Information About a 1994 Chevy 2500 Truck With a 6.5 Turbo Diesel
by James RutterIn 1994, Chevy sold a 6.5-liter V-8 diesel as an optional engine for its 2500 line of full-size three-quarter ton trucks. Buyers could purchase the light-duty 2500 in rear-wheel or four-wheel drive in a regular cab with an 8-foot bed or an extended cab with a 6.5-foot bed. Chevy offered rear- and four-wheel drive heavy-duty versions of the 2500 with a regular or extended cab and an 8-foot bed.
Drivetrain
In 1994, Chevy offered two 6.5-liter displacement diesel V-8 engines for its 2500 trucks, a turbocharged and naturally aspirated version. The naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-8 produced 155 horsepower and 275 foot-pounds of torque. Chevy's turbocharged V-8 generated 190 horsepower and 385 foot-pounds of torque. All models of the 1994 2500 trucks came with a standard five-speed manual transmission that buyers could upgrade to a four-speed automatic with overdrive.
Performance
Fuel economy for these trucks depended on the engine, transmission and drive configuration. A rear-wheel drive non-turbo delivered an estimated 17 mpg city and 22 mpg highway with the manual transmission and 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway with the automatic transmission.
Four-wheel drive models with the naturally aspirated engine rated 15 mpg highway and 20 mpg city with the manual transmission and 15 mpg city and 18 mpg highway with the automatic transmission. The rear-wheel drive turbocharged delivered an estimated 15 mpg city and 19 mpg highway with the automatic transmission; four-wheel drive turbocharged models rated 14 mpg city and 17 mpg highway with the automatic.
The rear-wheel drive regular cab light-duty 2500 carried a maximum payload of 2,848 pounds and towed up to 10,000 pounds. A rear-wheel drive extended cab light-duty 2500 hauled a max payload of 2,657 pounds and had a maximum towing capacity of 10,000 pounds.
Features and Options
Standard safety features on all models consisted of antilock brakes. Buyers could upgrade all models with a limited slip differential. Other standard features included chrome bumpers, an AM-FM stereo, and intermittent wipers. Chevy offered air-conditioning, cruise control, power windows and doors, a cassette player and a tilt steering wheel as upgrades. Buyers could customize the 2500 interior with a floor console and passenger-side vanity mirror. Exterior options included side body moldings, a chrome grille, a rear-step bumper and a bed liner. Towing upgrades consisted of front tow hooks, a trailer hitch and a wiring harness.
Dimensions
Regular cab, light-duty models had a length of 212.6 inches, a 131.5-inch wheelbase, a height of 73 inches and a width of 76.8 inches. Extended cab, light-duty models spanned a length of 223 inches with a 141.5-inch wheelbase, 74-inch height and overall width of 76.4 inches. A heavy-duty regular cab model shared the light-duty dimensions but stood 75.5 inches in height. Heavy-duty extended cab models stretched 237 inches in length with a 155.5-inch wheelbase, 75.5-inch height and overall width of 76.8 inches. All regular cab models sat three on a front bench. The extended cab models sat six, split between front and rear benches. Buyers could upgrade both cab sizes with front bucket seats.
References
Writer Bio
Since 2005, James Rutter has worked as a freelance journalist for print and Internet publications, including the “News of Delaware County,” “Main Line Times” and Broad Street Review. As a former chemist, college professor and competitive weightlifter, he writes about science, education and exercise. Rutter earned a B.A. in philosophy and biology from Albright College and studied philosophy and cognitive science at Temple University.
