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2.8L Duramax turbodiesel


terrawombat
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New vehicles rarely peak my interest, but when I started reading further into the new 2016 Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon with the 2.8L Duramax turbodiesel I became increasingly interested.  The advertised specs are 181HP/369ft-lb with the EPA estimated fuel economy supposedly better than their 2.5L counterpart, which is 27mpg on the highway.  The 4wd model, which I would be looking at has a 7,600lb towing capacity with integrated exhaust braking and it apparently does pretty well with a decent sized load behind it:

 

 

The only thing that would hold me back is the sticker price.  The Duramax diesel can only be had on the mid and high level trim packages, which will easily command a $40K+ MSRP....yikes!  I'm going to head over to the Chevy dealer this weekend and putz around in their gas models.  Unfortunately, the only two they have on the lot are a base model work truck and fully decked out premium truck with leather, sound system, rear/front/side/top/bottom/underskirt cameras and exterior sensing devices.  I'd really like to see what the mid-level trim package looks like...

 

It will certainly be odd for me to even fathom purchasing a brand new vehicle...

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I put 4k miles on a new 2.5 Colorado this year on a company truck. A fantastically comfortable truck with a nice interior layout and easy ergonomics. My biggest complaint about the truck is that you have to push on the gas door for it to pop open. The Colorado/Canyon platform could be the first vehicle I ever buy new. The 2.8 Duramax would just be the icing on the cake. Once they hit the showroom floor, I'll be asking for a test drive although I'd probably hold off for a 2017 to get those first year quirks adjusted.

 

It seems like GM might be building the compact truck we have all been asking for. We know Jeep isn't.

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All of the Jeep pickup concepts and teasers I have seen look like glorified Wranglers.  I'm not real confident they're going to bring something to the market that actually has good utility features in terms of payload and towing capacity.

 

The one common item that the Chevy 2.8L Duramax and the Chryco 3.0L Ecodiesel share is their manufacturer - both are made by VM Motori out of Italy.  Chryco also used VM Motori to power the Liberty CRD and WK2 Grand Cherokee CRD.  These engines appear to all be very reliable, but if they do break down the parts are not easy on the wallet.  Sir Sam can attest to that with the Liberty CRD he picked up that needed valve train work.

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The new mid size GM trucks with a mini-duramax sure do look sweet.  Four doors, decent sized bed, great mileage, great towing capacity, super stylish ... all with duramax diesel reliability and longevity.  What could be better?!?!?!?

 

But $50k.   I just couldn't stomach that for a mid size truck.

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The price is going to be a real sticking point for me.  I'm going to trade my 2004 Ram Cummins and I also have $1K in GM discounts, but I only expect that to knock off $6-7K off the sale price.

 

I think if you option the truck with the mid-range trim level you should be able to get it in at or below $40K.  My goal is with trade-in, discount and some negotiation I can walk away with it for $30K....a guy can dream, right?

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I love everything on paper about them. Then I see a picture of them. That is what kills it for me. Just not a fan of the styling that much. A bit to "soft".... But its not horrid or anything.    I even asked my soon to be wife if she liked them when we pulled up to a stop light next to one last week. I have been looking for a new truck and asked her, " What if I got one of those? What do you think?". She responded with, " Um no, I'm not going to let you drive around in a little girly looking truck... ". So, not a choice for me lol. However, mind you, we do live in Texas...
 

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Gmc looks considerably better from the front IMO, but I have to look at these things everyday the company I work for bought 5 total, 3 Chevys ,and 2 GMCs as shop trucks. Drove them a few times, IMO they drive pretty good but I feel like I'm in my sisters Santa Fe . Also the side view of these things look even more like a small foreign suv, because of the window lines on the qaud cabs. Just my opinion, and I would honestly think long and hard about paying that kind of $ for a midsize truck, you could get yourself a real truck for that kind of money, because at the end of the day it's just an s10!

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I do agree that the price sucks and I feel as though when I start getting down into the financials and looking at monthly payments I will likely walk away...however...I have owned "real" trucks for over a decade.  They're great for when you need the kind of utility that they provide, but I have found that I use them to their full potential about once every five years - the rest of the time I drive them they just suck down fuel and cost me a fortune any time I want to replace simple components such as tires ($1200+ for a full set), ball joints (over $125 per ball joint), tie rod ends ($100 each), etc.  If I ever find myelf in a situation where I need to haul 12,000lb worth of stuff, I can borrow my Dad's 2500 Silverado.

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Well I hate to break it to you but these trucks suck the gas for what they are IMO. Fuel economy 2015 6cyl canyon is 17 and 24 avg 20mpg , 2015 5.3 Sierra qaud cab fuel economy 16 and 23 avg 19. Not saying go get an HD, but just a 1500 is a lot more truck for almost same damn price when considering purchasing a new truck. Msrp starts at 21k for canyon and 27k for Sierra. As far as tires gonna cost you about same either way. Now if it's just the the small duramax that intrigues you then go for it should be a solid little engine.

