I've got about 2 weeks and 1k miles now, so I figured I'd post my observations and opinions to date - for anyone who might be interested. Also, I figure the trolls are probably getting hungry and need a new post to chew on, and this small diesel should be plenty tasty to the number crunchers.
At the end of last winter I changed jobs and went from a 4 day a week 40 mile round trip to a 5+ day, 100~ish mile round trip. Between work and home I was spending in the ballpark of $500-$600 a month on fuel, even with decent prices at the end of winter - this was just a commute, not a business write-off. Since it was the end of the season I didn't concern myself with it, since I had a summer vehicle that was far more economical, but I made the plan to find a better winter commute before next winter. My initial plan was just an AWD with studs on all 4, and I started looking. A friend mentioned the small GM diesel and I initially blew it off just because of price alone. Eventually I weighed all the factors with adding a small AWD and realized that I would still have a 10+ year old truck that got 13 or less mpg for all my weekend and utility use, that was going to start becoming a repair liability before too long. A great trade in value, a vehicle rebate, a very hefty GM card redemption, and signing my life away for 5 years and I was driving a new Colorado.
I can guarantee that this vehicle isn't going to be for everyone, but for my needs I think it is going to work out well. If you drag a trailer around every day I would think it foolish to even consider, but if you need occasional small towing and carrying capability I think it may work out great. The bulk of 1/2 ton trucks I see here are now overgrown grocery getters, and frankly my 2500 became little more than that - times and needs changed since I bought it originally.
Two fill-ups in and i'm getting a little over 26mpg overall, and I'm squeaking out a little more every drive - last two days of driving to work were 28+. Around here there are virtually no long flat areas - it's all hilly, windy, and riddled with intersections and speed changes. There's one 4 lane interstate highway in the state and I very rarely drive it. Most of my driving is in 35-55mph zones, and seems to like that speed range. around 1500rpm at 55-60 mph is where it likes to putt along. I think I could easily get low-mid 30's on flat ground. My brief times on 95 have shown that 75mph loses fuel economy, even with consistent speed compared to country road driving. My biggest issue is the following the consciencous driver who does 45 in a 45 - the 6 speed needs you to keep pretty close to 55 to remain in high gear, though i have noticed consistent 40's in 5th can still get you over 25mpg. The small displacement and a lot of gears still keep me shifting a lot more than I'm used to, but the engine still feels and acts like a diesel, though you cannot hear or smell it. Keep some wipes in the vehicle because all the pumps I have ever used are always slimy and I'm not ready to replace the new car smell with diesel yet.
I can't speculate as to towing as of yet, but I'm not going to be upset if I get half fuel economy for my towing needs - the other 95% of my time i'm loving the economy and feel. the biggest thing I see people talking about is the fact that it won't have any power to pass when towing at 75mph. Well, where I am, if you're towing at 75mph and pull out to pass you are either on 95 or you're about to be in an ambulance. The roads I travel most of the time won't sustain that kind of driving, so it's a non-issue.
I will say that my previous 06 2500hd crew was the best truck I've had in my life. I'd never topped 5 years on a newer vehicle before, and ran that one for 10. I'd still be using it for weekend duties if I it just didn't seem like a good time to change. With the corrosion in Maine it's hard to keep a vehicle as long as you may like. If this one turns out half as good as that one, then it's still a win.
At the end of last winter I changed jobs and went from a 4 day a week 40 mile round trip to a 5+ day, 100~ish mile round trip. Between work and home I was spending in the ballpark of $500-$600 a month on fuel, even with decent prices at the end of winter - this was just a commute, not a business write-off. Since it was the end of the season I didn't concern myself with it, since I had a summer vehicle that was far more economical, but I made the plan to find a better winter commute before next winter. My initial plan was just an AWD with studs on all 4, and I started looking. A friend mentioned the small GM diesel and I initially blew it off just because of price alone. Eventually I weighed all the factors with adding a small AWD and realized that I would still have a 10+ year old truck that got 13 or less mpg for all my weekend and utility use, that was going to start becoming a repair liability before too long. A great trade in value, a vehicle rebate, a very hefty GM card redemption, and signing my life away for 5 years and I was driving a new Colorado.
I can guarantee that this vehicle isn't going to be for everyone, but for my needs I think it is going to work out well. If you drag a trailer around every day I would think it foolish to even consider, but if you need occasional small towing and carrying capability I think it may work out great. The bulk of 1/2 ton trucks I see here are now overgrown grocery getters, and frankly my 2500 became little more than that - times and needs changed since I bought it originally.
Two fill-ups in and i'm getting a little over 26mpg overall, and I'm squeaking out a little more every drive - last two days of driving to work were 28+. Around here there are virtually no long flat areas - it's all hilly, windy, and riddled with intersections and speed changes. There's one 4 lane interstate highway in the state and I very rarely drive it. Most of my driving is in 35-55mph zones, and seems to like that speed range. around 1500rpm at 55-60 mph is where it likes to putt along. I think I could easily get low-mid 30's on flat ground. My brief times on 95 have shown that 75mph loses fuel economy, even with consistent speed compared to country road driving. My biggest issue is the following the consciencous driver who does 45 in a 45 - the 6 speed needs you to keep pretty close to 55 to remain in high gear, though i have noticed consistent 40's in 5th can still get you over 25mpg. The small displacement and a lot of gears still keep me shifting a lot more than I'm used to, but the engine still feels and acts like a diesel, though you cannot hear or smell it. Keep some wipes in the vehicle because all the pumps I have ever used are always slimy and I'm not ready to replace the new car smell with diesel yet.
I can't speculate as to towing as of yet, but I'm not going to be upset if I get half fuel economy for my towing needs - the other 95% of my time i'm loving the economy and feel. the biggest thing I see people talking about is the fact that it won't have any power to pass when towing at 75mph. Well, where I am, if you're towing at 75mph and pull out to pass you are either on 95 or you're about to be in an ambulance. The roads I travel most of the time won't sustain that kind of driving, so it's a non-issue.
I will say that my previous 06 2500hd crew was the best truck I've had in my life. I'd never topped 5 years on a newer vehicle before, and ran that one for 10. I'd still be using it for weekend duties if I it just didn't seem like a good time to change. With the corrosion in Maine it's hard to keep a vehicle as long as you may like. If this one turns out half as good as that one, then it's still a win.
..... I'm just a #'s guy, and am interested to see how it compares to similar trucks.
