Confirmed: 5.0L Diesel V8 For Next-Gen Nissan Titan

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

Nissan’s next-generation Titan has now been confirmed for a 5.0L twin-turbocharged diesel V8. Exact power figures have yet to be released but the Indiana-built powertrain should put out over 300 horsepower and over 500 lb-ft of torque. While the Ram 1500 is the first half-ton pickup to offer a diesel engine, it comes in the form of a 3.0L V6.

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  • Rmwill Rmwill on Aug 21, 2013

    I see this as low risk for Nissan, as the platform mate NV van needs this diesel to play in the commercial space. I predict Nissan will sell a few of these pickups to fleet buyers, but will see few retail takers. Sadly, modern diesels make little sense for light duty buyers, especially given cost, complexity, and volatile fuel prices. If you NEED a diesel, you are probably towing often, and will want a heavy duty truck anyway.

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    • Onus Onus on Aug 21, 2013

      @rmwill Why did Toyota, Ford, and General motors have diesels on the table pre financial collapse then? Most were ready to sell. This isn't an enthusiast thing. There is real demand among truck owners. I know most people here are not truck people but believe me we all love diesels. We understand the efficiency, reliability, and we even loved them when they were loud, noisy, smelly ( awesome smell if you ask me ), and slow. 90% of 3/4 and up trucks are diesel powered. In 25 years they took over dominance from gas powered pickups. Hell dodge even sells the cummins with a 6 speed stick! People buy it too.

  • Mr Imperial Mr Imperial on Aug 21, 2013

    Interesting how this all turned out- Cummins originally developed this engine with hopes of Dodge/Ram being the user of this engine for their half-ton trucks. R&D by Cummins was done back in the Daimler and Cerebus days of Chrysler. Now, Fiat made the choice to go with the in-house VM Motori diesel, a 3.0 V6, rated at 241 bhp and 406 lb-ft torque. Numbers-wise, far less than the 5.0 Cummins is boasting. Will buyers go with Ram due to it being a proven manufacturer, or will buyers consider the Nissan BECAUSE of the Cummins badge on the fender? There are so many parallels to the Dodge Ram trucks back in the 1980's. The Ram truck had basically been unchanged since 1981, and by 1988/1989, Chrysler/Dodge was so far behind Chevy/GMC and Ford in sales, Dodge considered dropping out of the truck market completely. Enter Cummins-which gave instant credibility to Dodge's heavy duty line. Many buyers bought Dodge trucks for the sole reason of the Cummins engine. Dodge ended up selling far more than forecast, and couldn't keep up with the demand. Also interesting is that Chrysler has been using VM Motori diesels as far back as 1992, in the Voyager/Grand Caravan/Town and County minivans, albeit not in the U.S.

  • Numbers_Matching Numbers_Matching on Aug 21, 2013

    5.0L? Might be a bit too big for 1/2 ton duty. So I guess Nissan is creating a 'heavy' class for the light duty market..? Diesels need to be sufficiently loaded to generate good efficiency (BSFC). Cold, underloaded diesels can be troublesome - even with modern high pressure injection and control systems. Should be interesting to see how this plays out in the market.

  • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Aug 21, 2013

    I do agree that Nissan can gain much credibility for the Titan with a red C on the fender. It worked for Dodge. Fred Diaz knows where Ram is going and now being on Nissan's payroll can use that inside knowledge to carve out a comfortable niche for the Titan at Ram's expense. I doubt that he left Ram happy and he will use Titan to kick Marcionne in the ass. Nissan needs to come out with a stellar truck just to stay in the hunt with the traditional brands like Ford, GMC, and Dodge. I read that 70% of truck buyers are loyal and will not change brands. That leaves 30% of the market open and Toyota is sending the message with the 2014 Tundra that they aren't interested in competing. The "buy American" types might be swayed by that Cummins engine.

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