Gm 3.0 duramax deisel review

[redrooster]

I was issued a temporary company vehicle recently and I have to say, I am impressed.  I might go back on my saying of half tons are a joke.   I have a 2023 gmv elevation with the 3.0 dirty max in it.  Unloaded I am averaging 26.7 mpg.  That's everything driving.  On highway I am averaging 30.4 mpg.   This thing is insane!!!   I hooked it up to my trailer and it pulled it no problem.  Got 18 mpg with a 20foot enclosed trailer.  We live in an area of constant hills, so thsts amazing.  

The crazy thing is, if you get the trailering option you can tow 13,100lbs on a 4x4 for a half ton!!!  Those are insane numbers.  

 

The engine is not a race car, but UT pulls hard. I am sure the 6.2 gas will cream it from 0-60, but it still is very fast b 

 

I know I sound like a commercial,,  but I may be a half ton convert.  Oh and the 3.0 is an inline 6, the way a diesel is supposed to be built.  Lol. 

Edited March 7 by redrooster
Typo

[Nick55]

My dad has a ‘21 Silverado with that configuration.  He tows his 9000lb Robalo in Arizona with it and I’ve driven it too.  I have the same thoughts.  It’s not a race car but it’s not meant to be.  He was a farmer and this is his retirement truck, he had 3/4 ton Duramax trucks for the farm and this suits his needs perfectly well.  It is his first DEF truck and he was nervous (as was I because I work for a diesel OEM) about that but he’s been blessed with good luck.  Personally I like my F150 interior better but his truck is damn nice (not a loaded truck either, cloth seats, 4wd, no navigation).

[jjackkrash]

I had '23 AT4 with the baby DMax.  I had to downsize the fleet and sold it, but I agree 100% the powertrain is very impressive.  

[amartin]

I am 50K miles into my '22 Yukon XL with this engine and love it.  It is my first diesel as a daily driver, but I am a convert.  As long as they keep making them in the vehicle I want I will keep buying them.  Seeing a +700 mile range after a fill up is nice!

[redrooster]

Its amazing to me that these trucks are 15k cheaper than an HD deisel, but can still tow 13k.  13k is a 14 foot dump trailer with 5 yards of dirt.  

And gets better mileage!!   

 

I will concede I don't feel as safe when towing, but if there was an air bag option it would be a game charger.  

I am actually considering buying one of these now.  Never thought I would say that about a half ton.  Lol. This gm's best kept secret.  

Edited March 8 by redrooster
Typo, I hate phone posts.

[jjackkrash]

I think towing 13K is optimistic.  In have no doubt the power train will pull it, but the truck is going to get drug around on the road, especially in a wind.  With my AT4 (which I realize was lifted a bit which doesn't help) I could really feel the CanAm side by side on a flatbed in a wind, which was about 7K pounds.   And a big travel trailer would also scare me given the surface area.  But, for sure, these new half tons are a lot more capable than they used to be.  

[ahopkins22LSV]

Probably a dumb question, but how does the regen work? Are you committed to completing it when it triggers or is there flexibility? I am considering a new truck...

[UWSkier]

1 minute ago, jjackkrash said:

I think towing 13K is optimistic.  In have no doubt the power train will pull it, but the truck is going to get drug around on the road, especially in a wind.  With my AT4 (which I realize was lifted a bit which doesn't help) I could really feel the CanAm side by side on a flatbed in a wind, which was about 7K pounds.   And a big travel trailer would also scare me given the surface area.  But, for sure, these new half tons are a lot more capable than they used to be.  

Most of that is attributable to the tires, I'd suggest.  My 2016 half ton Denali was a completely different tow rig with my 30' (26' box) travel trailer once I put on Load Range E rubber and added the Roadmaster helper springs.  It wasn't as solid as my new HD, but it was nearly 2000 lbs lighter and with a shorter wheelbase.

I agree on the tow rating though.  Most of these trucks have around 1600 lbs of payload.  A 13k trailer with the minimum desirable tongue weight of 10% puts 1300 lbs on the truck, leaving only 300 lbs for people, gear, etc.

