Diesel enthusiasts in the U.S. haven’t been able to buy a new midsize pickup with an oil-burning engine under the hood at any time during this century. After more than four years of engine development specifically for the needs of North American customers, General Motors is offering the 2.8L Duramax LWN diesel engine in the ’16 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. In addition to making sure the engine meets EPA emissions requirements at all times, the engineers involved in the design of the powertrain minimized noise and vibrations while making sure the engine could perform in any climate or altitude you’ll find in the U.S.
The team at Chevrolet invited us to drive Duramax-powered Colorado pickups in multiple configurations while on-road, off-road, and with a trailer in tow. After our first-hand experiences with the trucks on the streets, highways, and dirt trails around Solvang, California (the setting for the Oscar-winning movie Sideways), we have some opinions to share, but this is Diesel Power, so you probably want to know about the engine first. Here’s what we learned by bugging the engineers with questions we thought our readers might ask.
You can find out current filter offerings for the new Canyons and Colorado's here.