Nissan drops Cummins from 2020 Titan.

[jptbay]

Nissan drops Cummins from 2020 Titan.

Not surprised.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a28625175/nissan-titan-xd-diesel-dead/

Nissan will stop production of the Titan XD with the 5.0-liter Cummins diesel V-8 in December 2019. The regular-cab versions of both the Titan and the Titan XD are also casualties of a 2020 refresh that will be revealed later this year, Nissan spokesperson Wendy Orthman confirmed to C/D. Nissan claims this is a move to "focus on the heart of the truck market."

The XD diesel model attempted to bridge an apparent gap between half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickup trucks. However, its lackluster performance numbers, tow ratings comparable to half-ton pickups, and hefty price premium over the gas motor (the XD with this 5.6-liter V-8 will continue for 2020) made the diesel XD an answer to a question that we assume few pickup-truck owners were asking. The company sold 52,924 Titans in 2017, 50,459 in 2018, and 20,268 through July 2019, but Nissan does not report sales figures for the diesel motor specifically.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

No surprise there. That engine was an orphan that Nissan picked up, no one else wanted it. And from what I hear they did a horrific job of training dealer techs to service it correctly.

C&D says the diesel XD answers a question few buyers were asking. I think that applies to the whole truck. That Nissan could only sell 53,000 at its peak when Ford sold nearly a million F 150s last year is telling. Besides, the thing is butt-ugly.

 

[crazyrunner33]

To add to that, the fuel economy is identical to that of the ISB 6.7 in the Ram 2500. I wouldn't want a weaker and more complicated engine if it nets the same fuel economy as the ISB. Fuelly shows the average for a Ram 2500 ISB and the Nissan 5.0 Cummins as having identical real world fuel economy.

 

[soot1]

Two years ago, when I was gathering intel on potential replacements for my 2010 Jetta I intended to return to VW, I placed the Titan HD Cummins on the initial list of vehicles to check out, as it met my initial set of requirements. At that time, the vehicle was already available in the US for a while, so I started my evaluation by searching owners' reviews to get a feel for what owners of this truck thought about it and what their experiences were.

The picture that was quickly emerging wasn't pretty at all - at least half of all reviews were negative to strongly negative. Owners were complaining about wide range of issues, ranging from poorly shifting transmission thru astronomical maintenance costs to being unable to start the engine when the ambient temperature dropped below freezing point of the DEF fluid. I kept reading on and also discovered that a large number of the first vehicles delivered had to be recalled for turbo that was damaged on the assembly line, and the turbo had to be replaced.

At this point, I pretty much eliminated this vehicle from consideration, but still took the trip to the local dealer to see the vehicle in person. What I saw in front of me was the proverbial last straw. Two most notable images stuck in my mind were that of a large flat head screw on the tailgate with the Phillips #2 slots completely stripped off, leaving only a conical crater (I wondered how I would remove that screw if I needed to), and a 2-ounce blob of grease that fell on the ground when I opened the fuel flap. Apparently, whoever smacked the grease there, was tasked with lightly lubricating the spring that held the flap in closed position, but the blob of grease was applied nowhere near the spring, which was left bone dry.

When I saw that, I determined I gathered enough evidence, so when I returned home, I made a fat red line across this vehicle on my list, and it was the right decision. Later that year, these trucks were suddenly available with hefty discounts (a truck with $40k MSRP was offered for $30k). Nissan certainly knew why, and so did I. As far as I am concerned, if Nissan discontinued the entire line of these vehicles, it would be no loss to the consumers.

 

[mannytranny]

Glad I don't own one. Domestic pickups are darn tough to beat these days.