2016 Nissan with Cummins & Aisin

[Moose]

While I do agree with what several people have been saying about Nissan doing their homework, and I do agree that the truck looks nice on paper, what I see is a whole lot of components that have never been combined together before by a manufacturer who has been more or less absent from the truck market for years. Brand new un-proven engine (though it IS a Cummins), way oversize transmission and axles for a 1/2 ton, completly upscaled interior, ground up design on pretty much every component of the truck adds up to a metric crap ton of hopes and prayers that the thing will continue to work in the long run and mountains of cash investment that needs to be recouped.

It seems to me that Nissan is scrambling to maintain a presence in the truck market, so they unveil this frankenstein conglomeration trying to lure people back. They are throwing a lot of dice down a blind hallway and praying they dont get snake eyes.

IMO, this truck is almost too much for the class they are trying to work in and it is going to cost them in the long run when some people try to use it in place of the 3/4 or 1 ton that they should be using and something breaks.

 

[JR]

Real world fuel mileage will be the tale of the tape. None of the other numbers really matter IMO. Ram has already proven a small displacement diesel is capable of towing anything a half ton truck is capable of while returning excellent fuel economy. Personally, I'd be surprised if this truck was even in the same ball park as the Ram in economy. Nearly twice the displacement and roughly an extra 100 lb ft of torque....for what. It still baffles me this engine ever found its way into a half ton chassis. As much as I'd like to of seen a 4 cylinder or maybe even a SMALL inline 5 or 6 cylinder Cummins in the Ram with front gear drive, I still feel Ram made the right call considering the options at hand.

 

[RVTRKN]

I can just imagine what the Internet, blogs, websites and other modern electronic media would have said in 1987 thru 1989 when the Cummins 5.9 was being developed for the Ram. Dodge Ram was just about broke when they begrudgingly introduced the Cummins in their trucks, and we probably would have read the same that has been written in this thread, but it would have been a lot nastier. A company that was doing poorly in a market that was very competive and was struggling to stay in the game, introduced Cummins as a Diesel option when the other competitors were failing at their diesel offerings.

I think all the negative media is going to be turned on their heads when this truck hits the market. Nissan is not going after the 1/2 ton market, this is the first of many generations to come, on their way to the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. Who are you guys kidding if you think there's no room for improvement on this new engine, or larger copies of the same engine as they compete.

 

[JR]

Question is why do you need a 550 lb ft V8 diesel in a half ton? Engines in this segment are more powerful than they've ever been, the small displacement VM is rated at 100 lb ft less and the gassers easily 200+ lb ft less and pull anything a half ton can legally pull with ease. This is like offering the HO 6.7 rated @ 865 lb ft in a 3/4 ton truck.....overkill. The only potential advantage a diesel has in this light duty segment is fuel mileage. If the New 5.0 doesn't excel in this area than it completely negates any benefits of owning an engine that commands a large premium at the front end of the purchase and requires fuel that is substantially more at the pump. Maybe I'm being overly skeptical, but I don't see this engine capable of similar fuel mileage as the VM that is nearly half the displacement.

 

[Regcabguy]

Competition is healthy. Overbuilt axles and brakes sound fine to me.
I wish Nissan the best. I've only sat in the Nissan products at the auto show here and have never been pleased with the fit and finish.

 

[RVTRKN]

Another clue Nissan is after the 3/4 ton market.

 

[JR]

#ad


I'd like to see these come to fruition. Lots of talk over the years of both Toyota and Nissan entering the HD segment. It would probably be the toughest market to enter and be successful at.

 

[RVTRKN]

Toyota has to beef up their frame first.
http://youtu.be/1j3PWGRrCZ4

 

[Regcabguy]

Toyota has to beef up their frame first.
http://youtu.be/1j3PWGRrCZ4

Yep! Bad frame rust problem on the Tacoma too.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/toyota_tacoma.html?page=2

 

[JR]

LOL.
There are just as many irrelevant you tube tests out there "proving" Fords and GMs are superior to Ram. I think it is a fair assumption that Toyota would be smart enough to put a heavier frame under an HD pick up.

My step dad in Wyoming averages 80k miles a year on his Tundra and last i talked to him about the truck it was closing in on 370k miles. He runs the snot out of it all week on the highway than spends his weekends at their cabin in the Snowies running all the back country service roads and forest service access paths. Its taken a tremondous amount of abuse and has some pretty rough looking step bars and rockers to prove it.

 

[Regcabguy]

The Tundra's tailgate will bend under the weight of motorcyle ramps unless they've beefed them up.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

My step dad in Wyoming averages 80k miles a year on his Tundra

80k per year? Wow!

 

[DonFitzwater]

The Tundra's tailgate will bend under the weight of motorcyle ramps unless they've beefed them up.

My brother in laws tundra had the tailgate fail while loading his Kawasaki brute force 750. It crumpled like it was made of construction paper (truck was only a couple of weeks old) He immediately took it to the dealer and brought it to the service manager's attention and they promptly blamed him for improper loading technique. On his way out of the service department he crossed paths with a guy on crutches.........struck up a brief conversation and this gent had been injured while loading a lawnmower into the back of his Tundra WHEN THE TAILGATE CRUMPLED and the lawnmower tipped over and land on him, breaking his ankle. Mysteriously, Toyota gladly covered his tailgate replacement........after my bro in law realized what was happening, he gladly went back to Fords.