1/2 Ton Diesel Pickup

[Dieselnut59]

I can't think of any reason why Nissan, Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, etc. would have any interest in a Cummins diesel. There have been millions of smaller four cylinder diesel engines manufactured in Japan all over Asia for 40 or 50 years.



Years ago Isuzu and Mitsubishi imported small diesel powered pickups into the US market. The Isuzu was also rebadged a Chevy LUV truck and Mitsubishis were rebadged as Dodges.

And they all have their OWN diesel engines! All are used in current model forklifts too! Nissan, Toyota and Mitsubishi all make forklifts and run their own engines. TCM is another Japanese manufacturer and they run the Isuzu engine.

I do not see why Nissan would run a Cummins, but it is bound to be a hot seller, especially if it is a fuel efficient 4 cylinder.

Our company sells Doosan forklifts (who are also the parent company of Bobcat). They run a 3. 3 liter 4 cylinder Cummins made in Japan and a 2. 3 liter 4 cylinder made in Korea.

 

[Dieselnut59]

VW, Audi, and Mercedes don't have any problem selling diesels here. As far as cost is concerned, you could buy two diesel Jetta's for the price of a Chevy Volt. They'll run circles around it and beat its HWY FE as a bonus. You also get the benefit of their renowned resale value. Which would you rather have? As far as environmental benefits are concerned, they're questionable at best, as the Volt's battery is likely charged by the 1 billion tons of coal burned every year for power generation.

Ain't that the freakin truth?! My mother has a 2010 Jetta TDI automatic. I would love the wagon version with a manual transmission, but would rather have a mini truck with a turbo diesel. Something like a Ranger or S-10 size. It would be bound to get nearly 40 mpg. If VW can get nearly 50 out of a diesel in a car, a mini truck with manual transmission should be able to get nearly 40. I just hope they don't load it up with crap only available in the top of the line fancy model. I want manual windows, manual hubs/transfer case, manual transmission and a turbo diesel engine. Nearly every manufacturer has a common rail turbo diesel available in Europe, whose emission requirements are about like the USA, so bring em on! My dream vehicle is a factory produced manual transmission turbo diesel Jeep Wrangler!

 

[Elite1]

I am a contractor & still love my 03' Dodge Ram as my daily driver vehicle. Would love to change one one of my fleet trucks (a Ford F-150) to a small diesel truck... . it really seems like the manufacturers are missing the boat on this market. About the best option I see is purchasing the Sprinter (chassis only) and making a small flatbed or service bed out of it. It has a small Mercedes 6 cyl diesel... but that is a pretty pricey option!

 

[HBarlow]

Actually, the MB Sprinter chassis uses a very small five cylinder diesel.

I'm sure there is a market for light duty trucks and cars with diesel engines in the US but our tree hugger environmental wacko special interests imposing their views through our dictatorial government don't like them and do everything possible to make them impractical and expensive to own or operate or completely prevent their sales.

 

[Bob4x4]

The Turbo,d D50 was a great runner

The only repair I ever had to do on one was a glow

Plug controller

 

[rscurtis]

Actually, the MB Sprinter chassis uses a very small five cylinder diesel.



I'm sure there is a market for light duty trucks and cars with diesel engines in the US but our tree hugger environmental wacko special interests imposing their views through our dictatorial government don't like them and do everything possible to make them impractical and expensive to own or operate or completely prevent their sales.

The initial version of the Sprinter did use a 2. 7 litre 5-cylinder, but the later generation uses a detuned version of the same engine found in the E class, ML class, and R class Mercedes. It is a 3-litre V6.

 

[HBarlow]

Oh, I didn't know that. I don't know anyone who owns one and haven't kept up.

The 3. 0 TDI V6 seems to be a very good engine and would provide considerably more hp and tq than the small in-line 5 cylinder.

 

[JRBurton]

I wonder why they don't try and put it into a dakota?



John

 

[HBarlow]

I wonder why they don't try and put it into a dakota?

John

The costs of development, chassis modification, drivetrain modification, testing, obtaining EPA approval, EPA approval delays, more EPA hassles, the current administration, tree hugger objections, the weak and deteriorating economy, declining truck sales, the numbers of predicted diesel Dakota sales, and a few other minor considerations come to mind.

