2016 Titan XD Cummins- TFL

otrfun wrote:
IMO, the "no-man's land" (or "gap" as dshelly called it) is what fuels a lot of gas vs. big-bore diesel threads.

I think many will disagree with your assessment of the Cummins V8 5.0 diesel/torque/MPG experience. Rather doubt the 3.5EB, Hemi/Tundra 5.7, 6.2, 6.4, etc. are going to even come close in a realworld 10,000 lb. tow battle.

Although it may not be appealing to your needs, IMO Nissan has found a market path of least resistance . This path leads directly to a number of prospective and current 1/2 ton owners who want the diesel experience, but don't want to make the jump to a big-bore diesel.

RinconVTR wrote:
Are you thinking these smaller diesels will out perform their gas counter parts in the 1/2 ton truck market when it comes to towing? Think again. Its hardly a fair comparison.

Search for actual towing tests of ANY small/medium size diesel on the market right now. Regarding towing performance only...the difference is night and day. Gas engines, with their higher HP, make these smaller diesels painful to drive under strenuous towing conditions.

But hey...you might get 1 or even 3 better MPG....for drastically higher up front cost.

So you decide what the priority is. You'll get to your destination regardless.

Not sure what you're basing all your "night and day" towing test results on. Outside of the Ecodiesel is there any other small/medium diesel? Big HP/torque difference between the Ecodiesel and the Cummins 5.0 V8. Little ridiculous to lump them together from a performance perspective.

The Cummins 5.0 V8 diesel "numbers" speak for themselves. In terms of raw torque (vs. 1/2 ton gas engines), I agree it's not a fair comparison--the Cummins 5.0 V8 comes out on top. You can play the HP card all day long, but big torque numbers at low RPM's is what makes for effortless towing in the realworld. Big HP numbers (relative to torque) require a lot of RPM's and constant transmission activity to maximize output---both distract from the ideal tow experience.

In any case, the Nissan Cummins is due to hit showrooms in the coming weeks. Looking forward to seeing some realworld comparisons to lay all this conjecture to rest.