How Chevrolet & GMC Keep Your Diesel Dreams Alive

Once a mainstay of the half-ton segment, it’s become increasingly difficult to find a diesel-powered pickup when browsing used trucks for sale near Jersey Village. Until 2021, every major American truck brand offered some form of turbo-diesel engine, but a few years can make all the difference in the fast-paced automotive industry. As of 2023, GM siblings Chevy and GMC are the only two brands to offer a diesel engine option in their full-size light-duty pickups, with Ford and Ram both abandoning the time-tested approach. The rush to discontinue the diesel is a bit of a mystery when you stop to think about it. Diesel engines are amongst the thriftiest engines in terms of efficiency and specialize in the sort of low-end torque that’s so well suited to heavy-duty towing and hauling, but flagging sales, high production costs, and the advent of hybrid power have seen the alternative fuel engine largely go the way of the dodo. This winnowing of engine options might be disheartening for those who prefer the unique rumble and towing prowess that only a diesel can provide, but there are still plenty of options to choose from when shopping the used market. Join us as we take a look at the current state of the half-ton diesel landscape, explore each brand’s offerings, and discover some of the options you might find when browsing the preowned pickup market.

Ram 1500

Years: 2014 to mid-2023

With their ample low-end power and surplus of torque, diesel engines represent a logical pairing for the hardworking half-ton pickup segment. Given this sort of synergy, drivers might be surprised to learn that modern diesel engines only made their way into light-duty trucks in the last decade. Ram kicked off the recent diesel pickup craze in 2014 when it introduced the EcoDiesel for the Ram 1500. The 3.0-liter V6 EcoDiesel was the industry’s first half-ton engine since the Dodge D150 rolled off the line all the way back in 1978. Initially offering 240 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, Ram worked to continually improve the EcoDiesel over its nine-year run, with the truck ultimately offering 260 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. The EcoDiesel also allowed the Ram 1500 to tow and haul with the best of them, with the 2021 model offering 12,560 pounds of pulling power when optioned with the 2WD Tradesman trim with Quad Cab and Max Tow Package. Throw in up to 32 MPG highway and a 33-gallon fuel tank, and you’ve got a half-ton pickup that can range up to 1,000 miles between fill-ups. It’s an impressive stat line for any vehicle, which is why it was such a disappointment to see Ram discontinue the EcoDiesel midway through the 2023 model year. The engine has since been supplanted by new gas and hybrid options that, while tough to beat in terms of power and efficiency, simply can’t match the unique advantages of a diesel.

Chevy Silverado 1500

Years: Late 2019 to present

The Silverado has always been a standout in the full-size segment, but the truck is now even more notable for being one of the last diesel-powered pickups on the market. Chevy introduced the Duramax diesel midway through the 2019 model year, gracing the new fourth-generation Silverado with a convincing powertrain that quickly won praise from drivers and critics alike. The original LM2 3.0-liter turbo-diesel inline-six offered drivers 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque and gave the Silverado the ability to surpass longtime rivals like the Ford F-150 in terms of pure performance. The Duramax enabled the Silverado 1500 to match the pickup’s 6.2-liter V8 in terms of pure towing potential with a maximum capacity of 13,300 pounds. The Duramax and its ample low-end power were the perfect complement to the Silverado’s industrious reputation, but they only represented one part of the equation. Chevy also graced the fourth-gen Silverado with a generous arsenal of equipment designed to max out the truck’s towing and hauling reputation, including air-to-liquid intercooling, low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), and an exhaust brake that can be used when using Tow/Haul mode to drag your boat from Jersey Village up to the lake for an afternoon of sun and fun.

Despite its considerable towing ability, it was the gas pump where the diesel really got the chance to shine. Offering an EPA-estimated 23 MPG in the city and 29 MPG on the highway, it’s hard to beat the Duramax from a pure efficiency perspective. Chevy upped the ante in 2023 with the debut of the new LZ0 Duramax, a 305-horsepower beast that can churn out 495 lb-ft of torque with ease. The new Duramax matched its predecessor in terms of towing capacity and payload but also managed to maintain stellar fuel economy despite a noticeable uptick in power. While Chevy recently introduced a new all-electric version of the Silverado that marks a new era of power and efficiency, it doesn’t look to be moving away from the Duramax engine anytime soon as being one of the last diesel offerings on the market gives the Silverado 1500 a distinct advantage in the ultra-competitive segment.

