New Colorado Diesel.
- Thread starter Mike L.
- Start date
Not sure if this has been posted yet, but definitely would consider trading the dmax in for this.
http://m.chevrolet.com/culture/article/colorado-zr2-off-road-truck.html#.VHReKqT8XqA
http://m.chevrolet.com/culture/article/colorado-zr2-off-road-truck.html#.VHReKqT8XqA
Found some more info..
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/chevrolet/2014-chevrolet-colorado-zr2-concept-ar166341.html#main
Sounds sweet!
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/chevrolet/2014-chevrolet-colorado-zr2-concept-ar166341.html#main
Sounds sweet!
We are being told that the baby Dmax will be 4th quarter before we see it. The engine is being built by GM with there own tweeks to it. Licensed from Vm Motori of Italy. That original came out in the U.S. in the 2005-6 Jeep Libertys.
Well we now know the RPO for the new baby Duramax is "LWN".
Initially, it will be released on crew cab models only. GM hasnt said if extended/regular cab models will be added down the road.
Now before you all start whining "oh boohoo stupid GM why only on the crew cabs!!!", probably the reason GM did this is because it costs millions of dollars to validate/test a powertrain package. And then they have to re-do that testing/validation for every chassis configuration (ie, vehicle length/cab config).
You have to do handling tests, frame testing, towing, drivetrain testing, stability control calibrations, ECM calibrations, TCM calibrations, crash testing, the list is endless... And then you have to do that for each and every cab config. Shits not cheap!
So thats R&D testing cost, man hours, etc (times 3) to add it to all cab configs. Thats just not feasible right off the bat, for an untested market (midsize pickup truck diesel). GM doesnt know exactly how many they will sell, and what the market share of the diesel version will be...If they spend that millions of dollars (times 3) for all 3 cab configs and only sell a few thousand a year, they just wasted a lot of money.
I would say once its released, and if its a huge success, then they will focus on integrating it into the regular cab and/or extended cab.
Why crew cab? Because like 2/3 of pickup truck sales are crew cabs; market/sales share dictates which cab configs get the most attention as far as pushing new features to market...thus crew cabs historically/traditionally get the expensive new features first (like side curtain airbags, stabilitrak, etc). Thats the way it is. Blame consumers, because most of them buy crew cabs.
And now I know what you're going to say next "but but but why not the regular cab because it would get amazing mileage!!!". Because probably 98% of regular cabs are purchased by cheap-ass fleet operators who could care less about the diesel and just want a bare bones inexpensive work truck. They (penny pinching fleet customers) dont care if the diesel would potentially get 5mpg more, BECAUSE it burns more expensive fuel, its more expensive to maintain, and costs thousands more in initial purchase price......
Ben
Initially, it will be released on crew cab models only. GM hasnt said if extended/regular cab models will be added down the road.
Now before you all start whining "oh boohoo stupid GM why only on the crew cabs!!!", probably the reason GM did this is because it costs millions of dollars to validate/test a powertrain package. And then they have to re-do that testing/validation for every chassis configuration (ie, vehicle length/cab config).
You have to do handling tests, frame testing, towing, drivetrain testing, stability control calibrations, ECM calibrations, TCM calibrations, crash testing, the list is endless... And then you have to do that for each and every cab config. Shits not cheap!
So thats R&D testing cost, man hours, etc (times 3) to add it to all cab configs. Thats just not feasible right off the bat, for an untested market (midsize pickup truck diesel). GM doesnt know exactly how many they will sell, and what the market share of the diesel version will be...If they spend that millions of dollars (times 3) for all 3 cab configs and only sell a few thousand a year, they just wasted a lot of money.
I would say once its released, and if its a huge success, then they will focus on integrating it into the regular cab and/or extended cab.
Why crew cab? Because like 2/3 of pickup truck sales are crew cabs; market/sales share dictates which cab configs get the most attention as far as pushing new features to market...thus crew cabs historically/traditionally get the expensive new features first (like side curtain airbags, stabilitrak, etc). Thats the way it is. Blame consumers, because most of them buy crew cabs.
And now I know what you're going to say next "but but but why not the regular cab because it would get amazing mileage!!!". Because probably 98% of regular cabs are purchased by cheap-ass fleet operators who could care less about the diesel and just want a bare bones inexpensive work truck. They (penny pinching fleet customers) dont care if the diesel would potentially get 5mpg more, BECAUSE it burns more expensive fuel, its more expensive to maintain, and costs thousands more in initial purchase price......
Ben
Judging by how many of these new Colorado's I already see on the road I think GM is off to a great start with them.
A few weeks ago a dealer told me the Colorado has taken away a number of Silverado sales from Chevrolet. Very popular.
Doesn't surprise me. Fuel economy and stupid little parking spots make it an ideal truck for those that just need a truck for occasional use. Considering the poor fuel economy of even the smaller import trucks it makes sense to me.
I would wait and see what GM does to it. They may just the use the basic idea of the motor (why they have to license it) but actually make it kick ass when they are done with it.
How similar is this VMM engine to the one in the Ram 1500/Jeep GC?? That engine is proving to be a viable little engine and would probably do even better in the midsize pickups (Colorado/Canyon) compared to the fullsize Ram?
Has GM put out a target MPG for this little diesel in the CC Colorado?
Has GM put out a target MPG for this little diesel in the CC Colorado?
Well for starters, one engine has 4 cylinders, the other has 6. So I would say they are not all THAT similar.
It's a cute little diesel almost looks like a gasser. But when idling along sounds just like the big brother.
I hope that engine is improved in a major way if it is indeed based off of the one used in the 05-6 libertys. In my opinion it is way to loud and rough to fit in with the HD trucks or even the 3.0 ecodiesel ram/jeep. Fuel mileage was not so great in the one I had experience with either. Trans could have played a part in that, it always felt lost.
With GM I will tell you that they changed a lot, maybe better? The head, emissions, fuel system, and control will all be GM spec. Fuel economy needs to be over 30.
The transmission will be 6-speed according to our information. Silverado will be moving to more 8-speeds.
I have a 06 Liberty and before tuning it I got the epa 26mpg on the highway under 65 mph. After tuning my best hand calculated single tank is 32.49. I usually am between 25-29 with my normal driving style. Pretty good for an aerodynamic brick.
The transmission will be 6-speed according to our information. Silverado will be moving to more 8-speeds.
I have a 06 Liberty and before tuning it I got the epa 26mpg on the highway under 65 mph. After tuning my best hand calculated single tank is 32.49. I usually am between 25-29 with my normal driving style. Pretty good for an aerodynamic brick.
