Well folks, I have to ask what the fuss is all about?? Having worked on and owned Benz diesels and medium duty diesels... these are GREAT engines. How many folks here are complaining about the lift pump and all the variuos problems with the Cummins and injections systems. There isn't a day goes by that I read more and more crap about the 24V problems. You don't find that with the folks with the sprinters... and darn that engine is quiet and powerful. Not to mention the Transmission has had fewer problems than the dodge transmission that you have to build up to make it work properly.
Damlier Benz has been engineering Diesels LONG before Cummins came into existence. Don't get me wrong... I like my Cummins with a Dodge wrapped around it, but I like my 2 mercedes (one Diesel with over 500,000 miles on original engine, and one gas with over 225000 miles on original engine) just as much. The bodies are made of much better stuff than dodge ever thought about putting in their stuff.
That being said, I hope they don't discontinue the Cummins, but just be open enough to look at the Benz drivetrains available and revel in the fact that they are every bit as good as Cummins. Hell maybe it will even cause Cummins and Dodge to come up with better fixes fort problems.
just my cents.