Who would be interested in a 3.0L Duramax Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon?

[K2xxSteve]

I just traded our 2012 BMW X5 diesel (3.0L Inline-6 asymmetrical twin-turbo, 265hp, 425tq) for a 2018 Suburban. The turbodiesel performed brilliantly in that 5200 lb SUV, and you could easily get 26-28 mpg on road trips, and it did north of 20 mpg average in local driving. I've been saying for years that a lot of these mid to large-sized SUVs are just screaming for 6-cylinder class diesel engines, so it's nice to finally see them popping up. I'd love to see this engine be an option in the next gen Suburban/Tahoe and the Yukons. Who else?

[hildech19]

I think this would be amazing! I think it’ll be great in the trucks for what it’s supposed to do, get great mileage.  I’m definitely considering this in the truck when they come out so I’ve been keeping my eye on fuel prices and down here in south OK/North TX gas is $0.80-$1.00 cheaper per gallon than diesel. So that great fuel economy is a wash for me at the moment. It’d mainly be for cool/fun factor. I will continue to check fuel prices and look forward to some actual numbers from GM and the EPA.   We should know soon enough

[Colossus]

If Diesel were not always so expensive then it would be an awesome idea, but with it being over $3.00 a gallon most of the time even with great fuel economy numbers, it's still not practical in many cases. 

[K2xxSteve]

Yeah, economically it might not make sense when you can put regular grade fuel in the 5.3L. Considering the cost of the diesel would most likely be at least a few thousand higher, it might not ever pay off. I wish that weren't the case, because I loved the diesel in my traded X5. The only time I felt like only 265hp wasn't really enough was on two lane country road passing, but otherwise the massive torque yanked you around everywhere just fine.

[swathdiver]

A twin turbocharged engine is needlessly complex and 3.0 liters is of insufficient size for durability for vehicles exceeding 5000 pounds that are intended to tow.

 

Having said that, I'm well aware of Ford's offerings and GMs new little diesel. 

 

Maybe just showing my age, my ancestors raced mid-sized cars with 455 cubic inch engines and I raced their descendants' with 231 cubic inch engines with turbochargers!     

 

Using my truck as an example, it has a power to weight ratio at GVWR of 23.87:1, that's near 24 pounds per horsepower.  Half that would be a lot more fun!

[newdude]

I think an oil burning Suburban would be a nice addition.  GM came close in 2009-2010 with the stillborn 4.5 Duramax V8 for the Suburban 3/4 ton, but otherwise there hasn't been a factory diesel burb since 1999. 

[K2xxSteve]

11 hours ago, swathdiver said:

A twin turbocharged engine is needlessly complex and 3.0 liters is of insufficient size for durability for vehicles exceeding 5000 pounds that are intended to tow.

Yeah was thinking the same. It'll be brilliant in the trucks, but losing 75hp in a 6000 lb vehicle is probably going to be a bit much. 

[K2xxSteve]

7 hours ago, newdude said:

I think an oil burning Suburban would be a nice addition.  GM came close in 2009-2010 with the stillborn 4.5 Duramax V8 for the Suburban 3/4 ton, but otherwise there hasn't been a factory diesel burb since 1999. 

Just looked that up, apparently would have had 310hp/520tq. That would have been about perfect in a Suburban. Too bad they axed it! 

[i82much]

The most recent generation of diesels reminds me of the 70's-era gas engines, when they had to do a bunch of slap-on engineering to meet emissions requirements.  It took over a decade of clunky fixes, like electronically-controlled carburetors, funky vacuum advance curves, etc., before the OEM's finally managed to start making reliable gas engines again.

 

Diesels went through the same sort of hack-fest in the mid-2000's, and since then they just seem to have gotten more failure-prone and costly to fix.  As much as I'd like to have a diesel, I don't see myself going that route until I am fully convinced their long-term maintenance and reliability will be comparable to a gas engine.  I don't think we are there yet.  

[2018GMC]

Yes. It should definitely be an option!

 

You think it would be offered to help their cafe numbers. 

[movario]

I had a 3.0l Diesel in my BMW 530d too. Great engine, but relailability... I've got a little less than 100k miles on it, and there was alread been changed:

 

- The engine itself

- all 6 Injectors

- Fuel Pump

- EGR Valve

- many small sensors

 

All in all, if the warranty hadn't covered it, it had been a damage from around 25.000 $

 

Diesel Engines are much more common in europe, where even the smallest cars like smarts etc. have diesel engines. But nowdays, with much stricter emission regulations, they get unrelailable as hell. And cost a fortune to maintain.

 

Diesel engines are great if kept simple, but tend to fail often if being too complex.

[Imcrazy]

I think diesels make no sense outside of commercial use so I would be a NO... I still don't understand the upside of a diesel in a light duty truck for personal use... At what point does it equal deceased operating costs? They typically tow less than their gas v8 alternative mills so no towing advantage right? Whats the upside? Better MPG sure but, higher fuel, operating and purchase prices cancel that out right?

[KARNUT]

I know several people who have diesels, the big three. They drive a lot. No problems other than around 200K they get rid of the def.


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[Colossus]

1 hour ago, movario said:

I had a 3.0l Diesel in my BMW 530d too. Great engine, but relailability... I've got a little less than 100k miles on it, and there was alread been changed:

 

- The engine itself

- all 6 Injectors

- Fuel Pump

- EGR Valve

- many small sensors

 

All in all, if the warranty hadn't covered it, it had been a damage from around 25.000 $

 

Diesel Engines are much more common in europe, where even the smallest cars like smarts etc. have diesel engines. But nowdays, with much stricter emission regulations, they get unrelailable as hell. And cost a fortune to maintain.

 

Diesel engines are great if kept simple, but tend to fail often if being too complex.

European sports vehicles are fun to drive, no doubt about that, hell my brothers 2000 Audi A4 1.8L T Wagon handles better and is more enjoyable to drive in the mountains than a 2018 Impala or 2019 Camary- but when it comes to cost of maintenance and long term reliability, Asian AND American beats them out almost always. 

Edited April 30, 2019 by Colossus

[Imcrazy]

2 hours ago, Colossus said:

European sports vehicles are fun to drive, no doubt about that, hell my brothers 2000 Audi A4 1.8L T Wagon handles better and is more enjoyable to drive in the mountains than a 2018 Impala or 2019 Camary- but when it comes to cost of maintenance and long term reliability, Asian AND American beats them out almost always. 

No doubt, you need deep pockets to keep the Euro cars on the road... I won't buy anything that's not American or Japanese...