So what do you all think about these mid-size and half-ton diesel pickups on the market now? Personally, I believe they're a great bridge-gapper for those who want a diesel pickup, but feel the massive size, towing capacity, and/or general hauling ability of the giant three-quarter ton and larger rigs is unnecessary, especially considering the amount of fuel they go through. However, a number of you may beg to differ. The larger trucks do tend to show themselves off much better. The mid-size Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon with the 2.8L four-cylinder Duramax, for example, isn't huge and can't pull a giant gooseneck, but it can still tow a sizeable speed boat or camper. On top of that, it offers some impressive fuel economy of up to 28-30 highway mpg stock. Similar things can be said about the slightly larger half-tons from all the big three truck giants (they all now come with a diesel option), though they provide even more of a compromise for big looks and personality on top of that fuel economy and pulling ability.
In the upcoming October issue, we'll have a couple of great stories on some half-ton diesels. They'll really appeal to a special crowd of diesel lovers. One of them is a feature on a 3.0L Power Stroke-powered 2019 Ford F150 that James Brendle built for the Ultimate Callout Challenge (UCC) last April and also used as his daily driver. His truck is a beast with extensive mods that really catches the eye with its color scheme that looks like a Dr. Pepper can.
The other story is a Power of Pink on a sparkling bright pink 2016 RAM 1500 EcoDiesel, owned by Karen Clement of Denton, Md. She runs the female-empowering diesel club known as Diesel Hotties, and her truck is a Limited Edition loaded up both with factory-installed features and several impressive mods throughout. She has much more to do to her truck, which she's now using as a show horse, but she's off to one heck of a start!