Autoblog

The battle of the diesel-powered half-tons is about to begin, and today General Motors revealed more details on its entrant: the 4.5L Duramax turbo-diesel V8. Thanks to a narrow-angle V block, the 4.5L turbo diesel will fit in the same space as the General's small-block V8, which does give us hope for additional applications beyond just its half-ton trucks. Large SUVs are surely going to get the engine as an option eventually, but maybe GM can find a passenger car or two down the line that would benefit from the tons of torque this engine will produce. GM says the 4.5L turbo-diesel will produce 310 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque, while bumping fuel efficiency by 25%. In order to help it meet Bin 5 and LEV 2 emissions standards as well as be 50-state legal, the engine will feature both a diesel particular filter and NOx after-treatment system that uses urea to knock out those pesky nitrogen-based particles. Another engineering coup for the 4.5L turbo-diesel is that GM has reduced its parts count thanks to a design that includes integrated aluminum cylinder head exhaust manifolds and an integral cam cover intake manifold. You'll be able to buy the new diesel in model year 2010 Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierra half-ton pickups, no doubt for a sizable premium over their gas-powered counterparts.

[Source: GM]