Nissan Titan - Diesel Goodness

Bedlam wrote:
I think many are disappointed that this smaller sized diesel is not available in 3/4t truck. That would really give someone to think about if they were looking at a 1t gasser.

When the mini trucks of the '80s all offered diesels, I loved the competition between them and yearn for return of the mini diesels (other than just passenger cars). I hope these mid sized ones are successful and we see swath of diesel offerings from the smallest to largest take hold. As others have posted, this innovation is good for all for us even if we don't buy this particular model.

Once these manufacturers have the emission controls dialed in, I would love to see the big Ford and GM V8 diesels being chopped up into a V6 and I4 versions with common parts to feed the smaller markets. Frankly, I'm still surprised Cummins didn't take the 6.7 I6 and just lop off cylinders to make smaller engines.

There is a gasoline engine manufacturer called Chery that does just this type of scaling already, so it is not new or unique. They have 2-cylinder 541cc, 3-cylinder 812cc and 4-cylinder 1083cc line that use the same basic DOHC EFI engine and just add or take away cylinders to offer different displacements. Transmissions, pumps, injectors and alternators naturally all cross over, but so do things like timing chains, bearings and seals. All this redundancy reduces supply and manufacturing costs after they already saved on engineering.

Good point.

IMO, the Nissan Titan Cummins (NTC) may change some of this.

Right now the Big 3 have no incentive to compete in terms of power vs. MPG with their 3/4 - 1-ton diesel trucks. IMO, the Big 3 are only offering near 1000 lb. diesel torque monsters because there are no official EPA MPG numbers to temper the increases in power. It takes more fuel to make more power. Unfortunately, this data (and the impact) is hidden from the average consumer.

If--and yes, it's a big if, if the NTC's 5.0 diesel can come in with an EPA highway MPG estimate in the low-mid 20's, it'll finally give consumers a clear choice (and awareness) about power and MPG.

The Ecodiesel's success has clearly shown there is consumer demand for a diesel pickup truck that places an emphasis on MPG rather than power. There's obviously a demand for high torque, big-bore diesels pickups that place an emphasis on power rather than MPG.

The question is, is there demand for a diesel that offers a reasonable compromise somewhere in the middle. I believe the NTC will finally answer this question.