where is the GMC Sierra 1500 built

By Brett T. Evans • Photos: Chad Kirchner and Courtesy of Ram Courtesy of GMC

where is the GMC Sierra 1500 built

THE SIERRA 1500 GETS GM’S 3.0L DURAMAX I-6  MIDDLE CHILD, AND IT’S WONDERFUL
GMC has had a busy year, between the 2019 Sierra 1500’s arrival in showrooms late last year and the debut of the 2020 Sierra HD earlier this year (see our first drive on page 16). Yet, in the midst of all those massively important launches, the truck you see here is the one we’ve been looking forward to driving the most: the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 Duramax.

When that all-new Sierra 1500 was announced in March 2018, company  representatives said it would be available with an all-new 3.0L turbodiesel I-6, and they made good on that promise. We’re finally behind the wheel of GMC’s ½-ton Duramax.Naturally positioned above the GMC Canyon’s 2.8L Duramax I-4 and the Sierra HD’s 6.6L Duramax V-8, the 3.0L I-6 features loads of technological advancements, including Active Thermal Management that redirects and prioritizes cooling to keep the diesel engine operating in a uniform, optimal temperature range. There’s also a variable intake manifold that can prioritize efficiency or output depending on demand, a lag-reducing variable-geometry turbocharger, and both a high- and low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system to reduce parasitic boost losses and improve turbo efficiency without increasing emissions. And underneath all that technical ballyhoo, the three-oh Duramax boasts all the low-tech goodness of an I-6 engine. Its inherent primary and secondary balance precludes the added weight and friction of a balance shaft, and a single set of dual-overhead camshafts further reduces parasitic losses. Finally, an I-6 s just naturally good at providing a wide, flat torque curve (460 lb-ft from 1,500 to 3,000 rpm, if you’re wondering).Slipping behind the wheel, we learn the union of conventional wisdom and new technology is a very happy one. Our first taste of the oil-burning mill came on an off-road course in an AT4 model. Over scrabble, large rocks, and logs, we were able to park our feet at about 15 percent throttle and allow the engine’s linear torque to pull us through. Climbing hills was a non-issue. And a brief spin through wide-open two-track showed the diesel could spin up quickly and remain

By Brett T. Evans • Photos: Chad Kirchner and Courtesy of Ram Courtesy of GMC

on boil—not as good as the 6.2L V-8, mind, but that’s the difference between a gas and a diesel engine. Sidebar: GMC listened to our complaints about the AT4 trim’s substandard damping and slightly retuned the suspension for 2020. It’s a surprisingly effective improve-ment relative to last year’s truck.With off-road antics in the rear view, we hitched a Sierra 1500 Denali Duramax to a 7,000-pound trailer and hit the pavement. Over 25 miles of hilly, twisting road, the engine proved to be a willing companion. An exhaust brake keeps everything under control on descents, while a nice groundswell of torque means maintaining freeway speed is a cinch. There’s no perceptible steering wheel shake when resting at idle (unlike the slightly grumbly 3.0L Power Stroke V-6 found in the Ford F-150), and the engine runs commendably quietly. Of course, the 3.0L Duramax’s primary short-coming is its relatively low towing capacity: GMC hasn’t released its own official numbers yet, but the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 diesel can only tow 9,300 pounds, quite a bit below the 3.0L Power Stroke’s 11,500 pounds and the 3.0L EcoDiesel’s 12,560 pounds. The Duramax does offer excellent, class-competitive fuel economy: 23 city/30 highway/25 combined for two-wheel-drive trucks and 22 city/26 high-way/23 combined for four-wheelers.Obviously, each individual truck buyer’s needs vary, but we can say this: The 3.0L Dura-max I-6 is an impressively smooth and grunty powerplant, and we commend GM for putting it in the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500. Combined with either the AT4’s off-road chops or the regular Sierra 1500’s excellent towing plat-form, it’s a happy marriage indeed.

When Ram introduced its 3.0L EcoDiesel engine in the 2014 Ram 1500, it was a revelation. The powerful engine deliv-ered payload and towing numbers that met or surpassed the competition’s gas offerings while delivering fuel economy that dominated the segment. The third-genera-tion engine—returning for the 2020 model year—isn’t as groundbreaking, but it is a solid evolution of what made the original truck so great.Horsepower and torque are rated at 260 and 480 lb-ft, respectively. That’s an 8 percent improvement in power and a 14 percent increase in torque over the previous version of the engine. The EcoDiesel’s 480 lb-ft of torque is also best in class, beating out Ford’s 3.0L Power Stroke V-6’s 440 lb-ft and GM’s 3.0L I-6 Duramax’s 460 lb-ft.Out in the real world, where people do actual work, EcoDiesel-equipped Rams are rated to tow up to 12,560 pounds—which is also presently best in class for diesel-powered ½-ton pickups. Ram hasn’t released fuel economy numbers yet, but we suspect they will fall right in line with the competition.The difference today compared to when the 2014 truck debuted is the competition. At that time, Ford was fully invested in EcoBoost turbocharged and direct-injected gasoline engines and General Motors was eking out as much fuel economy as it could from the company’s 5.3L V-8 via technology, such as cylinder deactivation. Neither OEM seemed incredibly interested in putting an oil-burner under the hood, so Ram had the segment comfortably to itself. Fast-forward six years, and the diesel ½-ton market is hotter and more competitive than ever before. Because of this, Ram couldn’t just reintroduce the same EcoDiesel engine after taking a one-year hiatus from the new-gener-ation 1500 (the second-generation EcoDiesel V-6 lived on in the 2019 Ram 1500 Classic). Ram needed to do something to stand out fromthe new competition, and that’s exactly what it’s done.