Other than that it should be a breeze.

 

[rscurtis]

I would tend to agree with JRBurton, but I believe the current Dakota will soon be history. All the difficulties you mention would also apply to the Titan, with the addition that it's virtually a full sized pickup to start with and it has no redeeming qualities over any of the half-ton domestic offerings. If Nissan and Cummins believe this is the future of the market, then it would also make sense to offer the Ram HD with a 4 cylinder version of the CR engine which would be slightly over 200 HP. I don't see that happening anytime soon, even thought that would be all many of us really need- myself included.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

The government does not want efficient consumer diesels in this country. It would kill ethanol deader than a door knob and cut demand considerably as the percent of diesel vehicles increased.

 

[rscurtis]

Some were. My '79 Olds ran great until it blew up at 4300 miles. I quickly sold it before their reputation really got out. I have an '83 Mercedes that I use for running around, and in its day, would run away from many gas cars of the era on less than half the fuel. About 70% of MB's sold in the early eighties were diesel powered- many are still running.



One of the problems with consumers accepting diesels again relates to the fact that we don't teach math and science any more. When the average consumer sees that diesel is 10% more than gas, they immediately dismiss it, even though you'll use 30-40% less. They'll opt for the more expensive hybrid, which has its benefits for local driving, but dismiss the diesel with its usually superior highway MPG because it's "too expensive" or the payback is too long- while completely ignoring its enhanced resale value. The generally ignorant MSM also has the propensity to push hybrids and ignore diesels altogether.



The other is that besides VW, no one offers an entry level diesel sedan or small SUV. It's either the VW, or you step up to a $50K Mercedes or an even pricier HD pickup.

 

[Cosmo]

As gasoline prices continue climb and recreational toys grow in size, truck buyers are increasingly drawn to the powerful, long-lasting, and relatively efficient diesel engines offered in heavy-duty, full-size pickups. Currently, only pickups with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or higher offer both diesel and gas engines. These heavy-duty trucks are commonly referred to as 3/4- or one-ton pickups. Light-duty, or 1/2-ton, pickups have GVWRs from 6,100 to 8,200 pounds, and all are powered by gasoline engines. Jeep offers the lone exception to this full-size pickup diesel dominance with the '05 Liberty SUV, available for the first time with a trail-ready 2. 8-liter/160-horse I-4 with 295 lb-ft of torque and EPA mileage rated at 22 city/27 highway.



As testament to the diesel engine's popularity, Ford reports its 6. 0-liter Power Stroke diesel was installed in 63 percent of F-250/F-350 Super Duty pickups sold through the first nine months of 2004. GM's 6. 6-liter Duramax diesel made up 44 percent of GMC Sierra HD 2500/3500 sales in the same time period (up significantly from just 12 percent in 2000) and 41 percent of the Chevy Silverado HD 2500/3500 sales (up from 33 percent in 2002). It appears that the most devoted diesel fans drive the Dodge Ram 2500/3500, where the 5. 9-liter Cummins engine was sold in 80 percent of the heavy-duty lineup through September 2004 (up from 69 percent in 2002. )



Diesels don't have the same attraction in the U. S. passenger-car market, where they're just starting to gain showroom momentum following a high-profile but failed effort in the '80s. The 1973 and 1979 gas shortages prompted automakers to offer diesel engines, with their attractive fuel economy numbers, as a way to combat high gas prices. But diesels quickly developed a reputation for being noisy, dirty, smelly, difficult to start in cold weather, and sluggish to drive.

Can we get a ban up in here? Spammers be spamming.



My folks too had a 79 Olds diesel. That thing was sweet (but also a piece of crap).

 

[GHarman]

Watch post 32!!!

Dont click on the links in the signature of post 32. I had to do an emergency shut down on my laptop after checking out the first link in the signature of Iris Mark. May be related, Maybe not. Be Careful! GregH

 

[Barry]

OK Guys, I fielded this one and deleted the post. I have posted a flag in the Moderators Forum to block the Trial Member until we can verify.



If he posts again anywhere, REPORT THE POST!!



Thanx for the catch... ... ...