Manual transmission

What reason does the auto guy give to the degrading performance? I'm curious.

 

I just cannot buy into that, if it were that easy it would come from the factory that way because of strict CAFE rules.

 

Read the AT TSB sticky thread. Many report that it feels better after the TSB. After a few 1000 Miles, many say it reverts back to poor shifting and gear hunting.

 

Full body redesign, gap seal, spoiler, wind tunnel, vortex generators, side mirrors, air dam, Atkinson cycle (!), six speed manual and you're lucky to get 20 MPG out of this truck on its best day.

Not sure this is quite what Mr. Sweers had in mind.

 

Yeah, but many other things are "that easy" that should come from the factory. Its hard to pinpoint exactly what car manufacturers deem appropriate for factory installations. I mean, for a $45k truck, you dont get power seats, HID headlights, LED interior lights, etc. Even though some of these items are cheap. The list can go on. I guess car companies have to compromise in different places..

 

to be fair i was respecting the new motor, not broken in yet, but i was also playing with it to get an idea of how it goes... or doesn't go. i was surprised at first but it's consistent with everything in reading from owners' impressions.

 

I agree on all of that but they spend crazy amounts of cash to improve MPGs because of CAFE.

 

Unfortunately, the rough and tumble marketing doesn't help. They market them as bad ass desert trucks. Ground clearance must be 50% higher than a Colorado at the air dam. The front end styling seems more aggressive. That is mostly where the extra fuel goes I think. Colorado V6 is getting 1 mpg better according to Fuelly. I think they should have lowered the sport slightly and gone even more aggressive on the air dam. The OR model sits about right.

To be fair as well, a manual is going to have more of a range due to individual driving and shifting techniques. I've driven an automatic only 4 years of my 20 year driving career. My current tank is 20+ mpg in the cold, on winter gas. 95% of my driving is 65mph or less as well.