TFL Truck: 2019 Silverado

[kevm14]

Pricing.

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/03/che ... el-engine/

[Bob]

ooo - aluminum front upper control arms. So fancy.

[kevm14]

Finally official specs.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrol ... 7F64E2FFB8

We've known for more than a year that General Motors planned to add a 3.0-liter turbodiesel inline-six to the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. But even long after it had been announced, every spec other than displacement was still a mystery. That changed today when Chevrolet announced the Silverado's Duramax diesel engine will make 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque.

According to Chevrolet, the engine is all-new and uses an aluminum-alloy block to reduce weight by 25 percent versus iron. Peak torque comes on at an ultra-low 1,500 rpm, with 95 percent available at 1,250 rpm. The only transmission option will be GM's 10-speed automatic. That pairing allows Chevrolet to offer exhaust braking to minimize brake use while towing or hauling.

The 2001 LB7 Duramax was 6.6L with 300 hp and 520 lb-ft. This isn't a terribly long distance from that. But on the other hand that is pushing 20 years old at this point. And that was in a 3/4 ton and 1 ton truck, so I'd think an empty 2020 Silverado with 3.0L Duramax would be considerably faster than an empty 2001 truck, and the 10-speed automatic probably adds to that gap.

Then in the 2009-2010 timeframe, GM supposedly had a baby Duramax at 4.5L with around 310 hp and 520 lb-ft....

I guess I'm saying I hope the fuel economy of the 3.0L is exceptional. Aside from this being an interesting choice for a suburban fullsize truck buyer, this powertrain in something like a Suburban also seems like a very interesting alternative to a large crossover. It is the vehicle people apparently want but with no fuel economy penalty. All you have to do is pay $65k...

[kevm14]

First test, non-instrumented.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrol ... 813EC61B73

It's also an all-aluminum testament to engineering progress. That old cast-iron V-8 was a workhorse, but it couldn't keep up with today's tech. This new motor makes 277 hp and 460 lb-ft with two fewer cylinders and less than half the displacement. Thanks to modern turbocharger technology, 95 percent of that torque is in production at just 1,250 rpm, so the only time you'll ever experience turbo lag is when you floor it at a stop. Nothing a little brake-torqueing can't fix. Do it right, and you'll hit 60 mph in roughly 8.7 seconds by the unscientific stopwatch (we'll have a fully instrumented First Test as soon as possible).

If the Chevy hits 60 in just under 9 seconds, it would be even with the last Ram 1500 EcoDiesel we tested (a 2014 model—the next-generation EcoDiesel engine is not available yet) and over a second behind a Ford F-150 Powerstroke. We'll reserve judgment until our test crew can get its hands on a Silverado 1500 Duramax diesel, but just know that the Chevy feels peppy from behind the wheel. Truck fans will argue numbers until the cows come home, but more important is whether the truck feels slow, and Chevy's doesn't. There's a healthy surge of torque every time you touch the throttle, making the truck feel quick and agile around town and on the highway.

Making that possible is Chevrolet's new 10-speed automatic, the exclusive pairing for this engine. Although it was co-developed with Ford, Chevy's version suffers none of the drivetrain lash and clunky low-speed shifting of the F-150 diesel. The many gear changes are quick and smooth, and the ratios are tightly spaced so the engine is always in the heart of its power band and the transmission never has to hunt for the right gear.

Hope it's at least as fast as the small Power Stroke when they test it. I'd like to see it exceed the fuel economy as well.

[kevm14]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/20 ... ar-AADiMiM

A 10-speed automatic transmission handles shifting duties, and the diesel engine comes with either rear- or four-wheel drive. Official EPA estimates aren't available yet, but the development team's main goal was to achieve the best possible fuel economy. Internal Chevy tests do, however, seem favorable. At a steady 50 mph around Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a two-wheel drive Silverado diesel averaged a remarkable 40 miles per gallon, while a four-wheel drive truck returned 35.9 mpg. A four-wheel drive diesel F-150 under the same conditions returned 31.3 mpg, according to Chevy's testing data.

My own testing starts in a two-wheel drive Silverado on a decidedly short, 25-mile loop along the country roads near Bend, Oregon. Admittedly, I'm going easy on the throttle, and there's a lot of downhill coasting. At the end of the loop, I see 35.6 mpg, which is impressive for a big truck, but likely not close to what these pickups will experience in real-world conditions -- especially while towing.

[kevm14]

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/2020 ... ve-review/

Among the trucks we drove was a low-spec diesel with rear-wheel drive and a tonneau cover over the bed, the idea being to achieve as high an mpg figure as we could. I achieved an impressive cluster-indicated average of 44.7 mpg, although we didn’t have any payload or trailer and, well, were hypermiling. Official EPA numbers aren’t available as of this writing, but figure something in the 28-to-30-mpg range on the highway.

[kevm14]

https://autoweek.com/article/car-review ... tification

In fact, the new Duramax diesel is almost too quiet. The engineers at Chevy worked to get rid of the clacking diesel noises with tricks and a heavy-handed application of sound deadeners. At worst, you might just think this is a straight-six gas engine that’s a little low on oil. There is a faint whistle of turbocharging, which is always a pleasant noise.

Power delivery is similarly refined, with the immediate peak torque playing a part. There are no odd shakes or rattles as you put the hammer down; acceleration is linear and predictable. The diesel also carries the Silverado well past the peak torque figures and doesn’t feel gutless as you push the engine to its 5,100 rpm redline

The diesel isn’t a heavyweight so it doesn’t really affect the truck’s handling. That’s because the Duramax sports an aluminum casting with thin iron cylinder liners keeping the aluminum pistons at bay. The head, too, is aluminum to further keep the weight down.

