Prototype Drive
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Torque to me, child.
When Nissan dropped the Frontier Diesel Runner Idea with a 2.8-liter Cummins diesel 4-cylinder beneath its transparent hood at the 2014 Chicago auto show, it was like a bomb had exploded at McCormick Location. A diesel engine in a compact pickup! (Or one thing like that, offered the Windy City show’s sleepy reputation.) Exactly where have you been all of our lives? In addition to each other country, of course.
Indeed, as with driver-side sliding doors on minivans and express-open windows, a diesel-powered compact seemed (and nevertheless seems) like a why-haven’t-we-had-this-all-along sort of idea. After all, with prodigious torque and considerable fuel economy benefits over big-displacement gasoline-powered engines, diesels are all-natural fits for larger pickups, so why not little trucks?
So we have been very first in line to sample a modestly equipped, Cummins-powered Frontier Crew Cab prototype that Nissan supplied for evaluation. And although the powertrain itself was rough and in need to have of a heavy dose of refinement, what we skilled produced us that a lot more convinced that the diesel compact truck has a future here.
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The diesel engine itself is a new, 2.8-liter mill that produces around 200 horsepower and a hearty 350 lb-ft of torque, according to Nissan. Getting careful not to overstate its claims about the diesel’s capability, Nissan instead is emphasizing the mill’s fuel efficiency, which it says ought to improve by about 35 % compared with the gas-powered V-6 in the 2014 Frontier. It will do so while also roughly matching the 6-holer’s towing and payload capacities (which can attain up to 6500 and 1480 pounds, respectively). So you don’t have to look it up, the Frontier Crew Cab V-6 achieves an EPA estimated 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway, so we figure that a diesel-powered version would jump into the 22-mpg city/30-mpg highway neighborhood. But examine the energy figures to the 261 horsepower and 281 lb-ft created by the V-6 and the 152 horses and 171 lb-ft of the inline-4 in the current Frontier, and 1 can see how anybody who regularly tows a trailer or fills the bed may be attracted to such a machine.
How’s it drive? Well, with out balance shafts, optimized engine mounts, and other refinements, the Cummins engine’s present state implies it is not close to ready for production, even mated as it is to ZF’s versatile 8HP70 8-speed automatic transmission. The engine vibrates significantly, and is none too discreet with its industrial-sounding, spoon-in-a-blender diesel clatter. And there is “intentional” turbo lag, according to Cummins advertising communications manager Steve Sanders, who rode along with us for the test drive. “You’ll see why.”
Alas, we did, upon our very first complete-throttle commence. The engine roared and we traveled a sluggish initial 30 to 40 feet, then the rear wheels started to spin wildly, prompting us to back off the throttle to regain our grip. Of course, we repeated this procedure at every subsequent opportunity—delayed-reaction burnouts are enjoyable, don’t ya know. Yet, the diesel is eminently drivable when operated with some judiciousness. It is hardly fast off the line, but the copious reserves of grunt are genuinely satisfying. We would have loved to load up the bed with a half-ton of stuff and see how it performed, but that will have to wait for an additional time.
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So it performs. We had no doubts that it would. Moving forward, we will be interested to see how refined this powertrain becomes as it nudges toward some thing salable. Truck diesels don’t require to be as whisper-quiet and smooth as these found in modern day luxury sedans, but the shaking and valvetrain noise will nonetheless have to be tamed, and the turbo lag will need to be smoothed out before anyone would select it more than a gas V-6. Anything is attainable, stated Sanders, but to what extent that will occur “depends on how a lot Nissan desires to commit.” ZF, at least, is a prepared partner, despite the fact that the 8-speed’s electronic shifter design will probably adjust from the prototype’s current T-shaped deal with lifted from the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
So, what are its chances for production? Quite very good, at least for the next-generation Frontier, which is nonetheless 2 or 3 years away. By then, the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickups will be on the streets with their own 2.8-liter 4-cylinder diesel. This Frontier would give Nissan a compression-ignition answer to these trucks, one brandishing the Cummins name, no less. Hey, it worked wonders for Dodge and Ram trucks.
It’s also early to nail down a cost for the Cummins-powered Frontier, but expect to spend a decent premium over a comparably equipped gas V-6 version. Based on the $ 25K at present charged for a Frontier S 2WD quick-wheelbase Crew Cab V-6 automatic, the Cummins diesel version would most likely push $ 30,000.
Definitely, if enthusiasm amongst the Nissan and Cummins men and women dictated the decision, a production Frontier diesel would be here tomorrow. “I hope Nissan goes for it,” mentioned Sanders. “At this point, it would practically be cruel if it didn’t.” We agree.
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