Nissan Motors announced recently that the next generation of their slow-selling Titan half ton pickup will feature a new Cummins V8 diesel engine. This news angered some Mopar faithful who were shocked to hear that the folks from Cummins would sully their good name by climbing into bed with the likes of the Titan. It also rubbed some Ram lovers the wrong way that Nissan stole Ram’s money-grubbing whore of a CEO Fred Diaz and then just happened to start working with Cummins – a connection undoubtedly made when Diaz was running the Ram brand. However, while it is understandable why Mopar faithful would be annoyed with Nissan as they attempt to save their terrible truck program, we have to wonder if it will really make any difference and that brings us to our question of the week.
Will the new Cummins V8 diesel really help the Nissan Titan pose any threat to the oil burning Ram trucks?
Information on the Nissan Titan Cummins V8 is slim at this point but it is expected that this new mill will pack somewhere in the area of 300 horsepower and 500lb-ft of torque. This will make the Nissan diesel V8 trucks more powerful than the new Ram 1500 EcoDiesel V6 but it will still fall well shy of the Cummins I6 used in the Ram 2500 and 3500 lineup while also posing only a minor advantage in torque over the Ram gasoline V8 engines. It should also be noted that while the Ram EcoDiesel is smaller and less powerful than the Nissan 5.0L Cummins – Chrysler introduced that diesel as an efficiency engine and not a “big power” engine.
There is also the simple fact that even though Nissan will offer half ton Cummins quality – that power may not be sufficient to lead consumers away from the basic flaws with the Titan itself.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