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Well I hate to break it to you but these trucks suck the gas for what they are IMO. Fuel economy 2015 6cyl canyon is 17 and 24 avg 20mpg , 2015 5.3 Sierra qaud cab fuel economy 16 and 23 avg 19. Not saying go get an HD, but just a 1500 is a lot more truck for almost same damn price when considering purchasing a new truck. Msrp starts at 21k for canyon and 27k for Sierra. As far as tires gonna cost you about same either way. Now if it's just the the small duramax that intrigues you then go for it should be a solid little engine.

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I have been waiting for this diesel for quite a while.  Don't think we are going to see much off MSRP for 6 months or more.  Have also been looking at the Ram 1500 with the ecodiesel.  Some good discounts on 2015 trucks that get the diesel cost down to $34K for the quad cab.  Even less if you want to order a single cab work truck.  The ZF 8 spd on the Ram gets excellent reviews.  So does the 3.0 diesel, not to mention a 6 will be smoother than a big 4 cylinder, no matter how much you try to dampen out the vibrations on the 4.

 

So the price of the Ram diesel will be the same or just a little less than the Colorado/Canyon, with the same/similar equipment and you can get the Ram diesel without all the bells and whistles of the high priced truck if you are willing to order it.

 

Just something to think about. Yes, diesel is great for low end torque and for fuel economy.  I drive a VW TDI every day for that reason.  But the old gas Comanche keeps going and does 99.9% of what I need/want a truck for.

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I have an 02 MK4 Golf TDI that gets daily driven by either myself or someone else in the household. Love the fuel economy but that's about where my love for the vehicle begins and ends.

 

My other daily driver is an 04 Dodge Ram 2500 with the 5.9L Cummins. Great truck that has done everything I've asked if it. She's approaching 225K miles but I foresee a second trans rebuild in the near future. It will also need another front end rebuild as well after only 30K miles on the supposed "best" ball joints on the market. The other main issue is the truck is mainly used for daily driver duties and its simply too much truck for that purpose.

 

I may take a look at the Dodge ecodiesels. I was a bit skeptical on that engine and transmission combo but it seems to be holding up pretty well. I wouldn't be opposed to that engine/truck so I may take a peek at the local Ram dealer and see what they have lying around.

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I know this kind of an apples/oranges comparison, but I have a 2014 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 hemi and the 8 speed auto. I like the 8 speed so much I'd buy the truck again with any of the engine options. Should be a great combo with the diesel engine. I'd definitely go for the Ram diesel before the Canyon/Colorado version.

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I agree with the Ram recommendation. There are some big discounts to be had that puts a fairly loaded quad cab Ram for less than $40k with the diesel and 8 speed. I have the Grand Cherokee with the same 3.0 diesel and 8 speed and I cannot say enough good things about it. The diesel noise is a little louder on the Ram than the jeep but otherwise is a very civilized ride. I do like the sporty look of the Canyon but it's hard to ignore the comparison against a highly discounted 2015. Below is a list from an area dealer that stocks a lot of Diesel Rams. 

 

http://www.31dodge.com/new-inventory/index.htm?start=0&make=Ram&model=1500&normalFuelType=Diesel&normalDriveLine=4WD&

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I took a look at the used Ram 1500 diesel market in my area and it's bone dry.  Only found a few 2015/2016 1500's on dealer lots with the diesel option and they were all in the $50-55K range because of the trim packages.  That's a pretty big leap in price for not a whole lot more truck.  The towing capacity of the Ram 1500 4x4 Quad Cab w/diesel is rated at 7,650lb for the trim package I was looking at - that's only 50 pounds more than the Colorado/Canyon.  

 

The one draw towards the Ram 1500 diesel is that 8-speed transmission.  I have heard nothing but great things about it from two co-workers who have 2015 Ram 1500's with the 5.7L Hemi.  Another huge benefit of that transmission is it's NOT made my Chrysler.
 

Edit:  Just realized that I'm going to be about 1 hour from the dealership that you linked to in Kernersville, NC tonight and tomorrow.  Maybe I'll just cancel my return flight home on Friday and drive one of those trucks back....

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Edit:  Just realized that I'm going to be about 1 hour from the dealership that you linked to in Kernersville, NC tonight and tomorrow.  Maybe I'll just cancel my return flight home on Friday and drive one of those trucks back....

Now you're talking. $10k off retail without negotiating is pretty enticing. I'll bet you could still get them to throw in a new hat. 

 

The 8 speed is great; the German ZF 8HP70 is used in quite a lot of high end vehicles including: 

BMW 7 Series (F01), BMW X5 (E70), Dodge Durango V8, Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 & diesel, Ram 1500 V6, V8, & diesel, Range Rover Sport (2012), Rolls-Royce Phantom, Maserati Quattroporte (2013–), Dodge Charger V8 (2015-), Dodge Challenger V8 (2015-)

If it's good enough for a half million dollar Phantom...

 

Also, Maserati is using the VM 3.0 in their new small sedan, the Ghibli. 

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/V6/VM-RA-diesel.html

http://www.maserati.com/maserati/en/en/index/models/ghibli/ghibli-diesel.html

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