Diesel Colorado MPG

Colorado Diesel Gets 31.4 MPG Highway, 26.3 Combined In Controlled Testing
Testing Lends Credence to GM “Most Efficient Pickup” Claim

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There has been tremendous anticipation surrounding the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon diesel. Not only do the two trucks have an exclusive in the midsize market with a diesel engine, they’re also highly capable with towing capacities up to 7,700 pounds and a lot of fun to drive, as we found out in our recent first drive of the Colorado diesel. Now, with testing done by Emissions Analytics, one of the world’s most respected third-party emissions testing company and provider of Motor Trend’s Real MPG figures, we have some indication of how efficient these trucks will be.

In a controlled mixed test loop performed by Emissions Analytics, a 4WD Colorado Trail Boss returned 23.2 mpg city and 31.4 mpg highway, for a combined figure of 26.3 mpg. If those figures are close to official EPA figures, that would make the diesel model 3 mpg more efficient in the city, and 4 mpg more efficient on the highway, in addition to having a towing capacity more than double the base gas I-4’s 3,500 pounds.

Official EPA figures have not yet been released on these trucks, but if the figures are close to these scientific, but not official, results, General Motors’ preliminary claim of the trucks being the “most efficient” in the U.S. should prove to be true. For comparison, Emissions Analytics got 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway on a Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, spot-on with the official EPA results. The $3,700 option price on the engine pushes a well-equipped Colorado or Canyon easily over the $40,000 mark, but with this unique combination of efficiency and capability, it’s arguably worth the premium.

Truck Trend

It might even be better than that. I saw 33.5 mpg hwy for a truck blog that took it for a drive. He said that was even with some stops.

That's pretty stout!

My wife has a 2008 Yukon that is getting up in mileage and using oil. I would like her to get a diesel Colorado with a cap. She wants a roomy van but at this point we only have one family member that doesn't have a license. With the MPG of a Colorado, I think it is the way to go. At $45,000 the price is right.

I love it. But I think $45,000 is too high.

$45k too high, welcome to inflation. GM just took a $2.3 billion dollar charge in Q3 to offset what they call "currency" exposure. All the central banks around the globe are pumping dollars into everything, it's a race to the bottom.

My company who is a global manufacturer takes the same charges 2% to 4% of earnings quarterly. This is now common it seems as the pumping and propping up of the global economy continues.

The consumer is the one who's greeted with all the pumping, propping, manipulation at purchase time. Price of everything, even deodorant is up 300% in the last 10 years.

Half ton trucks are now easily capable of $60k MSRP's. HD's are topping in the $65k to $75k range. Along with the top price of a model and market, the bottom base keeps incrementally climbing as well. Wages haven't keep the same pace. Congratulations USA.

Global retail prices aside. The Duramax is likely to be offered in lower trim models in the coming model years, or possibly not. GM may try to protect the premium of the Duramax keeping it tied to the high trim models. Competition would likely force their hand to lower models.

The overall package is nice, in what amounts to a truck that's basically the size of a GMT-400 truck, equipped with a stout efficient powerplant.

Why haven't cars jumped in price then?

They have....

http://mediaroom.kbb.com/2015-05-01-New-Car-Transaction-Prices-Rise-Steadily-Up-2-6-Percent-in-April-2015-According-to-Kelley-Blue-Book

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New-car prices have increased by $836 (up 2.6 percent) from April 2014, while increasing $195 (up 0.6 percent) from last month.

http://www.edmunds.com/about/press/used-car-prices-increase-nearly-8-percent-to-hit-record-high-in-q2-2015-says-edmundscom.html

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Edmunds' analysis found that average used car prices hit a record high of $18,800 in the second quarter, up 7.6 percent — or $1,300 per vehicle

http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2015/07/01/june-auto-sales-transaction-prices-increase-f150/29571091/

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"Transaction prices continue to climb, increasing 2.5% in June from last year, bringing the average up to $33,340," said Kelley Blue Book analyst Mark Williams.That is $821 higher than a year earlier and up $209 from May.

http://www.gm.com/content/gmcom/home/company/investors/sales-production.content_pages_news_us_en_2015_oct_1001-gmsales.~content~gmcom~home~company~investors~sales-production.html

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GM’s average transaction prices (ATPs) increased almost $800 per unit compared to August 2015, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates.

http://247wallst.com/autos/2015/02/03/gm-able-to-raise-average-car-price-by-8/

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New-car prices have increased by $1,694 (up 5.2 percent) from January 2014, while dropping $570 (down 1.7 percent) from last month.

Spin it however you want but 45k for that pickup is hugely overpriced. But then again most are these days.

There's no spin, just the facts about vehicle prices in 2015.  It's simple to state a vehicle is expensive.  However comparative and in relation to other vehicles, for what the market is offering, and consumers seeming have no issue at current price points.  

General commodities, many related to automobile production rose 38% from 2009 to 2013.  The increases are everywhere.  It's not hard to find the why.

Since the USD is the world reserve currency when the value of the dollar buys less, the market price for a commodity or publicly traded asset adjusts accordingly.

Although the USD is relatively strong compared to other currencies currently, it's been a race to bottom from all the central banks flooding financial institutions with free cash, monetizing worthless assets.  That artificial propping of economies is leaking throughout, and now systemic.  Look for everything keep on the current price increase trends until a collapse.

