Time for a small diesel

airbalancer · May 15, 2004

If the Dodger Sprint can have a 2..7-liter I5 Mercedes-Benz Turbo Diesel engine produces 154 horsepower at 3,800 RPM and 243 pounds-feet of torque from 1,600 to 2,400 RPM.

Why can GM use some of Izuza small engines in their trucks?

I use my truck for work, use for volume and not weight.

Usually drive top speed of 70 mph.

I wonder what the mileage is on the 2.7 i I5 is?

piratebaseball · May 16, 2004

amen brotha! I wanna diesel in mine. Amazing that gm builds millions of them over seas but can't import them for some reason. But any other manufacture is allowed to.

robsawatsky · May 16, 2004

Probably emissions requirements. The Dodge/Freightliner/Mercedes Sprinter is a "heavy-duty" vehicle for emissions purposes so has different emissions requirements than would apply to 1500 series and medium/compact pickups and SUVs.

prideclaw · May 18, 2004

You said it!!!! They wouldn't be able to make them fast enough.I just bought a 1500 but if they make a smaller diesel for maybe the Colorado or something,it would be "so long" to the 1500.

ARE YOU LISTENING,GM??????

piratebaseball · May 18, 2004

You said it!!!! They wouldn't be able to make them fast enough.I just bought a 1500 but if they make a smaller diesel for maybe the Colorado or something,it would be "so long" to the 1500.
ARE YOU LISTENING,GM??????

amen brotha...amen!

16gaSxS · May 19, 2004

More Diesels in more vehicals in the USA is being limited by 2 factors IMHO.

!. Emmisions standards for 2007, are much stricter for Diesels in the US than even toughest European standards. The cost to do the R&D to meet these standards is high.

2. Car makers are "AFFRAID" that if they make the investment to bring us in the USA Diesels we won't pay the higher cost and they will lose there shirts on this "risky venture".

About as simple as I can figure.

I personally feel that Americans will buy Diesels if fuel prices stay and or climb more. Look at how many HD 3/4 too 1Ton Diesel Pickups have been sold in the past 10+ years and the increase Diesels in that arena. I think that if the car makers should help out here by taking some of the high profits from the P/U and SUV market to make the Diesel option less costly of an upgrade would go a long way to helping get more Diesel on the road. But, this would require the excutives at the Makers to be longer term thinking............

ghobrien · May 27, 2004

There may be some enviro friendly fuels available for modern diesel trucks. Amaco might not like that idea.

electromag8 · May 28, 2004

I remember seeing the mexixan or south american web page on this sight not to long ago, and it was a GM website for a diesel S-10, looked very interesting, maybe sopme can re-post.

snoman · May 28, 2004

I think a V6 version of the Duramax is long overdue. A 200HP plus V6 diesel with good fuel milage would sell well in 1/2 ton trucks if offered and cost and weigh less too!

robsawatsky · May 28, 2004

I think a V6 version of the Duramax is long overdue. A 200HP plus V6 diesel with good fuel milage would sell well in 1/2 ton trucks if offered and cost and weigh less too!

Well Isuzu certainly has an assortment of small diesels available (in Japan and elsewhere but no North America). Note the D-MAX name below:

http://www.isuzu.co.jp/world/product/dmax/index.html

A bit underpowered though for anything but a compact truck; that 3.0 turbo diesel is only about 127 HP, 206 ft-lb torque. They do have a more powerful variant though at about 168 HP, 255 ft-lb torque. For Europe and Japan these engines are tuned for maximum economy though, not power.

snoman · May 28, 2004

About 10 years ago when I was moving cross country I rented a 15 foot box truck on a Isuzu chassis. It had a 4 cyl turbo charged diesel with a 4 or 5 speed automatic and A/C. I had that thing loaded to the gut and was pulling at Toyota Camary on a dolly behind it. I did 65 or so most of the way out west until I crossed the rockies going thru Wyoming were it dropped to 40mph on the long climbing pass near Lariame with pedal to the metal for a long time. It was only rated at 130 HP as I recall and averaged about 12 MPG and got as high as 14 MPG. I figure my GCVW was around 17 or 18000 lbs which shows you do not need a 300hp diesel to move some weight. 200 hp with the right gears will move a lot of weight!

pacodiablo · May 29, 2004

Hopefully we will see more diesels soon. A guy I know has a WV new Beetle diesel that gets 55 MPG...that is more than my dad's hybrid and the WV is a more powerful car. Diesels are getting increasingly cleaner as well. It is not impossible to make a clean diesel, it's just that few are interested in actually doing it. The Cummins 600 is a great example...not only was power increased, the 600 pollutes FAR less than previous versions of the engine. I really wish Ford still made diesel Rangers. The few they did make are hard to find...hopefully one day I can get my hands on one. They are not fast, but they are incredibly efficient. Maybe GM will get Isuzu to build a small diesel for them, but it doesn't seem likely...many people simply are not interested or they got a bad impression from the smelly old Mercedes diesels of the '70s and '80s.

snoman · May 29, 2004

It is all about profit and they are not going to make a cleaner engine unless they have too. Current admin is freindly to Detroit and SUV's and their are few regs on Diesel emmissions but this will change around 2008 and light diesels will start to lose their edge. Within 5 years or so there will be converters on diesels too. And, with direct injection gas engines soon to come to the masses, diesels will lose even more appeal.