Chevrolet has already sold a fairly significant amount of mid-size Colorados, but we have a feeling demand will increase once the 2.8-liter Duramax diesel four-cylinder engine become available in the mid-size pickup later this year. Picktrucks.com seems to agree, predicting the oil burning engine option will be a huge hit among consumers looking to achieve greater highway fuel efficiency.
Chevy brought their Duramax-powered Colorado out to the recent Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, where it attracted a steady stream of interested industry professionals, according to Pickuptrucks.com’s Mark Williams. The package offers up Duramax’s 2.8-liter diesel with 181 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque and the same six-speed automatic transmission as 3.6-liter V6 equipped Colorado, which should be enough to outclass the Ram Eco Diesel for pickup-truck fuel economy supremacy.
Williams took a quick look at the Duramax Colorado and a cutaway model of the engine itself on the floor of the Work Truck show, which is probably the best look we’ll get at the engine until we can drive the diesel-powered mid-size later this year. Check it out in the video below, and let us know what you think the take-rate for the optional diesel will be in the comments.
Comments
Sam, Why is it always Chevrolet Canyon, GMC Colorado Not getting one????? They way people been Crying about Diesels, the take rate best be at least 2:, I know I’m in for the GMC Canyon Denali!!! 😉
The Chevrolet Colorado will be the volume leader between the two trucks and that is probably why it receives more press. But rest assured jbisrite, the GMC Canyon will get the diesel too.
There are a few other vehicles a version of this motor should find it’s way into. Such as the;
Equinox /Terrain
Malibu
Lamda triplets
The improved highway fuel economy will help with CAFE .
Don’t think will see this engine in any car platform, as GM lead engineers have proclaimed this engine to be a truck-only purposed engine; however, what is classified as a truck is pretty liberal, so yes the Equinox/Terrian, and even minivan, if GM built a minivan, would classify as a truck.
Just as a note – they snuck one into NAIAS this year too – it was the orange-metallic-colored one near the ZR2. I didn’t realize this until my fiance pointed out the Duramax badge while I was sitting inside of it. The fact it comes with an exhaust brake is pretty fantastic.
I didn’t notice either, I was also there, thanks for the heads up! Agreed about the exhaust brake.
1st pickup to get my attention since the full-sizers became gargantuan, and the midsizers stopped getting development money to keep them modern. Looks good and a great engineering effort. The Tacoma, Frontier and even the old Ranger are pretty good trucks reliability and work tool wise, but they’re designs have been dated for years and none of them got really great mpg. The one problem with this truck; just like with the new full size designs, they are just all built for tall people or for short people who always carry around step stools. Even though the 2WD will be a little lower than it’s big brother; it’s not much of a drop in height. The roof line makes it hard to gauge space out in front from the drivers seated position unless you’re tall and your head is near the headliner. Everyone else has to sit up tall and try to peer over the hood to see gauge the proximity of close objects. Overall cab height is not the problem; nor is it the height for entering the cab; just the bed rails and hood height, and this truck goes the same way as it’s big brother and the Tacoma and Tundra. F150 and Ram not as bad.
How about an OEM come out with a really usable bed; like a Euro-style drop-side flat bed with all kinds of nifty drop-side positioning: fold out, down or off. The drop sides could even be made of tough plastic with regular sheet metal body panels below the flatbed where the drop sides slide into for the down position. And then make a super-low, something different kind of hood line, like is seen with the Euro vans that are starting to come on here in the States; or even a cab over if one can be made with good frontal crash protection. Put in a great 4-cylinder diesel, and give me a manual transmission choice. Hyundai could do this…They make semi tractors for most of the world and make great diesels, so they know trucks and diesel engines, but have stayed out of the pickup power wars waged over here. Maybe this tuck and the Ram Ecodiesel 3.0 are signs that many Americans are becoming uninterested about who has the biggest, baddest power train on the block.
How will this be for towing. Used a 4.7 Dakota but found it underpowered. Now have 5.3 Avalanche. And works well. How will Colorado Deisel compare?
I just found this Isuzu small pickup on eBay UK. It has a 2.5 L diesel. But it returns 38 MPG. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2015-15-ISUZU-D-MAX-UTAH-4X4-PICK-UP-5-YEAR-WARRANTY-OPEN-7-DAYS-DIESEL-/251996809098?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aac2e278a
I would think this is more similar to the Colorado Max than a Ram Eco diesel.
Specifications on towing capacity would be very nice to know. I assume it won’t be any less than the gas V6, but it would be a huge winner if it exceeded the already excellent towing capacity of the V6 and with improved fuel economy.
It would be my choice if it came with a six speed manual transmission. Nissan and Toyota offer manuals in many configurations in this range. For in town driving I can coast a gas engine manual transmission and get diesel type mileage without the diesel cost. I currently have a five speed manual Sport Trac from Ford but Ford has lost me as a customer because they dropped manual transmissions as an option. My next truck will be whoever makes the best MPG/towing combination in a midsize truck. If Nissan keeps their Frontier manual and puts a small Cummins ahead of it then that would be my preferred configuration.
I looked at the GMC website. I find it screwed up as usual that Chevy/GMC doesn’t offer the Diesel option with the long bed in 4X4. It’s bad enough that the automotive industry in general has decided that 8 ft. beds are not necessary any longer with a very few exceptions. If the bed isn’t long enough for my 6’2″ frame to lay down in then it is useless in my opinion. A very powerful 4 banger long strike diesel in a “mid-size” pickup truck is a great idea but with a bed at least 6.5 ft. long isn’t very useful as a work truck. I would really love a Canyon/Colorado Diesel 4X4 if it was available with a 6.5′ bed. It really should have a 6 speed manual available too. Technology is all well and good for Harry Homeowner/Soccermom but I am an old school farmer.