Letter To The Editor: Colorado Diesel, 2.8 Duramax Is Nothing Short of Amazing

"On a test drive my truck chugged up that hill at 62 mph in 6th," writes Terry Onufer from Mars, PA who sent Torque News this letter sharing his driving experience of Chevy Colorado Diesel, 2.8 Duramax and says it will do most jobs a truck is called to do.

In the last 6 years, I owned a 2006 Ram 5.9 Cummins, and a 2008 LMM Duramax. Both were good trucks. I do not want to initiate a discussion about: "what is best? Ram, Chevy, Ford", that is not my point. I have a brother and nephew who each have a Ram 6.7, and another brother who has a Ford with the 7.3 Navistar, all are good.

I did not have a need for a 3/4 ton truck any longer, but could not bear to get a gasser. I almost bought a Ram 1500, it's a nice set up, but I did not want coil-over rear in a truck.

I read your blog and article about the 2.8 and decided to drive one (her refers to Chevrolet Colorado 2.8L Duramax Diesel). A nearby Chevy dealer got the first one in they had all year, Baierl Chevrolet in Wexford, Pa. The truck was a long bed. On the test drive, there is a hill on Route 19 that's about 1/2 mile, and the truck chugged up that hill at 62 mph in 6th. That was it for me.

Having owned a modified 5.9 and a stock 6.6 GM, the 2.8 ran decent, but the pedal felt dead, and it just needed a little kick.

I contacted Paul Wilson at Duramax Tuner, and researched their tunes, talked to people that had their tunes, then ordered one. It's a 4 tune set; stock plus, tow, sport-economy, and extreme. I will never use extreme. Duramax Tuner / Paul recommended Sport Economy, but I run it most in stock plus, 10 hp and 10 lb ft for torque. Both tunes (stock plus and sport economy) run great, sport economy is plus 45 hp and 60 lb ft of torque. It is a different truck, and still will achieve over 30 mpg on highway, with 429 lb ft of torque.

With a tow rating of 7700 pounds, torque of 429 lb ft, and 30 mpg on highway (see Chevy Colorado compared to Toyota Tacoma by Torque News) all day, there's no other truck out there like it. I drove the Colorado from my home in Mars, Pa to our nieces wedding in the Harrisburg Pa area and back, and got 31.25 mpg actual. The trip computer showed 30.6 mpg.

Thank you for your review of the Colorado. This package, the 2.8 with a real 4 wheel drive, towing capacity to do most jobs a half ton will do, and 30 mpg plus on highway - it's nothing short of amazing. And add the Duramax Tuner EFI set of tunes and it's hands down a great truck.

Watch 2016 Chevrolet Colorado 2.8L Duramax Diesel 1st. Off-Road drive with Engineer Mike Symons

If you have recently test drove a truck or a vehicle and would like to send us your impressions, send a letter to the editor, using Torque News Contact form. We welcome your comments in the comments section below to have your voice heard as well.