Driving the Colorado around today...

"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips)
04/29/2019 at 20:01 • Filed to: None

I thought about how much FCA knocked it out of the park setting up the 3.6 and 8-speed in the Ram. In our much heavier Ram, I average around 22mpg loaded on the highway. In the loaded Colorado, I average around 21.5. The transmission programming on the Colorado is absolute garbage, and the throttle response lag is measured in seconds. Somehow the Ram feels significantly quicker as well. I honestly think it’s the best base engine on the market.

DISCUSSION (26)

412GTI > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:25

GM’s truck throttle programming is hot garbage across the board. Makes the 5.3 feel like a dog unless you floor it. Super annoying. The 3.6/8 speed combo in the Ram is all most people need.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > 412GTI
04/29/2019 at 20:29

Our 2019 Silverado is slightly better, but I hate hate hate the 4.3. It sounds worse than a straight piped VQ. It sounded bad before, but the Ecotec has the soul crushing sound it had before with throttle, without the almost lopey V8 idle it had before.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:37

One of my friend works at FCA on the Pentastar on the calibration side. I keep hearing good things :)

I had the 3.6 in a challenger and it was more fun than it had any right to, it felt like a smaller LS tbh.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:39

I feel like a lot of that is the fault of the person who drove it before you. Most of these new transmissions program themselves to act like the driver. So it can take a while for the transmission to start shifting more aggressively. My old Subaru was that way as well as our work trucks.

I have driven the new Colorado several times and I found it perfectly fine and never noticed a laggy transmission.

Drive a new Tacoma if you want to be disappointed.

Brickman > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:39

When my dads 2018 ZR2 was new the transmission would stay in a specific gear then shift up and hesitate when downshifting, but after a few thousands miles it shifts smooth and good throttle response.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
04/29/2019 at 20:40

Out of all of the trucks we have at work, it’s by far my favorite to drive... Okay second favorite, there is just something about a Cummins.

I do wish they would dial out the body roll, though maybe they have improved that with the current generation. Our Silverado doesn’t feel like a boat, the Ram does.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:42

The Challenger was quite rolly too, not in a bad way tho. It just liked to move about when its loaded up to the side.

I guess FCA just likes it that way.

Ooh and the 8 speed is fantastic, especially in a Hemi.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
04/29/2019 at 20:43

It has 4k miles on it, and it drives the same as it did when it had 150 miles on it. The throttle response only makes it even worse. The programming is just bad. You hit the throttle, wait 1.5 seconds, truck realizes it needs to shift, wait 1 second, missed a gear. Repeat.

And if you get a Tacoma with an auto, you’re wrong.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
04/29/2019 at 20:46

Ram 1500's are honestly a little scary, and they’ve improved very little in that regard since the mid-2000's. One day I took my Dad’s ‘08 to McDonald’s to grab a frappe, and took a corner at 12mph, launching the frappe into the door. This got me yelled at.

One week later I received an apology, because he did the same thing.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:46

We don’t get gas engines in our Colorado’s here in Oz. Only the Duramax 2.8 litre TDi...no bad thing by the sound of it.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
04/29/2019 at 20:49

Nope, and you also get a manual with that, which we don’t.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:50

Hahahaha! I have another friend who works for ZF and usually has a DS or a Challenger with him for testing. I dont remember the DS being so boaty tho...

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:52

My dad bought a used Express van with the 4.8L V8/6 speed and it was bad (this was a few years ago). I told him to disconnect the battery, let it sit a bit, and then reconnect. It made a n oticable improvement, especially in shift firmness, though it still hunts for gears occasionally.

Trifecta does great things with both engine and trans tuning. Though I dont think you should have to go to the aftermarket to get a good trans. And I’m sure on a work truck you won’t.

But my point is it doesn't have to be bad, GM just makes questionable decisions sometimes on their ECU/TCU tuning. My guess is its for fuel economy?

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
04/29/2019 at 20:52

My Dad’s was the generation before that, but our 2018 isn’t much better. I mean, it won’t flip, but my coworkers that get car sick hate the truck.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Snuze: Needs another Swede
04/29/2019 at 20:53

But it’s not that great, as demonstrated with the Ram getting better mileage, driven the same way by the same person.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:53

FCA’s mantra is to make everything a lii ittle bit shady to keep it interesting lol

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
04/29/2019 at 20:55

Lol, that is my only real complaint about the truck though.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 20:57

The Hemis sound wicked and unique tho, quite a bit different than our LS

fhrblig > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 21:04

I’m on record as loving the Pentastar. My ProMaster only has a 6-speed though, and I wish it had a couple more gears.

DipodomysDeserti > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 21:11

Interesting. I averaged 17mpg of mostly city with a bit of highway driving over the three days I had my dad’s four door Silverado with the 6L V8. The transmission programming was also garbage. Very clunky. The engine, however, was buttery smooth.

I average 16mpg city and 14mpg highway on my Wrangler with the old 3.8 and a six speed manual (it’s a Jeep thing).

HammerheadFistpunch > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 22:10

the pentastar is, without question, a good engine. even the 3.2 in the Cherokee feels good. better than the 4.0? honestly... yeah. it's easily as reliable (the 4.0 had plenty of issues that wouldn't kill it but made it annoying to live with) and it makes more power, more torque, better mileage is lighter, etc. there 3.6 might be easier to outright kill ... but that hardly makes it the better engineer

LastFirstMI is my name > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 22:19

Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep- “Okay guys, we spent the last three years of product development time on the engine, let’s get the rest of the car done by Friday and we’ll all go home”

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 23:11

Actually, I am pleasantly surprised how well my Grand Cherokee drives with a naturally aspirated V6 and 8-speed gearbox, when it weighs about as much as my Nissan Titan, granted that is Titan’s empty weight, with almost no interior, where the Grand Cherokee is a loaded Overland model.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/29/2019 at 23:17

I’m really interested to see what the 3.6 is like in the Gladiator. We have a bunch of Grand Caravans with it at work and while it makes plenty of power it all comes up high and it sounds/feels like there is a sewing machine under the hood. I didn’t mind it as much in the Grand Cherokee though. Hopefully it’s tuned more like that in the trucks.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > LastFirstMI is my name
04/30/2019 at 06:49

That’s more time than GM spent on the new Silverado/Sierra, other than the time spent on a blanking plate for the cruise control delete.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
04/30/2019 at 07:50

Yeah, I dunno. That’s a shame.

I was kicking around the idea of a Colorado with a sitck for a while, but ended up getting a trailer to tow behind our Terrain instead.