Light Duty Domestic Pickups: Oil Burners Are Go!
The Detroit News reports the new fuel mileage bill will have one side effect that should make some truck buyers happy: all three Detroit automakers are planning a diesel option for their light-duty pickups. Long restricted to heavier-duty applications, oil-burners provide the mileage the manufacturers will need to meet the new fleet-wide 35 mpg standard. Dodge will shoehorn a diesel into the Ram 1500 just after the 2009 model year. Ford plans diesels for "future generations" of the F-150. And GM is developing a V-8 diesel for the Silverado 1500 that could replace any small-block V8 in its lineup. Just think– if things keep heading in Rudolph's direction, a diesel Impala could displace the Crown Vic as the taxi of choice. That is, if GM has finally exorcised the ghosts of their 1980's V8 diesel debacle.
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It does seem like most of the focus on diesel motors in trucks has been to make the diesel a high powered optional motor, not focused on mileage but on heavy duty type applications such as towing. It would be interesting to see a lower powered, more efficient diesel in the high volume "half ton" market.
Mr. Albright is correct. A V-8 oil burner is overkill in most automotive and light-truck applications. All those big rigs you see on the freeway? Just about all of them have inline-6 Diesels. If anything a straight six would be easier to balance and reduce noise at idle. The V Motori 4-banger in the Jeep Liberty is a fantastic Diesel engine well suited to a light duty truck. Mated to the proper transmission it could easily beat 30 MPG. So why is Detroit so fixated on 8-cylinders? --chuck
While the GM/Oldsmobile 5.7 Liter Diesel V-8 engine was a complete disaster, in the early '80s GM offered a 4.3 Liter Diesel V-6 engine for use in its then new front-wheel-drive mid-sized and full-sized cars. It was even offered as an option in the FWD Cadillac Fleetwood and DeVille. The 4.3 Liter Diesel V-6 was actually a pretty good engine, a bit anemic, but without the reliability problems of the 5.7 Liter Diesel V-8. Unfortunately, by the time GM's Diesel V-6 came out, GM had such a poor reputation for diesels, that the engine died due to a lack of interest. Enough time has passed that such a fate is unlikely to occur with any new diesel engines that GM brings out.