Was looking at the new Chevy Colorado pickup truck and I just don't understand what the deal is with the 3.9 liter I-5 engine. Wouldn't they just be better off with an 3.0-3.5L Vee or L 6?
Why would you want a 5 cylinder engine with cylinders larger than an
350 V8? The milage on that midsize truck is dismal.What gives here?
MB
Manufacturing efficiency. GM has a family of inline engines that all use the same tooling and share many internal parts (4,5,and 6). Consumer Reports got the following fuel economy for the 5 cylinder automatic crew cab Colorado:
CU's overall mileage, mpg 16 CU's city/highway, mpg 11/23 CU's 150-mile trip, mpg 19
CR got the following for the V-6 Frontier:
CU's overall mileage, mpg 15 CU's city/highway, mpg 11/21 CU's 150-mile trip, mpg 18
CR got the following for the V-6 Tacoma:
CU's overall mileage, mpg 17 CU's city/highway, mpg 13/21 CU's 150-mile trip, mpg 20
They are all pretty close as far as fuel mileage. This is what you would expect given they are all roughly the same size and weight. (the Colorado is actually the second heaviest, the Tacoma the lightest). The Colorado's fuel economy probably suffers from having a four speed automatic. The Frontier and Tacoma both get 5 speed automatics with the V-6 engines. Although the Tacoma got the best fuel mileage, CR grumbled that it had the lowest load carrying capacity, a poor seating position, less interior room ,and a bad ride compared to others in the class.
Ed
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