For 2020, the EcoDiesel engine block remains constructed of compacted-graphite iron, a robust and relatively lightweight material that helps quell vibrations and adds rigidity. Forged steel makes an appearance on the crankshaft and connecting rods, with lightweight, oil-cooled aluminum-alloy pistons. Redesigned aluminum cylinder heads hide chain-driven dual overhead “THE BASE 2020 RAM 1500 EQUIPPED WITH THE ECODIESEL ENGINE IS NEARLY $10,000 LESS EXPENSIVE THAN EITHER GM OR FORD’S BASE DIESEL-EQUIPPED ½-TONS.”
camshafts with four valves per cylinder. The compression ratio has been increased from16.0:1 to 16.5:1 to optimize combustion. High-pressure fuel injector nozzles have been redesigned to match the enhanced combustion chamber and run at up to 29,000 psi. A new-generation water-cooled turbocharger increases efficiency. And the exhaust gas recirculation system has been updated to a new dual-loop (low- and high-pressure) system.

By Brett T. Evans • Photos: Chad Kirchner and Courtesy of Ram Courtesy of GMC

The biggest change, aside from power output, is engine availability. The previous generation of Ram 1500 had the EcoDiesel available in most trims, however, the off-road–centric Rebel trim didn’t have access to it. That changes for 2020, and it’s the truck we were most interested in getting behind the wheel of.On the streets in and around Duluth, Minnesota, the EcoDiesel Rebel proved to be a competent truck. Overall acceleration isn’t as quick as the Hemi-equipped versions, but the EcoDiesel does rev out to 5,000 rpmsmoothly. There’s a bit of “diesel rattle” at low rpm when you’re accelerating quickly, but overall cabin noise is kept to a minimum. Tire noise is the most obtrusive sound in the cabin when cruising at highway speed (as we’ve previously noted about the Rebel and its DuraTrac tires); despite this, it remains the quietest cabin this author has been in with a truck equipped with 33-inch off-road tires.Chevrolet’s Silverado 1500 diesel might be a bit smoother with the new 3.0L I-6 Duramax engine, but most diesel buyers don’t mind being reminded, even if it’s subtle, that they’re driving a diesel truck. It makes even more sense on an enthusiast-minded truck like the Rebel.After an hour of mostly two-lane highway driving, the Rebel’s onboard computer indi-ated around 25 mpg. Considering this is the least aerodynamic version of the truck, with off-road tires and gearing not optimized for fuel economy, that number seemed quite reason-able. We’re unsure what overall range per tank the truck will achieve, but more than 500 miles is likely the case. What we do know is it’s longer than any human’s bladder can handle.While the diesel engine adds weight over the conventional V-8 in the Ram 1500, the EcoDiesel actually weighs approximately 90 pounds less than the V-8 equipped with the 48-volt mild hybrid system (and 23 pounds more than the non-eTorque–equipped Hemi). The Rebel has never had a diesel, so since the previous-generation pickup weighed more than the current 1500, the difference in mass is likely negligible. We won’t know for sure until we weigh it ourselves.

Off-road, the Rebel behaves like the previous generation of the truck, but with more torque.We visited an OHV park in an old iron mine to test the truck’s mettle, and nothing could unsettle the Rebel. Off-road hardware like a locking rear end and Goodyear DuraTrac tires help. On the rockcrawling sections, the Rebel’s low-end torque was appreciated.Nobody expected the truck to not be capable in this environment, but it’s even more exciting now as we wait to see how this engine performs in the more off-road–oriented Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator.Climbing into a Ram 1500 Limited attached to a 5,000-pound Yamaha boat is a reminder of just how nice towing can be. A plush interior combined with blind spot monitoring that covers the trailer automati-cally makes getting to the lake nearly as relax-ing as being on it. The air suspension also helps when hooking up and leveling the load. A 20-mile towing loop returned a computer-reported 11 mpg, though this author appar-ently has a heavy foot. Some of the other journalists on the program saw numbers as high as 14 when attached to the trailer. Based on our experience with the previous-genera-tion truck, we suspect these numbers will be even higher in real-world use.

Unhooking the trailer and hitting the 60-mile highway jaunt back to the hotel gave us a chance to see just how comfortable—and fuel-efficient—the Limited could be on the daily commute. When we let the full-stop adaptive cruise control do its thing at about 70 mph, the indicated fuel economy was right around 27 mpg. In a fully loaded, four-wheel-drive crew-cab pickup, that was a solid figure.

One driveability peculiarity we did notice involved initial throttle application. If we were cruising along and wanted to overtake a slower vehicle, there was a slight but notice-able delay between applying the throttle and the truck accelerating. After prodding some engineers, we were informed that the behavior is part of the truck controlling the emissions output. If you lived with the truck every day, you’d likely eventually not notice it, but it does seem more prominent here than with Ford’s 3.0L Power Stroke.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to choose whether you want the incredible torque and economy of the 3.0L EcoDiesel in your next Ram pickup. It comes at a cost, however. Compared to a base V-6 eTorque truck, the EcoDiesel adds $4,995 to the price. The cheapest EcoDiesel you can buy is $38,675 with destination charge. Or, to put it another way, it’s $3,300 more expensive than the eTorque V-8, except on the Limited, where it’s only $3,000 more. Fun fact: The base 2020 Ram 1500 equipped with the EcoDiesel engine is nearly $10,000 less expensive than either GM or Ford’s base diesel-equipped ½-tons. Ram’s modern interior remains best in class, and advanced technology makes the truck easy to live with every day. While the EcoDiesel isn’t the must-have engine, it adds to a mix of competent and capable offer-ings, allowing buyers to tailor the truck and powertrain to exactly how they’ll use it.
Source: TRUCKTREND.COM