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GM diesel pickups first to undergo extra EPA, CARB testing

The effects of Volkswagen's long-running diesel emissions evasion are starting to spill over to other automakers, but General Motors is taking things in stride. The 2.8-liter, four-cylinder Duramax in the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon is the first engine to get extra scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, Automotive News reports. Rather than just the usual in-lab test, it's also being checked on the road. However, the extra evaluation shouldn't have any impact on when the trucks with his mill hit dealers later this fall. "We're in our final stages of the EPA certification, and our launch is on track," Chevy spokesperson Otie McKinley tells Autoblog. The four-cylinder diesel in the trucks makes 181 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and the automaker is touting low NOx production. In the announcement for the Colorado's specs, the company calls it "the cleanest diesel truck engine ever produced by General Motors." The tech includes exhaust gas recirculation to lower combustion temperatures and improve emissions. There's also a urea tank like on the bigger diesels for full-size trucks, and it gets refilled in time with oil changes. An indication on the instrument panel lets drivers know when that's needed, too. Even with the more demanding testing, the company doesn't seem too worried about the four-cylinder passing. "Part of our development process is on-road and off-road [laboratory] testing," Scott Yackley, Chevy Trucks assistant chief engineer, said to Automotive News. In the wake of the VW scandal, the EPA has pledged more rigorous testing. Before, on-road emissions evaluations were largely limited to heavy-duty vehicles, but the agency has decided to apply the checks more often to other models. There's also now greater cooperation with Canadian authorities.

Chevy Cruze CNG available from Crazy Diamond Performance

Anyone out there who can somehow find a second way to link Pink Floyd to natural gas vehicles gets a prize. Because so far, we have one Michigan-based company called Crazy Diamond Performance (Shine On You Crazy Diamond being a longtime Floyd fave) that's setting out to convert Chevrolet Cruze vehicles to run on compressed natural gas (CNG). All in the name of cheaper fuel and domestic security, of course. Crazy Diamond says it can offer a converted CNG-powered Chevy Cruze for a price as low as $26,000. That four-cylinder version has 130 horsepower and an 8.5-gasoline-gallon-equivalent capacity that provides a full-tank range of as many as 250 miles. Pony up another $2,000 or so and the peppier, turbocharged CNG Cruze can be yours. The company says it will provide a 100,000-mile powertrain warranty and is trying to get EPA certification for its conversions. The selling points are cheaper fuel (CNG is about half the cost of regular gasoline in some parts of the country) and homeland security (CNG reduces dependence on foreign oil). The only production passenger vehicle CNG in the US is the Honda Civic CNG, which sells in very limited numbers. Check out Crazy Diamond's flyer here. Featured Gallery 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ: New York 2014 View 13 Photos News Source: Crazy Diamond Performance via Hybrid Cars, Green Fleet Magazine Green Chevrolet Natural Gas Vehicles CNG

2022 Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss adds 3.0-liter diesel option

Order books just opened for the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, which, in case you hadn't heard, is almost unchanged compared to the 2021 Silverado. The overhauled Silverado and GMC Sierra that we caught in spy shots several times last year and were expected to launch this year have been delayed. Until that pickup gets here, Chevrolet and GMC will add "Limited" to the names of the Silverado and Sierra. Fleet guides for next year's truck show the official model name as Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD. There are a few interesting features coming next year, though, like the Multi-Flex tailgate joining the options list for Silverado HD trucks. GM Authority also reports that the 2022 Silverado LT Trail Boss adds the 3.0-liter oil-burner with 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque as a third engine option, which should be a big treat for the off-roading crew. Whereas the GMC Sierra AT4 already offers the 3.0-liter diesel, the Silverado LT Trail Boss only offers the 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V8s, both bolted to GM's ten-speed automatic transmission. Then there's the Custom Trail Boss that adds the 4.3-liter V6 as an option, and it and the 5.3-liter V8 only get 6-speed automatics. At the moment, Silverado trims that offer the Duramax charge a $1,045 for it over the 5.3-liter V8. If that gap holds true for next year, the diesel will just about evenly split the price difference between the LT Trail Boss with the 5.3 and the 6.2.   Elsewhere in the range, Driving.ca said Canadian fleet guides show the 4.3-liter V6 and lower-spec 5.3-liter V8 with Active Fuel Management (AFM) instead of Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM) disappearing from next year's base Silverado WT. To clarify, AFM only shuts off half the cylinders in certain conditions, whereas DFM constantly adjusts how many cylinders are firing all the time. As it stands, that would leave the 2.7-liter turbo four-cylinder as the only engine option. However, those other two mills were the only ones left in the lineup that shift through a six-speed transmission, making it possible that they'll rejoin the options list with at least two more gears to choose from. It's not clear if GM will sell the Limited models alongside the majorly upgraded 2022 Silverado. The automaker did just that a few years ago, selling the previous-gen truck as a Limited trim alongside the then-new, current-gen. It certainly wouldn't be the only company to do so, either.