2021: What's New In Diesel This Year

A couple weeks ago Rick Popely assembled a story for Cars.com titled What’s New With Diesel Vehicles for 2021?

Popely begins with the disappointing observation of what is not new this year. If you love diesel power and fuel efficiency, you won't find it in a passenger car anymore. Diesel passenger cars are no longer an option in the U.S. market. Part of this pullback is due to recent scandals regarding emissions tampering, as highly publicized in a January NYTimes story. This issue has been a long time coming though. 

It's really too bad since, as Popely correctly notes, "diesels generate far more torque than gas engines, and that low-end grunt makes them the engine of choice for many who need to tow heavy trailers, so you’ll still see this powertrain option in truck and SUV lineups."

Fortunately, there are some pretty stylish SUVs on the market. As for the trucks, we have all the usual suspects, each one amping up their game to not only capture eyeballs but to satisfy the performance standards we've come to expect. Here's what's available for the year 2021. You should go to the Cars.com site (link below) to read about each in more detail and, if you're looking for something to buy, see what's available in your neck of the woods.

The 2021 Escalade and Escalade ESV

As we noted in January, this is the first year Cadillac has offered a diesel engine in more than three decades. The 2021 Escalade is completely redesigned. Both the Escalade and the stretched ESV offer a turbo-diesel 3.0 inline-six-cylinder power plant that delivers 277 horses and 460 pound-feet of torque. 

The 2021 Chevrolet Silverado

The Silverado 1500 has increased its towing capacity significantly for 2021. Not only that, this ability to tow more is going to cost less, almost as if we're being nudged into the diesel engine option. The 3500 has also bumped up its guidance for hauling. Additional features include some tailgate refinement and rear cameras, which have benefits as well.

The 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban

Both the Tahoe and Suburban tout roomier interiors. Pickups have a long history of being workhorses, but a little cramped. This trend of making our "living space" inside the can more luxurious has been going on for quite some time.  Popely notes that the Suburban has an added 15 inches of length over the Tahoe, which initially doesn't sound like much, but can make a difference. Purportedly it has 22 more cubic feet for cargo than the Tahoe.

The 2021 Ford F-150

According to Edmund's the Ford F-150 has been the best selling truck and vehicle in America for 40 years. This year's Ford truck has six engine options and the truck itself has had a complete makeover. Popely notes that its more luxurious inside the cab and has a host of new features.

The 2021 GMC Sierra

As with all the others, we get options and more options.The turbo-diesel 3.0-liter six-cylinder gives you more power on the 1500 and the 3500 is no slouch either. Ultimately, the Sierra is described as an upscale Silverado. Which it is.

The 2021 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL

The Yukons share the same drivetrains as their GM/GMC siblings, but differ in style and interior treatment. In keeping with the desire for more space, these are designed to be roomier as well. There are noteworthy dashboard features cited in the Cars.com article as well.

The 2021 Jeep Gladiator

When we first wrote about the 2021 Jeep Gladiator in September we were jazzed by the engineering. The 4WD Jeep has fans coming back for more. 

The 2021 Ram Trucks

Popely makes observation about both the 1500 and the 3500. "The Ram 1500 adds a more efficient diesel model, the Tradesman High Fuel Efficiency EcoDiesel, with an EPA combined rating of 26 mpg, 2 mpg more than the best of the 1500’s other diesel models. On the heavy-duty side, torque on the Ram 3500's Cummins turbo-diesel 6.7-liter rises to 1,075 pounds-feet, and gooseneck towing capacity increases to 37,100 pounds, both best-in-class numbers.

* * *

Make time to check out the additional details. No cars, but they are all stars. 

HERE'S THE LINK to the full story:

https://www.cars.com/articles/whats-new-with-diesel-vehicles-for-2021-432336/

Rick Popely, the author of this story, has covered the auto industry for decades and hosts a weekly online radio show on TalkZone.com.

Impressive Engineering: The 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Ecodiesel

Earlier this month Motor1.com published a story by Chris Bruce about the 2021 Jeep Gladiator with an EcoDiesel engine that gets 28 miles to the gallon highway driving. The headline highlights this feature regarding MPG, but the beast has many other attributes that make the gladiator a real fighter.

It's noteworthy that when the Gladiator was introduced at the L.A. Auto Show last year Jeep used the theme soundtrack from the film Gladiator starring Russell Crowe. 

The Gladiator brand was actually introduced in 1962, continuing through to 1988. None of those vehicles had a dashboard like today's Gladiator that you see here.

There's a certain nostalgia associated with the name, but Bruce notes that the new Gladiator with its EcoDiesel powerplant has taken the machine to a whole new level. He writes, "The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 produces 260 horsepower (194 kilowatts) and 442 pound-feet (600 Newton-meters) and comes exclusively with an eight-speed automatic in the Gladiator and Wrangler. Models with this powerplant get tougher Dana 44 axles at the front and rear that are generally for the Rubicon grade of the gas-fueled examples."

The story includes 68 photos of the Gladiator in action. You' can find the Bruce story here: https://www.motor1.com/news/442131/2021-jeep-gladiator-fuel-economy/

_________

Looking for a Truck? Visit PickupTrucks.com

About two decades ago I was looking at stats with regard to truck ownership and a stat caught my eye. I will phrase it here in the form of a question. Which state has the most pickup trucks per capita? To put it another way, in which state will you find that 50% of all drivers own pickups?

You can find this fighter and more at PickupTrucks.com

I'm sure that there are states with more pickups because most states have more people, but Wyoming is truly pickup country.

I remember my first trip from the Black Hills to Devil's Tower. There's a little tavern about halfway there in which the only means of transportation that I saw were horses and pickups. You gotta love those red, red hills of Wyoming.

All this popped into my head when I saw this 2021 Jeep Gladiator Diesel at PickupTrucks.com. It's a 3.0-liter V-6, ruby red and coming soon. I'm sure it will be right at home in Wyoming, Utah, Montana, and anywhere else you want something durable. Who doesn't love the name? Gladiator!

The Fiat Chrysler EcoDiesel engine has already been broken in a little. By this I don't mean it's a used engine. I mean that this 260-horsepower power plant has been used in the Wrangler SUV and I'm guessing that if there were any kinks to work out, they have been worked out. 442 pounds-feet of torque is something to boast about, and it will be available soon.

You can read Joe Bruzek's full review here.

________

Noteworthy: Need to know current oil prices? Bookmark The Blue Flame Blogger and you'll learn exactly what's happening with regards to the price of WTI Crude. The numbers are live right here on the sidebar.

Are there diesel events you want our readers to know about? 

Drop me a line: BlueFlame1952 AT gmail.com