GMC Sierra 1500

Years: Late 2019 to present

The Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500 are basically the same truck wrapped in slightly different packaging. While the two pickups differ in terms of their interior and exterior design, specific features, and trims, they’re nearly identical under the hood. That means the Sierra, much like its Chevy cousin, still retains the Duramax diesel that’s earned it such a solid reputation in the full-size segment. The LM2 3.0-liter turbo-diesel found its way into the Sierra midway through the 2019 model year and became widely available starting in 2020. GMC’s full-size pickup now features the upgraded 305-horsepower LZ0 Duramax, which comes standard on the Sierra’s off-road-ready AT4 and AT4X trims. The new Duramax engine is not only more powerful than the previous diesel offering, but it’s also quieter, improving the overall experience and allowing drivers to focus on the road ahead without any auditory distractions as they cruise around Jersey Village on their daily commute. The Duramax-powered Sierra doesn’t disappoint in the towing department with a maximum capacity of 13,300 pounds, not to mention a dedicated Tow/Haul mode with higher shift points, Trailer Sway Control, Hill Descent Control, and an expansive in-vehicle trailering app with up to 15 different camera views that allow you to monitor your trailer from the comfort of the driver’s seat.

Ford F-150

Years: 2018 to 2021

The F-150 has long been one of the power players in the pickup segment, with an impressive sales record and solid name recognition that’s made the truck the most popular vehicle on the domestic market. Despite this dominance, Ford actually lagged behind in terms of diesel development, only launching the 3.0-liter Power Stroke V6 turbo-diesel engine in 2018. A graphite-iron cast engine block and potent turbocharger allowed the Power Stroke to live up to its name, producing 250 hp and 440-pound feet of torque. The diesel engine also offers an EPA-estimated 30 MPG highway that’ll mean fewer pit stops on the way to your next pregame. The Power Stroke turbo-diesel also made the 2020 model a job site standout with 11,500 pounds of maximum towing and an impressive payload capacity of 2,020 pounds. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, with Ford phasing out the Power Stroke turbo-diesel in 2021 in response to a worldwide semiconductor shortage, low sales, and the increasing popularity of Ford’s new EcoBoost V6 gasoline engines.

Nissan Titan XD

Years: 2016 to 2019

The garden-variety Nissan Titan has never been offered with a diesel engine, but the same can’t be said for the truck’s heavy-duty guise. The Titan XD (or “eXtra Duty) is a bit of an outlier in the segment. While most brands reserve the heavy-duty tag for their three-quarter- and one-ton models, Nissan uses the XD designation to distinguish the XD as a more robust version of the typical Titan. The Nissan Titan XD was offered with an optional 5.0-liter turbo diesel V8 between 2016 and 2019, teaming up with Cummins to give the pickup 310 hp and an impressive 555 lb-ft of torque. This setup allowed the Titan XD to achieve a max towing capacity of 12,640 pounds and haul up to 2,420 pounds, but it wasn’t as impressive in terms of fuel economy, with an average rating of around 18 MPG combined. Once again, low sales were the death of the diesel engine for Nissan. They ended up discontinuing the engine in favor of more traditional powertrains.

Toyota Tundra

Years: None

The Toyota Tundra is the only contemporary half-ton pickup that’s never been paired with a diesel engine. While the midsize Hilux is available with a diesel engine in foreign markets, the powertrain has largely been avoided for a few simple reasons. Producing a new diesel engine from scratch isn’t easy or cheap, and when you factor in the ever-tightening emissions standards, it’s simply never been worth Toyota’s time to invest in a diesel. That said, there have been one-off experiments that prove Toyota knows its way around the technology. Debuting at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, the Toyota Tundra Diesel Project Truck proved to be little more than a tease, never entering full production and going down in the history books as a one-off show model. Toyota continued to tempt drivers with the suggestion of a diesel-powered Tundra when it released a cryptic YouTube video titled “Engines 101: How Does a Diesel Engine Work?” in 2022 but has not followed up with any concrete plans. Toyota’s dismissal of the diesel segment doesn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider the brand’s history. The Japanese brand has long been an outlier when it comes to powertrains as it’s the only major full-size truck manufacturer not to offer a V8 engine.

Chevy and GMC Know What the People Want

While diesel-powered trucks have mostly disappeared from the half-ton segment, drivers still have tons of options to choose from when browsing used pickups. There are plenty of Nissan, Ford, and Ram trucks available on the preowned market, including the dearly departed diesel models outlined above. If you’re looking for a newer model, the Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 have you covered. In addition to all the comfort, convenience, and safety features drivers have come to expect from a modern pickup, the two trucks come paired with a burly 3.0-liter Duramax I-6 turbo-diesel that can deliver between 277 and 305 hp and 460 to 495 lb-ft of torque depending on the year. Add in the inherently efficient nature of diesel technology, and it’s hard to make an argument against the Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 from a pure performance standpoint. When you’re on the hunt for a new, diesel-powered half-ton pickup around Jersey Village, make Parkway Chevrolet your first stop. We offer a wide selection of new and used pickups from Chevy and GMC, not to mention pre-owned models from some of the industry’s most trusted names.