I see a lot of posts from people that never owned a diesel claiming a gas engine is just as good. Sigh...
For my $0.02, if I have any kind of a load, it'll be a diesel. I hear lots of whining about pollution controls hurting fuel mileage. That may be but my Duramax has the DPF and with my camper on the back I still average 13-14 mpg highway. The Duramax doesn't have a true exhaust brake but they emulate it with the variable vanes in the turbo. Going down the steepest grades in the Rockies I still occasionally have to push down on the skinny pedal because the engine is slowing me down too much. Meanwhile, similar trips in a gas truck would have me both worrying about a piston flying through the hood due to the high RPMs and still having to ride the brake, hoping they aren't overheating.
To be honest, with my tiny camper, the Duramax is overkill. But as Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith says, overkill is underrated. I'll gladly pay more for for the diesel then enjoy the relaxed drive the entire time I own the truck.
