, the 2010 to 2013 iterations of the Chevy Silverado 1500 LT and LTZ also come with the engine. The L9H, which took over in 2010, had the same horsepower and torque as the L9H. It powered the 2010 to 2014 models of the Cadillac Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL.