Editor’s Note: In January, GM announced that the 2.8-liter Duramax would also be an option on the 2016 GMC Canyon.
Editor’s Note 2: In July 2015, GM announced the 2.8-liter Duramax would go on sale in the U.S. that fall with the unveiling of the 2016 models of the Colorado and Canyon.
If you want to see the future of U.S. diesel pickup engines, keep a close eye on what’s happening 8,500 miles west of Detroit. Or for that matter, anywhere else but on the North American continent.
We love our high-horsepower, V-8 gas and diesels and big pickups here in the U.S. But the rest of the world is quite happy driving V-6 and 4-cylinder diesels in mid-size trucks.
That’s why GM, among others, has invested a lot of time and money engineering some of the best little diesels on the planet and doing so on the other side of the world. Case in point: The 2nd generation 163-horsepower, 2.5L and 200-horsepower 2.8L Duramax (MY14) four-bangers recently introduced in Bangkok, Thailand.
GMs Thailand marketing numbers say that the first generation in a 4×4 Chevrolet Colorado provides fuel economy of 25.57 mpg—and the new version is 6 percent better. Both engines will be showing up in the Thailand and Southeast Asian Colorado pickup truck and Trailblazer SUV, two of Chevrolet’s most popular overseas models.
