GM SMALL PICKUPS WITH DIESEL

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Hmm, 181 hp at 3,400 rpm, and 369 lb-ft of torque at 2,000... that's really a truck engine!

Aluminum head. Not sure what to think of that.

I do know one thing... everyone I know that owns a late model pickup truck diesel has taken some long downtime and big hits in the pocketbook. If this one is actually reliable it could be a big hit, though.
 
Originally Posted By: HangFire
Aluminum head. Not sure what to think of that.

I do know one thing... everyone I know that owns a late model pickup truck diesel has taken some long downtime and big hits in the pocketbook. If this one is actually reliable it could be a big hit, though.


2001 called for you, HangFire -- only 15 years late on the aluminum skepticism.

With that said, I've been a long-time diesel advocate and fan. However, I cringe at the thought of owning one in a commuter (for the reason you listed above).
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: HangFire
Aluminum head. Not sure what to think of that.

I do know one thing... everyone I know that owns a late model pickup truck diesel has taken some long downtime and big hits in the pocketbook. If this one is actually reliable it could be a big hit, though.


2001 called for you, HangFire -- only 15 years late on the aluminum skepticism.

With that said, I've been a long-time diesel advocate and fan. However, I cringe at the thought of owning one in a commuter (for the reason you listed above).


Cringe now, test drive later.
 
Duramax has had aluminum cylinder heads since it's introduction. Current Ford 6.7 Powerstroke also has aluminum heads.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Diesel needs iron ... Bottom line. Something's just need to be. We all have to poo and despite the disease it can spread we still haven't figured out how to do away with it.

There is no issue with aluminum head, for like 25 years in diesel engines.
Block is iron.
 
Yes, aluminum heads are OK on diesels. The VM Motori 2.8L I4 in the Jeep Liberty had an aluminum head. Aluminum block diesels are not for applications where long life is required. German main battle tank engines have had aluminum blocks for decades, but they are disposed of after X operating hours.
 
I like that they're making a diesel in a small truck, but that engine sounds like it has a lot of new technology,but if it works and is reliable, awesome!
 
Originally Posted By: JohnnyMerrill
Cringe now, test drive later.


Nope.

The older I get, the more of a Luddite (at least in regards to long-term vehicle ownership) I'm becoming. Undoubtedly, it's a neat jacked-up car, but to again use the word of the hour...I cringe at thinking about keeping that Euro 6 drivetrain out of the shop.
 
Quote:
Official ratings are pending, but GM expects the highest mileage in its smaller pickup line and a higher max tow-rating than the current upgrade 3.6-liter gasoline V6 (305-hp, 269 lb-ft).


Says in the link that Colorado can tow up to 7k. That is with 305hp. 181hp is going to be a slow hill climber. I'll be curious where it ends up.

Don't get me wrong, trailer tires are 65mph max, nothing wrong with slowing down for hills--but I expect there to be complaints if these are the numbers.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: JohnnyMerrill
Cringe now, test drive later.


Nope.

The older I get, the more of a Luddite (at least in regards to long-term vehicle ownership) I'm becoming. Undoubtedly, it's a neat jacked-up car, but to again use the word of the hour...I cringe at thinking about keeping that Euro 6 drivetrain out of the shop.


The engine has been around for over 25 years in one form or another. It was the first ever direct-injection diesel in a passenger car in the 1987 Fiat Chroma 1.9 TD i.d, first ever common-rail diesel in a passenger car in the 1997 Alfa Romeo 156 2.4 JTD and was (among the?) first to be outfitted with twin turbo chargers in the 2007 Lancia Delta.

By now it is proven to be high MPG and low maintainance. I'm not sure what exactly you're anticipating maintenance-wise, but if you do oil/filter/timing belt American-style, 500-1000k miles are no exception on these, with little to no repairs.
 
Originally Posted By: JohnnyMerrill
The engine has been around for over 25 years in one form or another.


This would be akin to me telling you that the Cummins in a 2015 Ram has been around for over 25 years now (making its first appearance in the '89 Dodge). Therefore, repair costs will be low and long-term reliability will be fantastic. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

The Multijet II in the Cherokee has been around since '09 (in the Fiat Punto), and the Euro 6 standard this variant meets is brand new.
 
Originally Posted By: JohnnyMerrill
500-1000k miles are no exception on these, with little to no repairs.


500,000 to 1,000,000 miles.
No exception.
Little to no repair.

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Originally Posted By: ryansride2017
I'm not quite sure of what to make with the engine having a timing belt.


Why? Change it at the specified interval, drive on. Hopefully America takes a liking to these diesel utes (as we call 'em), you don't know what you've been missing out on! Hopefully Ford follows GM's lead and brings the Ranger in for you as well...not to mention the new Everest
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Not worth the cost, complication, and likely unreliability vs. A gasoline version. The dream of a diesel engine being the small, reliable, torquey, long lasting engine is not going to come true in America.
 
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