Frostbitte wrote:
I've been saying this about the 5.0 Cummins. It would be a waste just to put it into a regular half-ton. It should go into a heavy-half or 2500 series truck. If I had this engine like Nissan an Toyota do now, I'd definitely be placing it in a 3/4 version of the Titan and Tundra. That would definitely steal some customers over as I'm sure there are many who need a 3/4 ton with the power and efficiency of a diesel but somewhere between the 3.0 and a 6.7 but don't want or need a gasser.
Exactly, I pray that Toyota/Nissan are listening to customers about this. I would love a diesel 3/4 ton trunk, but I don't need 400hp and 800 lbs/ft torque, nor do I want to pay the financial price for such a massive engine nor drag around the weight for such a massive engine.
If either of these manufacturers put that 5.0 Cummins with 300 +/- HP and 500 lbs/ft of torque in a truck with 1800 +/- useable payload and 10,000 lbs towing capacity they will have a very capable truck. If they can start it for around $35K for a relatively basic truck, they might have a winner. If they sell well, it might encourage the Big 3 to offer other options for buyers.
There is such a small difference between the current 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks that it doesn't usually make financial sense to buy the 3/4 ton (outside of registration fees for GVWR). They often have the same engine, brakes, frame, rear end, trans, wheels, etc and the only difference is suspension. If they offered a 3/4 ton (8800 lbs GVWR) with a smaller and more efficient diesel engine and lighter and less expensive components than the 1 ton (9,999 lbs GVWR) then they could probably sell more.
I don't need a fire breathing monster 400 hp/850 lbs/ft diesel that has a $8000 upgrade cost and eats into payload by several hundred lbs, nor do I want to pay to feed it. I don't need a frame that supports a payload of 4,000+ lbs. It would be great if more manufacturers offered a vehicle that was designed to handle the 8800 lbs GVWR efficiently and effectively... not de-rate a truck meant to have a 10,800+ lbs GVWR and call it a 3/4 ton.
