End of the diesel light truck

[Verticaltrx]

Ok:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Have you ever operated a class 6-7 or larger truck of any vintage?

The bottom line is a medium duty truck will haul more, tow more, and do it far longer than any light duty high HP diesel ever will.

With that said, my original point which may have gotten lost was that the ability of a truck IMO is more determined by the overall setup including the transmission, gearing, etc than the motor alone. While I don't condone GM dropping the diesel it's not going to make that big of a difference to those who only care about the ability of the truck to get a job done. I personally am not impressed by the light duty diesel trucks these days.

 

[Cat_Driver]

GM makes JUNK Diesels, so it's good news. I bought 2004, and 2005 DURAJUNK and both overheated NEW. Actually told by service manager Diesel overheating is NORMAL. Not even worth arguing with a moronic statement.

 

[Foxtrot08]

Holy crap, people on the internet blow everything out of proportion... :duh:

"GM North American Mark Reuss hinted to reporters, however, that the trucks’ powertrains could see updates within the next few years. While revealing little, he offered a terse “more to come” when asked if a diesel might be added to the trucks, and responded “hang loose”"

- Link: Light & Medium Truck | GM Unveils New Full-Size Pickups

Long and short, Izuzu - who made the Duramax diesels for GM since... forever ago, have spit ways with GM. This happened in 08 when they could not come to an agreement on the kodiak/top kick line. So now GM either needs 1. a new contract with Izuzu to continue to produce engines with updated emissions. Or 2. To develop their own engine.

GM would be idiotic not to have a diesel. There are so many industries - work trucks - were the real sales are at that REQUIRE diesel. One fuel job sites. Rig sites with no spark requirements, emergency crews, etc. Not only that, but the general trend in the market is going towards diesels. Ford is releasing their second powerstroke - a 5 cylinder diesel, in the full size transit connect van. Also rumored we will see an F150 with it, since in Europe the engine gets 36mpg in the transit connect. It would help Ford a lot with their CAFE standards. Dodge/Chrysler group is releasing the 3.0L diesel in the Jeep Grand Cherokee this year - Rumor is it will be in the Jeep wrangler and dodge 1500 shortly after. Mazada's Skyactiv diesel is out, let alone all the euro diesels that have been out for a while.



I would bet we will see a diesel open at the International Auto show this spring. They will not release with a gas only line, or else they will pretty much be destroyed in the light / medium duty market.

 

[94BULLITT]

Maybe they will bring the 6.5 back:rotfl:

 

[crazyal]

The day when owning one vehicle is quickly ending. Soon you'll need a small ecobox for daily driving so you don't have to drive your truck unless you really need a truck. With new trucks costing $50k plus most people are going pause and think twice before spending that kind of money on a part time driver. As the new MPG standards kick in the market will soon be looking for ways around them.

 

[Foxtrot08]

The day when owning one vehicle is quickly ending. Soon you'll need a small ecobox for daily driving so you don't have to drive your truck unless you really need a truck. With new trucks costing $50k plus most people are going pause and think twice before spending that kind of money on a part time driver. As the new MPG standards kick in the market will soon be looking for ways around them.

Flip side, you can buy nearly new-used for 50 cents on the dollar, or less. I bought my 08 F250 with a 6.4L diesel, at the end of 08 - with 14k on the clock. It was under 1/2 the price of the MSRP.


Let the fleets / people with too much money / executive demos / leases buy then resell. Then pick up one. Buying new is for the birds.

 

[mjncad]

Buying new is for the birds.

I prefer to buy new as I like to be the first person to frak up a vehicle and I generally keep my vehicles until they die; therefore depreciation is of little consequence to me. However; if I traded frequently or needed a beater, then I would go used. With exceptions, leases are a ripoff; but that's another topic for another thread.

 

[crazyal]

Flip side, you can buy nearly new-used for 50 cents on the dollar, or less. I bought my 08 F250 with a 6.4L diesel, at the end of 08 - with 14k on the clock. It was under 1/2 the price of the MSRP.


Let the fleets / people with too much money / executive demos / leases buy then resell. Then pick up one. Buying new is for the birds.

A co-worker got a new 3/4 ton Ford diesel crew cab (or what ever Ford calls their full four door trucks) long bed 4x4 for $38k ($60k plus window sticker). It's pretty much a fully loaded truck and thanks to the economy tanking it was about 1/3 off of list when he bought it in 09. Finding good used trucks will become harder as the price of new gets beyond what most people are willing to spend and the number of new ones starts to drop.

Sooner or later they are going to be forced by the government to start making high mileage vehicles to me the 2015 standard Obama set for them. It's something like 55mpg. The only way it can happen is if the government sets stupid numbers for the hybrid cars. It'll take numbers like 200 mpg to offset things like a 1 ton with a large diesel. Of course with GM struggling to sell the volt 2015 it's not going to offset much of anything.

 

[Foxtrot08]

A co-worker got a new 3/4 ton Ford diesel crew cab (or what ever Ford calls their full four door trucks) long bed 4x4 for $38k ($60k plus window sticker). It's pretty much a fully loaded truck and thanks to the economy tanking it was about 1/3 off of list when he bought it in 09. Finding good used trucks will become harder as the price of new gets beyond what most people are willing to spend and the number of new ones starts to drop.

Sooner or later they are going to be forced by the government to start making high mileage vehicles to me the 2015 standard Obama set for them. It's something like 55mpg. The only way it can happen is if the government sets stupid numbers for the hybrid cars. It'll take numbers like 200 mpg to offset things like a 1 ton with a large diesel. Of course with GM struggling to sell the volt 2015 it's not going to offset much of anything.

Anything with a curb weight over 6000lbs does not get EPA regulated into regular CAFE standards right now.

However, that is changing. Light / Medium / Heavy duty trucks are due to get their own CAFE standards at the end of 2013 or early 2014. But it's going to go by class weight. I.e. Class 7 & 8 semi's will have their own CAFE requirements, while Class 2-3 will have their CAFE standards. 5-6 will have different.

 

[geko]

In England, we use vans for most stuff.

I have an iveco daily panel van (2.3l), 116hp.
It's got a load capacity of 1345kg, which easily takes my Jd x540, all hand tools & more besides.
If anything bigger needs hauling, in England, we'd use a 7.5tonne lorry, which has a larger capacity to carry/tow.
My iveco gives 20-30mpg dependant on load, can easily maintain a speed of 70mph, fully loaded & certainly doesn't struggle on hills.

Petrol (or gas) powered vans aren't readily available as the torque wasn't there for carrying loads (I assume).

With diesel prices at £1.37/litre, we like to save fuel where we can!