That said, if I ever sell the travel trailer and quit camping, I'll be dropping back down to a half ton and right now, it'd be one with the baby DMax, no question.

[jjackkrash]

5 minutes ago, UWSkier said:

Most of that is attributable to the tires, I'd suggest.  My 2016 half ton Denali was a completely different tow rig with my 30' (26' box) travel trailer once I put on Load Range E rubber and added the Roadmaster helper springs. 

I think this is a fair assessment.  Set up, tires and suspension all matter.  Stiffer sidewalls and a lower center of gravity helps.  A lift and off-road tires sure doesn't help.  

[amartin]

39 minutes ago, ahopkins22LSV said:

Probably a dumb question, but how does the regen work? Are you committed to completing it when it triggers or is there flexibility? I am considering a new truck...

Works without any intervention.  Unless you are paying attention, you wont know that a regen is happening.  I have only been aware of it in 3 instances:  Higher idle at a stop light; real time gas mileage (via the computer while driving) taking a hit when I was monitoring it pretty closely; when I was unhooking a trailer and heard the idle kick up.

It does not seem to care if you do anything to it during a regen.

[Sparky450]

23 hours ago, ahopkins22LSV said:

Probably a dumb question, but how does the regen work? Are you committed to completing it when it triggers or is there flexibility? I am considering a new truck...

Regen just happens and I never notice. 
I have a funny story about it though. 
one time I was backed into a parking spot just hanging out talking on the phone. I heard the truck go into regen and idle up. After a bit I start hearing cracking and popping. Well, the exhaust also gets real hot. And if lit the 30 year old planter full of oleander on fire. The oleander was concealing the utility company transformer 😂😂. I just pulled forward and called the fire department. I am glad they didn’t see the smoke trails on my rear quarter panel. 
😂😂

[jjackkrash]

Side note.   I filled up the 3500 and diesel was a penny less than regular at the station I was at.  That's the first time in a long time I remember it being less.  

[ahopkins22LSV]

23 hours ago, amartin said:

Works without any intervention.  Unless you are paying attention, you wont know that a regen is happening.  I have only been aware of it in 3 instances:  Higher idle at a stop light; real time gas mileage (via the computer while driving) taking a hit when I was monitoring it pretty closely; when I was unhooking a trailer and heard the idle kick up.

It does not seem to care if you do anything to it during a regen.

 

1 hour ago, Sparky450 said:

Regen just happens and I never notice. 
I have a funny story about it though. 
one time I was backed into a parking spot just hanging out talking on the phone. I heard the truck go into regen and idle up. After a bit I start hearing cracking and popping. Well, the exhaust also gets real hot. And if lit the 30 year old planter full of oleander on fire. The oleander was concealing the utility company transformer 😂😂. I just pulled forward and called the fire department. I am glad they didn’t see the smoke trails on my rear quarter panel. 
😂😂

Good to know. So if I get to work and it is in regen, I don't have to wait for it to finish?

[oldjeep]

2 hours ago, Sparky450 said:

Regen just happens and I never notice. 
I have a funny story about it though. 
one time I was backed into a parking spot just hanging out talking on the phone. I heard the truck go into regen and idle up. After a bit I start hearing cracking and popping. Well, the exhaust also gets real hot. And if lit the 30 year old planter full of oleander on fire. The oleander was concealing the utility company transformer 😂😂. I just pulled forward and called the fire department. I am glad they didn’t see the smoke trails on my rear quarter panel. 
😂😂

That would be fun in a parking lot with a little car parked behind you.

[RyanB]

2 hours ago, jjackkrash said:

Side note.   I filled up the 3500 and diesel was a penny less than regular at the station I was at.  That's the first time in a long time I remember it being less.  

Really unusual these days.

 

 

[amartin]

2 hours ago, ahopkins22LSV said:

 

Good to know. So if I get to work and it is in regen, I don't have to wait for it to finish?

