[Ambalanche]

Hummer's powertrains are-a-changin!

Check it out here
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/21/2010-hummer-h3-base-engine-to-be-e85-capable-direct-injected-3-6/

 

[K-1]

So, when does the E-85 3.6L DI engine spread to other V6 models? I'd love one in my next AURA.

 

[Butz]

About time, that how it should of been since launch.

 

[jfnz24]

It might be too little, too late by the time they actually get it in there.

 

[Puzzel]

I suppose this was the last straw for the Atlas engine line. With this and the upcoming death of the GMT360 & I-6, I'm sure the rest of the GMT355 line will also get the V6. Contrary to critics and nay-sayers, the I-5 & I-4 are very capable and class competitive engines. GM screwed the pooch when they let Isuzu way over-engineer the GMT355 platform.

 

[NoNameDenton]

I love the idea of a diesel V6, that would have a lot of low end torque, and would make it a powerful off roader if people who bought Hummers ever took them off road. I am glad the H3 is also getting a V6 is needs something more powerful then the inline 5.

 

[BlueMontreal]

I suppose this was the last straw for the Atlas engine line. With this and the upcoming death of the GMT360 & I-6, I'm sure the rest of the GMT355 line will also get the V6. Contrary to critics and nay-sayers, the I-5 & I-4 are very capable and class competitive engines. GM screwed the pooch when they let Isuzu way over-engineer the GMT355 platform.

I always like the sound of the Atlas engines and when a drove a Canyon (one manual with the I4, the other automatic with the I5) I like it even more.

How will the HF 3.6 DI will affect the price of those trucks ? It's an expensive engine. Why not putting DI on the Atlas ?

 

[steinravnik]

When the Atlas I-6 came out, it produced some of the best horsepower/displacement in its class. Now, it is not competitive anymore. It either needs to be updated or axed. Sounds like GM is going to ax it. GM has a lot of engines with similar displacements, so I applaud their move to eliminate some redundancy in this regard.

 

[Ambalanche]

I think part of the problem with the Atlas engines was they put it in very heavy vehicles. If it had been put in say a compact pickup about 500 lbs lighter than a Colorado then I think it would have done well. In any case, I'm glad they are finally moving forward with new powertrains!

 

[jckjds]

This is a very good strategy for Hummer. Putting DI and Diesel and other fuel efficient technologies in Hummers will help with CAFE and help with brand image. Killing the H2 was also a good move, IMO for the same reasons.

As for the diesel, if the 4.5 is too large for the H3, and GM goes with a 6 instead, I assume it would be the 2.9 being developed for the CTS and others. I hope GM is not developing a 6 cyl diesel JUST for Hummer -- that would be a waste of resources that are desperately needed in other areas.

I agree with the previous poster that GM is doing the right thing by cutting down the number of engines that it develops, saving money by avoiding redundancy. Looks like the "value" engines are on the way out, which is fine, but I would like to see a smaller DI V-6 offered as well. Essentially, ditch the non-DI 3.6 and make a 2.8 DI with similar power (or maybe slightly less), but better fuel economy.

Also, where in the he!l are the biopower engines? For those of us who have access to E85, we would be glad to pay a premium price for an E85 capable vehicle that gets as good or better mileage than a comparable gasoline car (i.e. to be able to use E85 without paying a fuel economy penalty).

 

[minnfang]

When the Atlas I-6 came out, it produced some of the best horsepower/displacement in its class. Now, it is not competitive anymore. It either needs to be updated or axed. Sounds like GM is going to ax it. GM has a lot of engines with similar displacements, so I applaud their move to eliminate some redundancy in this regard.

I like the I6 Atlas, it could still be competitive with a refresh including DI. Its achilles heel though is its physical height which prevented it from ever going into a car. If not so tall, it would have made a great base engine for a relatively heavy car like the Camaro. Few engines are smoother than a well designed I6. (Just ask BMW.)

I agree though that the Atlas engine family should probably be axed because of the rapid spread of the HF-V6. Doesn't make a lot of sense to support both.

 

[pinyon]

Gee, I got hammered a couple of months ago when I came to the same conclusion about the Atlas family. I owned a Bravada and like the Atlas family, but like others just don't see a future due to the height issue and perception issues with the I5. I know the HV engines are compact and cheap, but if they make a zillion HF they won't be so costly to make. GM just really needs to consolidate their engine lineup.

 

[bone]

Will they show up in the Colorado/Canyon?

 

[gopedxr7]

too bad that this might be the end of the atlas engine. i am very happy with it in my trailblazer. its got enough power for me, i do not tow anything. one thing about it is that its very smooth. i do not feel it running at all, i can rev it and will not feel it at all.

i am disapointed that when GM redesigned the Silverado they did not use it as a base motor. its much more advanced than its 4.3 V6 and would be more interesting to have a DOHC motor as a base engine than a dated old V6 that is 20years older.

Alan

 

[ctaylorzl1]

Very Awesome! The 3.6 DI with 300hp would be perfect, it would provide exelent fuel economy, while matching the hp numbers of the Alphas 5.3! I am curious what diesel witll be put into the H3 though? I wonder if this new FF 3.6 DI will be the engine going into the H4? Sounds similar to the one they ised in the HX concept!

 

[CadiEldo67]

Personally, I think that axing the Atlas would be a waste of millions of development dollars that GM can't afford to waste. They should sell the design of the engine at least, or find a company willing to buy them. The Canyon and Colorado would have done much better with the 4.2 inline 6, had it fit in the engine bay. But I agree that at least the 4.2 should go into the full sized pickup trucks as an option. Just lose the I-5/I-4 versions.

 

[stevecmh]

About time, that how it should of been since launch.

agree with u a 100% on that statement..

better late than never i guess..

 

[bigtime]

This is all well and good, but what about price? And again, no real timeline and its hurry up and wait! How long have we been waiting for the colorado to get a V8...?

I suspect H3 is going up in price (bad move, but typical) since the H2 is leaving and the new H4 will fill the void a bit. I have wanted a diesel forever in this vehicle, but I am not paying a 10k premium for it.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

Personally, I think that axing the Atlas would be a waste of millions of development dollars that GM can't afford to waste. They should sell the design of the engine at least, or find a company willing to buy them. The Canyon and Colorado would have done much better with the 4.2 inline 6, had it fit in the engine bay. But I agree that at least the 4.2 should go into the full sized pickup trucks as an option. Just lose the I-5/I-4 versions.

The money spent on the Atlas engine family was already wasted. I think by now we've all realized that it is just one more engine family that GM doesn't need. They might as well get rid of it now before they sink more development money into it. Why not just use other existing motors that get used in other vehicles? The 4.2L I6 would have gotten a lot more praise with a 5-speed or 6-speed to help it out. Many people that drove it that were used to the low rpm torque of the V8's thought it was a real dog in normal driving.

Using the DI 3.6 and a diesel are great ideas that better spread to the Colorado/Canyon. The Colorado/Canyon need to have better towing capacity as well. I think that GM was afraid if they kept the towing capacity up around or over 5k lbs for their small trucks they would steal Silverado sales. I think what really happened is they just gave sales away to the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma.

 

[igotzzoom]

Okay, this is quite unofficial, but off-the-record, when I was at the LA Auto show last year, I talked to the line manager for the Tahoe/Suburban, and talked with him about the 4500 Duramax. He said he was really excited about the engine, because it was a modular design, meaning, a V6 could be made from it pretty easily. That makes me think it will probably be a derivative of the 4500. So doing some reverse-calculations, that would make it a 3.4 liter with approximately 250 horsepower and about 400 lb./ft. or so of torque. Sounds good to me.