My friend Paul Brown said:
>difference. Ford does put diesels in Expeditions, though I don't know how
>far they are de-tuned from the real trucks. Both Dodge and Ford de-tune
>theirs for automagic trannies (which mine has). I understand Chevy has a
>transmission that's up to the torque of the Isuzu they are selling; that
>would be quite a change from what they've done for the past 20 years, but
>it could be true.
Here's the deal: Ford does NOT put a diesel in the Expedition, but does in
the gi-normous Excursion, which is based on the SuperDuty pickups. It's
the now-familiar 7.3L PowerStrokegot the same power/torque ratings as in
the F250/350 pickups - 235 hp, 500 ft-lbs of torque (which is the real
kicker). It's also available in non-intercooled form in the E250/350
Econoline van and Club Wagon, but I can't recall off the top of my head the
power/torque numbers. You can get a 6-speed manual or 4-speed automatic
(auto only in the Excursion) behind it.
The new 6.6L DURAMAX engine in the new GM pickups has 300 hp and 520 ft-lbs
of torque, comes standard with a 6-speed manual, but, for an additional
$2500 above and beyond the cost of the engine (which is itself around $5K),
you can get an Allison T1000 5-speed automatic transmission that is really,
really slick. You can also get the Allison behind the 8.1L gas V8 engine,
again for about $2500. I would expect this engine to become available in
the 2500-series Suburban/Yukon XLs before too much longer, if it hasn't
already crept onto the option list. The Duramax/Allison combination is
probably the class of the field right now, although it does have an
advantage in that it's the newest -- Ford and Dodge will have new/updated
product Real Soon Now, I'd expect.
Dodge's 5.9L Cummins (near and dear to my heart, or at least my paycheck)
comes in two flavors, standard and high-output. Standard is 195hp/420
ft-lbs and can be had with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.
The HO has 245hp/470 ft-lbs and comes exclusively with a 6-speed automatic.
And no, I can't tell you what's coming, so don't even ask.
Hope this is of some use for those in the quest for tow vehicles.
Jim Crider
autojim@att.net
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