First drive Ram 1500 diesel

GWolfe wrote:
One thing about Nissan hopefully upping their payload is they don't have their own HD trucks to compete against. If Nissan came out with a 2000-2200 lb payload package with the 5.0l diesel it could lure away folks looking at any of the big three HD trucks.

We can't leave out the fuel economy issue which is the primary reason for using a mid-sized 4.5 - 5.0 liter diesel in the first place. Let's assume Nissan came out with a 1/2 ton Nissan 5.0 Cummins diesel with 2000 lbs. of payload. IMO it would only lure folks away from the Big 3 if, 1) the fuel economy was at least 3-4 mpg better than the typical 6.7 3/4 ton diesel, and 2) the tow capacity was at least 12,500 lbs. Or, the MSRP was substantially lower than a comparably equipped Ram 2500/Ford 250 diesel--which I believe is unlikely. Otherwise, what's the attraction? IMO, just payload and tow capacity won't sell trucks. Gotta have an attractive balance of payload, tow, and fuel economy. There's a reason why there are so many MPG threads here, and on other forums---it's an important and emotional topic for many.