Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon diesels first pickups to top 30 mpg on highway

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Automotive News / November 9, 2015

The EPA has certified the diesel-powered versions of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon at 31 mpg highway -- the highest rating of any truck, big or small, gasoline or diesel -- sold in the U.S.

The two midsize GM pickups edge past the Ram EcoDiesel, which is EPA-rated at 29 mpg on the highway.

Ford’s most fuel-efficient F-150 is powered by a 2.7-liter gasoline V-6 and carries an EPA rating of 26 mpg highway.

The 31 mpg puts the GM twins well ahead of the midsize Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, which are not available with diesel engines.

GM is pressing on with its plan to add diesel engines to its lineup, despite the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, which has caused regulators all over the world to give diesel-powered vehicles extra scrutiny.

Earlier today, GM's product development chief, Mark Reuss, said Chevrolet will launch the next version of the Chevrolet Cruze diesel on schedule for the 2017 model year.

GM said that the EPA issued not only the fuel economy ratings but a certificate of conformity stating the agency has no issues or concerns about the emissions systems in both trucks.

The Colorado and Canyon are powered by a 2.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. They go on sale before the end of the year with prices for diesel models adding about $3,700 over V-6, gasoline-powered trucks.

The official EPA rating for Colorado and Canyon is 22 city/31 highway and 25 combined.

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2016 Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon Diesel Fuel Economy Released, EPA Conformity Confirmed

Car & Driver / November 9, 2015

Conformity can be dull, an act that dissolves your individuality into the flow of the masses like a fluid into a current. Or conformity can be a good thing! Take, for example, when you’re moving to release a new diesel-powered vehicle in the wake of Volkswagen’s brazen diesel-emissions cheating scandal. General Motors gets it, and has announced that in addition to having fresh fuel-economy figures for 2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado diesel trucks in hand, it also has an EPA “Certificate of Conformity” that declares them totally compliant with emissions laws. Come on in, the conformity’s nice and warm.

The 2WD diesel-powered Canyon and Colorado are EPA-certified for 22 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. Four-wheel-drive models boast still-impressive 20/29 ratings.

The only other diesel-fueled light-duty truck available in the U.S. right now, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel (Nissan’s Titan XD isn’t quite out yet, plus EPA ratings remain forthcoming), gets 20/28 mpg in two-wheel-drive guise.

Cracking the 30-mpg mark has been truckmakers’ goal for some time, so for the 2WD mid-size GM twins to do so while still offering 7700 pounds of towing (4WD versions are rated for 100 fewer pounds) is most certainly a win.

Our only complaint with the truck—we drove it and found it to be quite good—is the lack of a manual transmission or availability with the extended-cab body style. Every diesel-fueled Canyon and Colorado will be a crew cab and come solely with a six-speed automatic transmission.

The engine itself, a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel, churns out a mighty 369 lb-ft of torque and a more diesel-appropriate 181 horsepower. It seems that since Chevrolet and GMC initially released pricing for the diesel Colorado and Canyon, that those prices have crept up; the Chevy will start at $35,080 for a two-wheel-drive Crew Cab LT, while the equivalent GMC requires $36,320.