2016 Nissan Titan XD Diesel 1/2 Ton Pickup - Cummins 5-liter v8 turbo diesel

me said:

CAFE in effect in 1985 with a target of 40 mpgUS by 1990. A target that had been met by most auto makers by this model year. The last year of CAFE, 1986 every automaker sold diesel power across their fleet with a fleet average approaching 40 mpgUS.

CAFE ends in 1986, all automakers withdraw their diesel options from the US market in 1987 MY, even VW. Without CAFE no diesels offered CAFE dropped to less than 25 mpgUS in one model year. With real world CAFE bottoming out below 10 mpgUS in ~2004.


No 1/2 ton trucks or SUVs offered here since 1986 MY, the last year of CAFE until right now, the first year of re-instated CAFE regs. Your truck was only offered now because 2014 is the first year of CAFE back into effect since 1986........

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Chrysler had to do something to meet the regs that really start to bite into the low mpg offerings starting in ~2016+.

The Grand Cherokee and 1/2 ton are part of a separate CAFE class from cars and bigger trucks with different regs with a equation they use to show they pass the regs. For them they really needed the boost the diesel gave them in that high profit segment not to have to do away with the higher performance fuel guzzling offerings. This engine gave them options they would not have had without it.

The numbers and info I have read says they X,XXX number of units that have to be produced with diesel power to sell XXX,XXX number of units of the fuel guzzling offerings and still be above the required CAFE average.

Your truck is one of those that had to be sold to sell the other ones. That is the part of CAFE that works for us all, giving you a option the automaker had no interest in selling here unless the law forced them to.

This entire string is about an offering from Nissan that will have to be sold to get their CAFE numbers above the minimum required levels. And the people who want a diesel Nissan will be the one's who come out ahead with a vehicle that CAFE forced Nissan to offer here......

With CAFE forcing all automakers after the ~30 year hiatus from CAFE to offer fuel sipping diesel and otherwise powertrains again we will all use less fuel in our auto/truck fleet, which is a good thing for us all. That is the way I see it anyway................

I have an early 90s 1/2 ton chevy truck, 350 cui 4 spd auto. It is a loaded long bed but it uses fuel at a level that I find ridiculous, 13-19 mpgs with a lot of care not go too fast or to push down too hard on the throttle. It was rated 12 city / 17 highway, and if you put your foot in it can do less. Compare that to my early 80s diesels of similar size and design that over similar speeds and routes saw at least 10 mpgs higher, mid 20s most tanks.

I look it like this, today it cost me ~$60 to fill it with ~38 gals which was not too bad. That will get me 600 miles if I use a lot of care in my driving. But that same 38 gals of diesel in my last 1/2 ton with that power could go 950-1,000+ miles on that tank.

Now consider that just two months ago that same fill cost me $130+, more than double what it cost me today. And at the highest recent price point for gas that was above $150 a tank. Does anyone here think we are going to stay @ the $1.60 a gal I paid today forever???? I know I don't...............

That is how I look at the costs of driving these things with a fuel sipping engine compared to my boat anchor 350 gasser.....Pay a little more up front to save a lot over the life of driving & owning it. And the higher fuel goes the faster more will be saved paying for extra up front cost of buying one of these things........

rotarykid said:

I have an early 90s 1/2 ton chevy truck, 350 cui 4 spd auto......

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In my 96 vortec w/4l60e, after breaking rear axles twice, and smoking clutches 4 times, with a cooler comparable with the size of the radiator , I found a 91 3500 srw tbi, no transmission from Alabama for $700. FF rear, limited slip, heavier brakes, etc etc.

Stuffed a nv4500 in it, no more transmission headaches, even foot to the floor in OD tugging 30k#, for a half a tank of fuel at a time..... Worked so good I hung a pto and pump on it so I have a "wet kit" for my winches/crane/grapples and such on my trailers. Those $600 battery electric winches are a ****ing joke.

Empty I can bust low 20s easily. Never could achieve that on that 1/2 ton joke.

What little miserable heavy towing I do, I'll play with small Block gasser before investing in a diesel. Until then, peewee diesel in a car just to move me around.

TBI mill breaking 20mpg? Towing 30k in OD? Something doesn't quite sound right. I'm sure it is a good tow rig and all, but something doesn't sound right. But if true.. Then I'm jealous! My truck is making all of 16 mpg in our cold weather.

Well, I never did say I tow 30k# up hills in OD, nor did I say I get 20mpg while towing... but it'll walk across flat ground no problem. Straight stick gearbox I'm not afraid to do anything in OD.

But I have a different cam, and milled the heads a bit for better squeeze.

And yes, the milage is considerably better. Driving to work daily, after switching trucks, same route, wallet showed it. Then switched to a car to move me to work and back, using truck for heavy jobs only, wallet showed it even more.

supton said:

While it would be nice, is it worth it? I got my truck for weekend duty. Not daily duty. For fun, I priced out a base stripper (Tradesman) Ram Quad 4x4 with the 3.0, and it was $38,685. A base stripper (SR) Tundra 4.6 double cab 4x4 is $32,285. Rumor has it that Ram will negotiate while Toyota won't; but ignoring it's still a $6k difference.

D2 is $2.85, and 26mpg that is 10.96c/mile. RUG is $2.05, and 19mpg is 10.79c/mile. Yes, I know, I know: cheap gas won't last forever. And that Ram will do better while towing. I'd rather have that Ram. Torque is torque. But at less than 5,000miles/year towing... Same fuel cost/mile and higher purchase price?

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Well my Dodge Ecodiesel was about $46,000 plus list, selling price was $36,000 (not exact $ amounts) my friend has a loaded Toy V8 4x4 with double cab and same basic equipment although he doesn't have locking rear axel and my rear axle ratio is 3:52/1 and his he said is 3:75/1, mine has trailer tow package with 9200# rating, his he said his was rated only 4200 IIRC.

His will outrun mine from standing start, but mine's faster on top end. I can tow 3000 pounds at 75 mph thru Ozark Hills and do 24 mpg for the trip and empty at 75 mph in flat country he does 12mpg towing small trailer with ATV and two 5 gallon gas jugs. IIRC his truck listed $45,000 plus and has alloy wheels, mine are steel.

However my truck as more front leg room and about same in rear seat, with mine having lot more internal out of passenger was storage, my rear window is power and his either isn't power or doesn't open and I don't remember which. He has rear back up camera and I have camera and front and rear park sense.

I was told I could get diesel 2dr basic model with PS, PB, A/C and tow package for $25,500 If I was interested. I wasn't.

D2 here running $2.24 to $2.44 and seems to be still dropping although RUG has seemed to settle out at $1.86 now. My tractor is a 3cyl diesel that is non turbo 80 CID 5.6 HP at 2500rpm miracle.