Duramax Seeks Tow-Hold Among Compact Trucks

Duramax 2.8L 4-cyl. churns out 369 lb.-ft. (500 Nm) of twist at 2,000 rpm, trouncing 3.6L gasoline V-6.

MILFORD, MI - Compact pickup-truck shoppers who need to do a lot of towing can mark this ontheir calendars: General Motors' 2.8L Duramax turbodiesel 4-cyl. will be available this fall in theU.S.

Dedicated solely to truck applications, the engine has been offered in Thailand, Australia and SouthAmerica since 2011, was updated two years later and now receives a number of upgrades for its U.S.debut in both the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

The all-new trucks, assembled on three shifts in Wentzville, MO, have been selling well since theirarrival in October, combining for 47,502 deliveries through May, according to WardsAuto data. Still,they lag behind the segment-leading Toyota Tacoma's 72,842 units through May.

GM expects its offering of the first modern diesel in the compact or midsize truck sector to become acompetitive advantage that should find favor with 10% of Colorado and Canyon customers. Engineswill be shipped from GM's plant in Rayong, Thailand.

Tow ratings will be available closer to launch, but count on them to exceed the 7,000-lb. (3,175-kg)threshold of the current 3.6L naturally aspirated gasoline V-6 when paired with the Z82 traileringpackage.

The V-6 easily trumps the 181 hp (at 3,400 rpm) of the diesel 4-cyl., but the Duramax has the upperhand in the measure that truly matters to truck buyers: torque.

GM says it churns out a stout 369 lb.-ft. (500 Nm) of twist at 2,000 rpm, trouncing the gasoline V-6'srated 269 lb.-ft. (365 Nm) at 4,000 rpm.

Fuel-economy numbers also are yet to be verified, but GM expects the new Duramax to be best-i--class. The 2.5L gasoline 4-cyl. in the new Colorado/Canyon is rated at 20/27 mpg (11.7-8.7 L/100km) with 2-wheel drive and an automatic transmission.

Some journalists evaluating the 3.6L V-6 long-term have managed 25 mpg (9.4 L/100 km), whileothers have reported 18 mpg (13 L/100 km). To date, the V-6 take-rate has been 80% for the Canyon

and 70% for the Colorado.

Like many diesels, the new Duramax uses urea-based selective catalytic reduction to neutralizeoxides of nitrogen emissions.

The filler neck is adjacent to the gasoline port on the driver's side of the truck, but the fluid will needtopping off every 7,500 miles (12,070 km), aligning with routine intervals for oil changes.

http://wardsauto.com/vehicles-technology/duramax-seeks-tow-hold-among-compact-trucks