Dig That Diesel? GMC Claims New Oil-burner Gets 'em In the Door

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Compared to the clattery, soot-spewing 350 diesel that helped sink General Motors’ reputation in the 1980s, the 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six introduced in the automaker’s full-size pickups late last year is a refined affair. It’s also making something of a reputation for itself, drawing buyers to the company’s truck-only brand who might otherwise have looked elsewhere in the industry for a pickup.

GMC now says it’s targeting a surprising take rate for the Flint-built engine.

Speaking to Automotive News, the division says a survey of Durmax-powered Sierra conducted in March revealed interesting statistics.While respondents where no stranger to the full-size pickup segment, more than two-thirds had never owned a diesel truck before. More notably, more than half of respondents were new to the GMC brand.

That’s juicy stuff for GMC, as it indicates the 3.0L oil-burner is generating conquest sales for the division. Ford and Ram both offer a light-duty diesel of the same displacement, albeit in an unsexy V6 configuration. In two-wheel drive guise, the Duramax Sierra returns an EPA-rated 30 mpg on the highway and 26 mph combined, a significant increase from gas V8 models. A comparable Ford F-150 with 3.0L Power Stroke returns 29 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined.

Ram’s super legal, current-generation EcoDiesel tops the GM diesel in combined driving, but boasts a 32 mpg highway rating.

Over the course of a week, a Duramax-equipped Chevy Silverado 1500 tickled reviewer Chris Tonn in all the right places, wooing him with 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque that came without a side dish of NVH and coal-rolling clouds. Fuel economy topped his expectations.

GMC plans to leverage the positives that generated the engine’s early accolades to further increase consumer interest.

“We have to get a bit more awareness out there for how good our diesel is,” said Phil Brook, GMC’s vice president of marketing, in an interview with AN.

After learning, via the survey, that 35 percent of Sierra buyers were new to the brand (a smaller percentage than Sierra diesel buyers), Brook said the division realized how how important the 3.0L could be for GMC. The division now thinks it can get the diesel’s take rate to one-in-five. Already, Brook said, the diesel take rate among high-end AT4 and Denali buyers stands at 15 percent.

Those buyers wouldn’t be interested in a diesel if it came with the stereotypical lack of refinement.

“The engineers have really done that for us,” Brook said, adding that Duramax-equipped Sierras spend, on average, half the time on the lot as their gasoline counterparts. “They have produced an engine that is an absolute standout.”

[Image: General Motors]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Gasser Gasser on Jun 29, 2020

    I drove an ‘83 Mercedes 300 turbo diesel for 8 years and 132,000 miles. I did nothing to the engine but change oil and filters. It never used a drop of additional oil. Admittedly the performance was VERY slow, but the reliability was spectacular. Tell GM to call me back when they can reach that level of reliability and ease of maintenance.

  • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Jun 29, 2020

    I wish GM would have offered the 3.0 diesel in the TrailBoss.

  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.
  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
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