Thinking seriously about getting a double cab diesel truck to use as the "family wagon". I need a full bench seat upfront and in the back to fit 2 adults and 4 kids. We are hardly ever going somewhere all together so I am not worried about fuel mileage, well, OK, sort of, I want a diesel for pulling power, etc. It will NOT be a DD since we are rarely all going the same place at once.
So I guess I have two questions:
1 - which diesel engine is better? Ford, Chevy, or Mopar? Not looking at the brand new ones, something a few years old.
I will assume you realize none of the OEM's you mentioned make there own diesel engines today. GM's Duramax is built by a joint venture with Izuzu and was developed by Isuzu. The older 6.2 and 6.5 engines were designed mostly by Detroit Diesel personnel on loan to Chevrolet. The Ford is an International Harvester (Navistar) engine, built by Navistar. The Dodge used engine is a Cummins 6BT series (now ISB-the latest 24 valve design). The design parameters for each were entirely different and any direct comparison is invalid because of this. All 3 are very good for the originally intended purpose. All will give generally acceptable fuel milage, all accept alternative fuel, such as B100 biodiesel, acceptably well, and all have parts availability equally well in North America.
NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) are quite different, depending on the specific application and engine. The Dodge, being (all models of the Cummins used in the Dodge) direct injection engines, is generally the noisiest ENGINE, but the interior percieved noise is about the same for all 3. Outside the truck, the Dodge is noisier.
Ultimate durability will go to the most simple design, since durability is a direct function of the total number of PARTS in the engine. In this case, the Cummins in the Dodge (the 12 valve version) is the simplest design and the most durable.
For day to day drivability, the GM 6.2 and 6.5 are the most "gasoline engine like" in the power level and torque curve.
AND
2 - which of the Big 3 has a more comfy cab design to accommodate all 6 of us?
In a crew cab design, the Ford is dimensionally the largest (not including the latest versions of each manufacturer), measured by the SAE interior standards in SAE J1100, but the proportions of each varies enough so that you must try each one to check out these differences yourself.
Thanks!
Steven
Time to head to the auctions!
