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

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.