Hi scotty
Im in the market for a diesel and was just wondering your opinion on GM.s 3.0 liter diesel straight six in the 1500's and how it would compete to the likes of an Eco diesel? Thinking long term reliability with the possibility of Catalytic deleting in the future.
Ford's Powerstroke is also fine too
I had the "privilege" of riding a Powerstroke first hand for a few years. It louder than a farm tractor. You can hear it coming a mile away. You have to shout to communicate with your driver/passenger. Then there's the stink ... and the cost to fix stuff.
If you simply need the power to accomplish your work, then by all means ...
Otherwise ... what are you doing?
There's a big difference between a 6.0/6.4/6.7 in a Ford Super Duty work truck and a 3.0L V6 Powerstroke. To obtain one requires the Lariat trim in an F-150. Modern era 'ecodiesels' with all their technology don't smell either... But they aren't worth the expense of the Lariat or Premium to me. But I'd never buy one.
If I'm buying a diesel truck, I'm getting an XL or XLT Super Duty. I don't buy trucks for luxury, and who can or wants to afford to cruise around when diesel is 5.50+ A gallon? Who looks at ecodiesels these days in any 1/2 ton and thinks its a good idea?
Welcome to the forum. This question is coming up a lot on the forum these days, I imagine because fuel prices are so crazy.
I did that calculus 6 months ago. From what I can tell, the 3.0 Duramax is the best of breed. I’m not generally a GM fan. My previous truck was a 2014 Tundra and I always assumed that I would get another one. But when the new Tundra came out, it had some engine problems and a serious supply deficit, so I looked at Ram, Ford, and GM. Eventually bought a 2022 Sierra.
The 3.0 Duramax is exactly as described in the reviews: smooth, quiet, responsive, and very efficient. I’ve had mine for 9000 miles now and in that time I easily get 25mpg in daily use not towing. As much as 30 highway, and typically around 16-19 towing a 3000 lb travel trailer.
The biggest risk is the crank-no-start thing (look into that before you buy). If it happens to you, you’ll be without your truck a couple months while the dealer tries to get it sorted. But fortunately it’s rare (and I always turn off the auto start-stop to minimize restarts).
The biggest problem with GM trucks is the lifter failure on the gas engines, but that doesn’t affect the diesels. The oil pump thing has gotten a lot of Internet chatter, but doesn’t really add that much to lifetime maintenance costs if you think about it.
No doubt, being a GM product, there are bound to be issues to come up in the future, but the fuel savings offsets a lot of that. Overall, after doing my homework and driving it for almost 10,000 miles, I think I made the right decision.
By the way, they have an updated 3.0 coming out next year, designated LZ0. You’ll want to see what that’s all about.
The diesels engines used in half-ton pickups are meh- not the worst option but there are better options out there. If you want a diesel that's reliable, Dodge RAM with the Cummins. Ford's Powerstroke is also fine too.