Fuel numbers are still waiting on final approval, but the gauge cluster’s active fuel mileage calculator reported up to 33 mpg on a soft-peddled open-road run on country roads. That’s good by any measure, but don't expect to see that number when city driving or towing. We’ll wait and see what the folks at the EPA have to say about the new 3.0-liter Duramax on the combined cycle.

[kevm14]

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2019/06/20 ... el-review/

All in all, the Silverado is the best its ever been, and the diesel version is the best version and the one that most people should buy.

The Engine to Buy
Truck owners know that diesel engines are a smart choice if you’re towing regularly. The new 3.0-liter inline-six Duramax turbodiesel pairs high torque numbers and good fuel economy into an engine that will be pretty enticing for many drivers.

The 3.0-liter inline-six turbodiesel manages to make 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. All that torque comes at a low 1,500 rpm, making it good for towing. Peak horsepower comes in at 3,750 rpm, which means you’ll still get good acceleration in most circumstances.

With the 3.0-liter Duramax under the hood, the Silverado can tow up to 9,300 pounds, which is not the most the Silverado can tow, but Chevy said that more than takes care of 90 percent of the market.

When it comes to fuel economy, Chevrolet has not yet released the official EPA numbers. This is because the EPA hasn’t released them. However, Chevy didn’t leave me high and dry when it comes to fuel economy. The company had all of its journalists compete in an mpg challenge.

The highest any journalist in my group go was around 45 mpg. Now, those are not real world numbers. We were purposely trying to get the best fuel economy possible. However, I managed to get around 34.5 mph according to the vehicle’s mpg tracking software. I drove conservatively, but not wildly slow.

I would imagine if you drive the diesel truck regularly, it will get high-20s. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see you manage 30 mpg fairly regularly. Obviously, if you have a led foot, you’ll be stuck in the low-20s or worse. Still, I think most people would be able to see very respectable fuel economy numbers out of the diesel Silverado.

In terms of just the diesel engine. The 3.0-liter Duramax delivers. In my relatively short time with the truck, I could tell that not only was the engine thrifty with fuel, but it was strong. Acceleration was good off the line thanks to the gobs of torque available at a mere 1,500 rpm, and the 10-speed automatic transmission always seems to be in the right gear at the right time.

When it comes to towing, you’ll not find a machine that attempts to make it this easy. All of the towing technology in the truck is designed to make it as easy as possible for people who have never towed or only towed occasionally.

Chevy even includes a sticker inside the door of each and every truck that’s VIN specific and tells the driver how much his or her particular truck is rated for. That’s an industry exclusive feature. It’s a small addition that makes a big difference.

The max towing for the Silverado when properly equipped is over 12,000 pounds. Many of the Silverados sold will only be able to tow a little over 9,000 pounds, some less. With this sticker, you’ll know exactly how much the truck you bought can tow. This is a seriously important thing to know if you’re buying a box trailer, boat, or RV.

[kevm14]

Tested.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrol ... 4C6F58F842

Pretty quick though only a few ticks faster than Ford's.

When features editor Scott Evans drove the 2020 Silverado 1500 Duramax at its press launch, he estimated acceleration from 0 to 60 mph would take 8.7 seconds. But with our Vbox in place, a skidpad to ourselves, and road test editor Chris Walton behind the wheel, it took 7 seconds flat for the Silverado RST Duramax 2WD to go from 0 to 60 mph. That's outstanding performance, complemented by the 15.4 seconds it took to complete the quarter mile at 90.7 mph. These numbers are right in line with the Ford F-150 diesel 4x2, which went from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 15.6 seconds at 88.9 mph.

More good stuff.

Evans didn't get a chance to tow during the press event, but we made sure to get all kinds of towing numbers and driving impressions during our test. The 1500 Duramax 2WD is rated to tow up to 7,600 pounds, and at almost full capacity (7,500 pounds), the Silverado 1500 Duramax went from 0 to 60 mph in 16.4 seconds and completed the quarter mile in 20.8 seconds at 66.6 mph. Those numbers aren't bad, and the Silverado feels even better from behind the wheel. The diesel engine is buttery smooth, yet it has lots of torque. It pulls a trailer as if it isn't there, and its 10-speed automatic transmission shifts swiftly even with all that weight. Unlike the F-150, the Silverado doesn't lurch or struggle when pulling that weight, and it performs flawlessly even when going uphill.

On the steep incline at Davis Dam, near the Arizona-Nevada border, the Silverado 1500 Duramax passed 70 mph and had enough power left to go even faster. And even with all the "frustration" we threw its way, the Silverado diesel controlled the trailer very well. We also liked that the turn signal blinks six times instead of three when the truck is in Tow/Haul mode.

Also as a reminder, the 2WD is rated at 23/33/27 mpg which seems pretty damn good to me. The 4WD is a little less, but I think I posted that previously anyway.

I think this powertrain can make a pretty good business case for itself in a 1/2 ton that is going to see a lot of commute miles and even do some modest towing occasionally. I dig it.

[kevm14]

Let's see how Dodge is doing: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a2 ... 843&src=nl

Uhh, poorly actually. It's slower and gets worse fuel economy. And I think by a lot. Also, look at that 5-60. This thing is a lag monster. Lame.