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Should heavy-duty pickup trucks have window stickers with fuel mileage estimates?

If you were to stroll into your nearest Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Nissan, or Ram dealership, you'd find a bunch of pickup trucks. Most of those would have proper window stickers labeled with things like base prices, options prices, location of manufacture, and, crucially, fuel economy estimates. But you'd also run across a number of heavy-duty trucks with no such fuel mileage data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA doesn't require automakers to publish the valuable miles-per-gallon measurement for vehicles with gross weight ratings that exceed 8,500 pounds. That makes it difficult for consumers to compare behemoths powered by turbocharged diesel engines – between one another, and between smaller, gasoline-fueled trucks. Consumer Reports doesn't think it should be this way, and it's spearheading an effort (PDF link) to get the government to require manufacturers to publish fuel economy estimates. In its own testing, CR found that heavy-duty pickups powered by Ford's Power Stroke, GM's Duramax, and FCA's Cummins diesel engines (which doesn't include the Ram's EcoDiesel) get worse fuel mileage than their lighter-duty gas-powered siblings. We're not so sure HD-truck buyers are unaware of this fact – big diesels don't really come into their own until big loads are placed in their beds or attached to their trailer hitches. Under heavy workloads, the diesel trucks will almost certainly return greater efficiency than a similar gas-powered truck. What's more, HD trucks with lumbering diesels in general make the driver feel more confident while towing due to greater torque at low engine RPM than gas trucks. They also offer greater max-weight limits. Still, we agree EPA fuel mileage estimates should be offered for heavy-duty pickups. And we think the comparisons provided by Consumer Reports might be interesting to potential buyers. Click here to see the results of CR's tests, and let us know what you think using the poll below. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty: First Drive View 22 Photos News Source: Consumer Reports Government/Legal Green Read This Chevrolet Ford GMC Nissan RAM Fuel Efficiency Truck Commercial Vehicles Diesel Vehicles poll gmc sierra hd chevy silverado hd

2019 GMC Sierra revealed with CarbonPro bed and new diesel engine

It's only March, and it's already been one hell of a year for trucks. January's Detroit Auto Show saw the reveals of the 2019 Ram 1500, 2019 Ford Ranger and the 2019 Chevy Silverado. The Chicago Auto Show brought new versions of the Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Today, we finally got our first look at the Silverado's twin, the 2019 GMC Sierra. The truck features new styling, a new diesel engine and — on the Sierra Denali — a carbon fiber bed. As with every new full-size truck, the Sierra is larger than the outgoing model in almost every dimension, though exact dimensions haven't been revealed. For reference, though, the Chevy Silverado's bed is 7-inches wider than before. The new Sierra grille is more upright than before and features new C-shaped lighting. The Denali gets LED headlights, tail lights and fog lights. Both SLT and Denali trims get unique 22-inch wheels. As we saw in spy photos, the Sierra's interior is mostly just a copy of the Silverado's with some chrome accents sprinkled throughout. If you like the current truck interiors, you'll be pleased with the new model. Those hoping for a wholesale change will be left wanting. The big improvements inside include a full-color heads-up display, trailer hitch assist apps and cameras, and the rear-camera mirror found in models like the Chevy Traverse and Cadillac CT6. Safety and convenience features include a surround-view camera, blind-spot monitoring, pedestrian detection and low-speed automatic braking. Like the Silverado, there's been a significant effort to cut weight in the new Sierra. The 2019 model loses as much as 360 pounds compared to the current truck. It uses aluminum for the doors, hood and tailgate. Steel is still used for the fenders, roof and standard cargo box. The Denali, however, gets the real surprise here. Available only on the top-tier trim, the bed box will be constructed of carbon fiber rather than steel, saving 62 pounds. Carbon fiber only replaces the steel inner panels and floor. GMC says the carbon fiber will also help scratch and corrosion resistance. SLT and Denali models also get a new MultiPro tailgate. This is unique to the Sierra and separate from the Silverado's power assist unit. A new feature that helps one get into and out of the bed using an assist handle. The tailgate step has a maximum weight capacity of 375 pounds. There multiple positions that allow customers to extend the bed, or drop the center vertically to gain easier access to the back.

GM puts 3 million miles on hydrogen fuel cell test fleet

Have General Motors' hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles emitted enough water vapor over the past six-plus years to equal the steam coming out of Old Faithful? Not exactly, but GM has released a few figures related to the Project Driveway initiative it began in 2007. The numbers are impressive, if not quite of the geyser-spouting variety. In all, the General converted 119 Chevrolet Equinox SUVs to run on hydrogen, and those vehicles have just collectively surpassed the 3 million mile mark. And if you were waiting for us to tell you that the distance equals a half-dozen round trips between the earth and the moon, well, there you go. The better news is that the SUVs have combined to save almost 158,000 gallons worth of gas, and some of the vehicles have more than 120,000 miles on them. More than 5,000 drivers have participated in the project. GM reached that landmark about 10 months after it announced that it was working with Honda to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain technology. The two companies estimated last summer that it may have something to sell to the public as soon as 2020. For now, you can check out General Motors' press release below. GM Fuel Cell Fleet Tops 3 Million Miles Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicles driven in real world reach milestone DETROIT – General Motors' fleet of fuel cell vehicles recently passed 3 million miles of hydrogen-powered, real-world driving. Some individual vehicles have accumulated more than 120,000 miles. By GM's estimate, using hydrogen to power these vehicles, the fleet has avoided 157,894 gallons of gasoline consumption. This specially equipped fleet of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles are part of GM's 119-vehicle Project Driveway program, which launched in 2007. Since then, more than 5,000 drivers have provided feedback on the functionality and drivability of fuel cell technology. "Hydrogen fuel cell technology is an important part of GM's advanced propulsion portfolio and we continue to make substantial progress in furthering this technology," said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM's global fuel cell engineering activities. "These vehicles have operated through seven full winters and a wide range of environmental conditions, proving that fuel cells can meet the demands of real-world drivers." Last year, GM announced two fuel cell-related collaborations.