Thor Gemini w/Ford 5 cyl. diesel

Question

My wife and I are seriously contemplating down sizing from Class A to a small Class C. In that regard, we recently looked at a Thor Gemini that is about 24' in length. It's on a Ford chassis but with a 5 cylinder, Ford 185 hp diesel engine. This is a relatively new engine on the market (or at least new in this country)...possibly only the second year. It's manufactured in South Africa. Does anyone have knowledge of or would just like to comment on this engine...pros and cons if known. / Larry

theoldwizard1 · Answer

The 3.2L I5 has been around since 2006 in "the rest of the world" and is used in the Ford "global" Ranger as well as the Mazda BT-50. It truly is just 1 additional cylinder added onto the 2.5L "Puma" diesel engine. Very durable.

I have heard that Ford is working on a new I4 diesel, to replace both the I4 and I5 Puma engines, but I think it is a few years away, at least in the US.

bruce_brown · Answer

That's the engine in the new American Pickers van. Those guys travel a ton of miles and researched the new buy a ton before their purchase.

I sure wouldn't be afraid of it.

I'm on my 3rd Super Duty with the Ford built 6.7L, Ford knows how to build a great diesel.

dennis12 · Answer

I agree with Bruce Brown but I would question the American Pickers van. From what I see it is only driven a half an hour a night.

bruce_brown · Answer

Dennis12 wrote:I agree with Bruce Brown but I would question the American Pickers van. From what I see it is only driven a half an hour a night.

crasster · Answer

There's a ton of vehicles not offered in America that I would love to have.  One is the Toyota Hiace van.   Those low cyl diesels get great MPG and are excellent to tug along a lot of weight.

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Thor Gemini w/Ford 5 cyl. diesel

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