Does Nissan have a new contender?

[Camper_bob]

What do you guys think?

Payload is not mentioned in this press release, but it does say it may come equipped with some provisions for gooseneck towing capability...

http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/u...onal-auto-show

[Jagiven]

Interesting??? Looks a bit like the old F150 body thou. I have always thought there should be more diesel options in the 1/2 ton market.

[Ustabslim]

Made in Tennessee.

[fielro]

Interesting combo with the cummings diesel engine

[smurfs_of_war]

I think it will be interesting once I see one or two in the wild. My biggest question- did they equip the truck with a frame that is stout enough to handle all that torque? The simple fact of the matter is- the number of people towing that actually understand and adhere to ratings such as payload and GCVWR is alarmingly low which is evident on any given weekend outing. Commonly they look at the tow rating or the fact that it has a cummins, hook up and go with the mindset they can move mountains. With a 12000lbs tow rating- that will be dangerous. So, I guess we'll see. I hope it's a real contender- but to be honest, I was chomping at the bit to get to lay hands on a '15 F150 only to be terribly disappointed in the real world values after all the hype- then mortified at the sticker price- an XLT trim with standard tow package, 3.31 rear diff, #7050 GVWR for just shy of $53,000 CDN?? Are they INSANE? Guess I will be sticking with my little overweight Ram 1500.

[carey965]

Ugly and will probably be in the same price range as a 2500 dodge with a real cummins

But hey if they manage to price it right instead of relying on the cummins name they may have something

[kvangil]

Latest article on Edmunds says payload capacity will be in the 2000 lbs range, so seems quite capable. It's "redesign" looks very cookie-cutter though, almost a bit of Tundra and F150 in it... I've been a Nissan owner for many years, and would consider this if I didn't need 6 seats...

[ykcamom]

This is very interesting. Can't wait for them to release pricing. Seems a really good option to pull a mid size 5th wheel or longer trailer for those that don't want a one ton. Pricing will be key I think. If it's pushing into one ton pricing, it's probably not worth it.

Specs are here:
http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/u...n-xd-press-kit

[KiltDog]

Good video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzVdtuOLTQU

I think it's a smart gamble for Nissan. The bottom line is going to be dollars. If the big three are selling diesel HD's for $60-65K and nissan provide a lighter duty truck for at $10-15K less, I think there are enough weekend warriors out there that it could gain some traction. I'll be following this one.

[goducks]

What's not to like? Better mpg than 2500/3500 HD trucks. But a stronger chassis than 1/2 tons. The 12,000lb tow rating seems realistic as opposed to 12,000lbs for a 1/2 ton. JMO but if the payload was closer to 2500lbs in normal trim then that would be about perfect. I'd like to see the GCVWR, RAWR, FAWR and GVW's. I hope there's some margin between the GVW and RAWR, like in the 2500/3500 trucks.

[Nighthawk 96]

I'll wait to see what Toyota comes out with.

[sugarray]

I don't think you'll get 2500 GVWR in a 1500. The engine doesn't make a truck have more payload. Which is the problem, in my short experience is this is what all the 1/2 ton folks want, but want to keep the MPG advantages of the newer 1/2 tons.

[NewBlackDak]

Cummins, aisin, 14-bolt rear axle, and a frame stronger than the already strong current Titan Frame. It should make a very decent tow vehicle.

Too bad, because it's absolutely the ugliest truck I have ever seen.

[RUSSELL5000]

I am biased; I am a Cummins guy.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; I think it is a good looking truck.

I want to see it, but things sound good: Cummins, Aisin, American Axle, 14-inch disc rotors, exhaust brake,.....

[smurfs_of_war]

Visual appeal/ atrocities aside, it will all boil down to programming and emissions. Those two items have- over the past 5 or 6 years- been the downfall of otherwise good diesels. You can have the best components on the planet, but if the team that tunes it is a pack of potatoes- there's nothing that will save it.

[BigJohnD]

Not too bad. Man they copied a lot of Ford from top to bottom to inside. Very close anyway. Never saw if they offered a long bed. We won't own one without a long bed. Would love to know the price. I'd be willing to bet it'll be well north of $50k, which wouldn't be worth it considering what I got my 1 ton for.

[dougfir1]

My son has a 2005 Titan and had major problems with the Dana rear end. We checked the internet and this problem was all over the 'net. It took $2800 to repair and do a revamp so it wouldn't happen again. That has poisoned the well for us on what used to be a great vehicle line.

[gtsum2]

With the ecodiesel working well for Ram, this is a good move by Nissan imo. That being said, their interiors were stale and dated last I was in one...hopefully they remember to redo the entire thing before releasing

[Rolling Thunder]

Originally Posted by dougfir1

My son has a 2005 Titan and had major problems with the Dana rear end. We checked the internet and this problem was all over the 'net. It took $2800 to repair and do a revamp so it wouldn't happen again. That has poisoned the well for us on what used to be a great vehicle line.

Nissan ungraded the rear axle in 2008 and those issues are gone.

[NewBlackDak]

Originally Posted by Rolling Thunder

Nissan ungraded the rear axle in 2008 and those issues are gone.

This one is supposed to use a real 14-bolt(not sure 10.5 or 11.5 yet), instead of that neutered and undersized Dana44.