I don't think so.  It certainly has never happened to me over 2 years and 50k miles and I don't even think that there is an indicator light or anything to tell you that.  There is no positive indication that regen is occurring, such a a light on the dash or a message on the display.  I think that I read somewhere that if you shut it off mid regen that it start over when your start the truck again, but I could be wrong.  

[ahopkins22LSV]

12 minutes ago, amartin said:

I don't think so.  It certainly has never happened to me over 2 years and 50k miles and I don't even think that there is an indicator light or anything to tell you that.  There is no positive indication that regen is occurring, such a a light on the dash or a message on the display.  I think that I read somewhere that if you shut it off mid regen that it start over when your start the truck again, but I could be wrong.  

Makes sense. Just trying to find out as much as I can. And I honestly don't venture onto the truck forums so I rely on you guys here lol.

[Cole2001]

Yup like others said no way of knowing it’s in a regen. Sometime I might get a slight burning exhaust smell but that’s it. There’s also 2 types of regens, active and passive. If you’re driving your truck on the highway for long enough the dpf will burn off naturally which is passive and the ideal type, the regen talked about above is active. 
 

I miss the days diesel was cheaper than gas! Always getting the most expensive stuff, premium or diesel with crazy Canadian prices 

[shawndoggy]

diesel has been (barely) cheaper than gas in my region for the better part of a year.  But that's mostly a function of high county gas taxes.

[Bozboat]

37 minutes ago, ahopkins22LSV said:

Makes sense. Just trying to find out as much as I can. And I honestly don't venture onto the truck forums so I rely on you guys here lol.

My experience, limited to Fords, I can’t tell when it cycles other than some movement on the DEF gauge. It is supposed to restart if shut down in the middle of a cycle. My truck does not use much DEF at all unless I’m towing.  

[amartin]

12 minutes ago, Bozboat said:

My experience, limited to Fords, I can’t tell when it cycles other than some movement on the DEF gauge. It is supposed to restart if shut down in the middle of a cycle. My truck does not use much DEF at all unless I’m towing.  

Agree on the DEF.  Seems alot of people use filling DEF as a reason to avoid these.  When not towing for long distances, DEF is a once every couple of months thing for me.

I though that the regen process was wholly independent of DEF though?  My (limited) understanding is that the regen is accomplished by adjusting the fuel / air mixture to raise exhaust temps to burn off the filter, but did not consume DEF to do this.

[dshack]

I put 50k miles on a gen1 baby duramax and loved it. Incredible mix of fuel economy and power. But then I upgraded from pulling my 2001 Super Air Nautique 210 to a 2019 22 LSV and could definitely feel it back there when going up/down mountain passes in Utah. So, I traded it for a 2024 Silverado 2500 HD w/ LP5 duramax and have no regrets. I bet the gen2 baby duramax + max tow package would be perfect for anybody who isn't dealing with big mountain passes.

With regard to DEF, the best solution is to find a truck stop with DEF by the pump. So much easier and cheaper than dealing with jugs. 

 

 

Edited March 8 by dshack

[Bozboat]

58 minutes ago, amartin said:

Agree on the DEF.  Seems alot of people use filling DEF as a reason to avoid these.  When not towing for long distances, DEF is a once every couple of months thing for me.

I though that the regen process was wholly independent of DEF though?  My (limited) understanding is that the regen is accomplished by adjusting the fuel / air mixture to raise exhaust temps to burn off the filter, but did not consume DEF to do this.

I think you are right and I was confused by my DEF gauge moving in 500 mile increments occasionally which lead me to think it uses DEF before or after a regen cycle.  I would like a light on the dash that indicates regen in process or miles to regen. 

Edited March 8 by Bozboat

[redrooster]

things i dont like

Electronic E brake. 

The bed is short. 

[jjackkrash]

6 hours ago, RyanB said:

Really unusual these days.

 

It sure is.  I found a tribal station with "cheap" diesel and it was 3.98.  Regular was 3.99.  Lots of places here are still near or even over $5 for diesel.  Ugg.  

Edited March 9 by jjackkrash