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General Motors Delays LM2 Duramax, Costs More Than 5.3-liter V8 Engine Option

2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 13 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 15002020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
General Motors hyped the LM2 Duramax a lot in the past couple of months, but as it happens, the inline-six won't arrive in the Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 this fall. The Detroit-based automaker pushed back the launch of the 3.0-liter turbo diesel over a “slight delay" in the certification process.
According to Automotive News, dealers were told to cancel all orders for Duramax-engined pickups until further notice. On the upside for the customers, dealers were instructed to offer a replacement 2020 model. The thing is, General Motors could end up losing a lot of Duramax customers by doing so.

First of all, the 3.0-liter turbo diesel is $2,495 more expensive than the 5.3-liter V8. In comparison to the 2.7-liter turbo four-cylinder, make that $3,890 more. And in terms of Americana, nothing beats the small-block V8. There is a silver lining, however, and that’s the superiority of the Duramax in comparison to Ford and Ram. Thanks to 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, the Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 with this engine promise best-in-class performance.

Every configuration with the Duramax comes standard with the 10-speed automatic transmission co-developed with the Ford Motor Company. It’s a slick-shifting gearbox, and so far, reliability has been top notch. The six- and eight-speed transmissions of old are still available, and no, there’s no manual option to speak of in this segment.

Customers with a limited budget are treated to 285 horsepower and 305 pound-feet of torque, Active Fuel Management, six cylinders, and 4.3 liters of displacement. A General Motors spokesperson told Automotive News that Duramax-engined trucks will start rolling off the assembly line “soon” without going into further detail. The Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t commented either.

It still remains to be seen how the Silverado 1500 Duramax will fare in terms of towing and fuel economy, but General Motors has some competition to take into consideration. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced an updated EcoDiesel V6 for the Ram 1500 and various Jeep models, and that engine is scheduled to launch in 2020.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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