There’s a battle for fuel-efficient pickups and they’re good

You may have seen the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado in the news recently for being named Motor Trend Truck of the Year. The truck beat out some stiff competition for the title.

What's interesting about the win is it comes with a truck known just as much for its fuel efficiency as it is for its pickup capabilities. The 2016 Chevrolet Colorado two-wheel drive with the Duramax turbo-diesel engine is the most fuel-efficient pickup truck in America.

And forget your misconceptions about fuel efficiency. Even in this day of cheap (well, cheap for the 21st century) it turns out Americans do care about fuel efficiency. We don't care so much how a vehicle gets fuel savings. We just want it to happen.

That's according to a survey by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. It discovered in June that "a little more than half (52 percent) of respondents said it didn't matter to them how a vehicle saves fuel and reduces emissions," an article at the news site Phys.org says.

In the context of that report, it's also intriguing that companies are battling out over fuel-efficient pickups that are diesel internal combustion engines. That's the least favorite technology for achieving fuel efficiency among those surveyed.

So, what's the secret to Chevy's new crowning as most fuel-efficient pickup, even if it is diesel? The company says a variable-geometry turbocharger helps optimize power and efficiency across the rpm band.

That translates to an EPA estimated 31 mpg highway, 22 mpg city and 25 mpg combined. The four-wheel-drive model offers an EPA estimated 29 mpg highway, 20 mpg city and 23 mpg combined. It's of note that the four-wheel-drive fuel penalty is 2 mpg. That seems high when most vehicles are usually only penalized 1 mpg.

One thing worth noting is this fuel efficiency doesn't come with the sacrifice of towing capability. When properly outfitted, the Colorado can tow up to 7,700 pounds on two-wheel-drive models and up to 7,600 pounds for four-wheel-drive models.

So, what is the competition for the Colorado? That would be the 2016 Ram 1500 with its 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 engine rated at 29 mpg highway. Seems like the Colorado took bragging rights by a fairly significant 2 mpg with its 2.8-liter Duramax turbo-diesel engine.

In September, Ram was saying fuel economy is the No. 1 unmet customer need in half-ton trucks. Well, Chevrolet has stolen the crown but that's not for lack of Ram trying and still maintaining its own bragging rights.

The Ram has a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Together, the powertrain system delivers a combination of fuel efficiency and towing capability up to 9,200 pounds. You may be getting lower fuel economy but you're pulling 1,300 more pounds. That has to count for something in the half-ton pickup wars.

So, where does the Ford F-150 fit into all of this? Well, probably the best comparison from the all-aluminum pickup is going to be its 2.7-liter Ecoboost engine. It runs on regular gas and has a towing capacity of 7,600 pounds.

But its fuel economy just isn't up to comparison with the diesel counterparts. It's rated at 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, for a combined 21 mpg. Ford appears to have all but ceded the fuel-economy battle to its domestic foes.