It's perceived expensive because the value of our money buys less than it did, 5, 10, and 20 years ago.  Wages have not kept pace with true inflation.

Spin or no spin, I don't give a ****. My perception is my reality. $45k for a midsized truck is too damn high when I can buy a full sized loaded truck for that. They will need to throw about $8k on the hood before I would consider it. In addition, they are going head to head with the Tacoma. A fully load tacoma is $37k.

On Toyota's web site you can select build and by clicking one button the Tacoma Limited 4x4 gets you a $40,020 MSRP without selecting a single additional option, of course no diesel.

If the GM's pricing is that painful, we'll see the Duramax equipped units languish on the lots without buyers.  If the economy holds itself together, those with an objective view wouldn't expect the units to collect dust.

Perspective on what the USD buys or used to buy.   In '01 my '02 LS trim Silverado D/A MSRP'd for $38,500.  In '13 my Lariat trim F-150 MSRP'd for $53,200.

Modern vehicles are very affordable.
It is when you start optioning them out they get expensive.

Take the Cruze for example. For <$17K you get standard 10 air bags, ABS, PW, PL, A/C, P/S and compared to 10 yrs ago better fuel mileage and much safer structure. Now if you want an LTZ/RS or Diesel model you can push $27K.

Our sons '15 D/A CC/DRW 4x4 has a MSRP of ~$50K but can be optioned north of $70K in Denali trim but that does not add to the trucks work capability at all.

Lets compare the GMT400 to the current full sized trucks. The base v6 now makes more power than the mid-grade 350TBI did and gets better FE. So the engines are much more advanced, transmissions have up to 2x the gears, larger axles, much larger brakes, much heavier frames across the board and all this packed into a overall larger body structure. A fully loaded GMT400 would be a mid-trim in todays luxury trucks as well.

So, IMO, transportation is still affordable. Thing is people confuse wants vs needs.

Is $45K for the Diesel Colorado high?
-compared to the market, not really since there is nothing to compare too at this point.

Would I like to see GM offer the diesel in lower trims? Yes, like Ram does with its engine lineup.

That showcases the current market of innovation of features and value add content that certainly are a component that drives prices higher. Arguably not all the associated price point is confined within innovative value added features.

The value of our money certain buys less than it has at anytime in our history.

Moreover selling a product to consumers it has to have an addressable market. At current trends there are two trends, vehicle product cost continually trends higher. Median wages continue to fall.

https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/MEHOINUSA672N

As the two trends continue to deviate, consumer credit is utilized to fill the gap. Easy access to credit and low consumer rates continue to keep the industry alive. How sustainable is this over the long term is a great question.

Actually, the value of todays dollar buys more gasoline than it did in the 1950's. TV's are definitely no contest, costing about 10 times more for drastically less function in the 50's. Same goes for most all electronics, which of course weren't even available then but undoubtedly would have been about the same magnitude higher in price. I was surprised that vehicles are nearer parity than most higher end necessities, such as housing.

EPA certification is complete. 31 MPG for 4x2, 29 MPG for 4x4 highway, no software cheats.

Pretty damn respectable for a pickup, even if it is mid-size.

Official: 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Diesel Gets Up To 31 MPG Highway
4WD Model Rated at 20 City, 29

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The Chevrolet Colorado diesel (and presumably the GMC Canyon diesel) can now officially claim the title of America’s most fuel-efficient pickups. General Motors today announced the official EPA figures for the 2016 Chevy Colorado equipped with the 2.8L I-4 Duramax turbodiesel engine. Figures are 22 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined for the 2WD model, and 20 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined for the 4WD model. Although not in the same class, comparisons are inevitable with the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, which achieves a best of 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway on the 2WD HFE model, with the non-HFE model getting 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway and the 4WD model rated at 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway.

Compared to the other engines in the lineup, the diesel gets 2 mpg better city and 4 mpg better highway fuel economy than the 2WD 2.5L I-4 with the six-speed automatic and 4 mpg better city and 5 mpg better highway than the 4WD 3.6L V-6. As has been noted by many other observed real-world fuel economy tests, diesel models often achieve better real-world fuel economy than the EPA figures, potentially giving the diesel an even larger fuel economy advantage over its gas-powered counterparts.

At 181 hp, the 2.8L Duramax is the least powerful engine in the lineup in terms of horsepower, having 19 less than the base 2.5L I-4 and 124 less than the 3.6L V-6. However, it handily trumps both engines in torque output, with 100 lb-ft more than the V-6 and a whopping 178 lb-ft more than the base I-4. The diesel also has the highest towing capacity of the Colorado line, with a 7,700-pound max rating on the 2WD model.

Truck Trend

joemac wrote:

no software cheats.

We have 20K+ on our Cruze Diesel and when I wipe the inside of the tail pipe I don't get any black soot on my finger!
GM can do it!

Apparently GM has delayed the 2.8L diesel twice now. Orders have been delayed since around October and customers are getting a bit upset. I guess it's better to deliver it late than to deliver it broken or unsafe.

Yap, just ask Ford with the 6.0 PSD.

With the recent Volkswagen lying diesel...they might be having some software issues themselves...