4th Generation Tundra Redesign

No one knows yet. All speculation.

 

Well let us both look into this for a bit, and maybe you might buy a Tundra or buy something else. (not sure if you own one already)

First and foremost, what is the reasoning you want a diesel powered Tundra? Most want better fuel economy, towing power, etc.

So what do we have for options? Ram makes a CRD 1500. They get killer fuel economy when not at the dealership. Get on some of those diesel 1500 boards. That is usually a good time and amusement. Tow ratings are not all that impressive, and the capacity is pretty sickening. Well that is about it. Looks like Ford is coming out with a F-150 diesel, but not yet. GM only has 1/4 ton trucks with diesels.

So we can look at the Nissan Titan XD with the Cummins 5.0 V8 diesel. Numbers might sound good at 310 HP and 555 pound feet of torque with the current setup in the Tundra being 381/401. So you would think this Titan would kill the Tundra, and it might. I haven't seen any tow tests with the same weight except for the Titan XD diesel vs Gas tow test....which the gas motor out towed the diesel (pretty sad). So what is the issue with the Titan? Well, the Tundra is around 5600-5800 lbs where the Titan is 7400 lbs. That damn truck is heavy with low HP/TQ numbers. Now if the XD came with around 400 HP and 650-720 TQ, they would have a killer truck with some good ratings. Unfortunately they do not. These XD's totally missed the bar without adding exhaust/grade braking. So going down passes would suck more than its gas counterpart. Now for all this, you get to pay a premium price for lacking performance...

Just to show how pathetic this is, you might see I own a GMC 3500 Diesel, and no longer own a Tundra, but recommend them often to people that want an awesome "do all" truck in the half ton segment. My truck is at 6800 lbs, 397 hp/765 TQ, the Allison 1000 that needs no introduction and performs better than anything I have ever towed with, and a great exhaust brake. So this truck is lighter, has better capacity by far, more power/TQ, great grade braking, one of the most comfy interiors I have been in, for about 2000.00 more than this 1/2 ton Titan XD truck, and I am comparing the price to my 1 ton. A 3/4 ton can be had for a bit less and cheaper than the Titan XD.

So you have to ask yourself, why wouldn't I just buy a 3/4-1 ton truck and skip this BS? So that covers the Towing part.

Fuel mileage. So I have to be honest, I haven't really even broke mine in yet (4600 miles) and only had one tank that no work was done, but 4x4 was used for 15 miles or so (the locker rarely makes me need 4x4 in snow), and for 175 miles was in a National Park in the mountains at low speeds. That tank empty was 17.5 mpg. Not great, but if it was a constant highway driving I'm sure we would have broke into the 20's. While towing, I have been down to 11 mpg and a best of 14 mpg. Not awesome, but better than my Tundra...but not by much. Remember that.....

In closing, if you want a diesel, go out and get one. They are on the market today, just do your research and actually need it. A diesel is awesome, but it does come with some good downsides as well. However, you want a damn good truck, mod friendly (full exhaust has been getting 40+hp and 85 tq, the Supercharger is an option as well), that you can use every day, the Tundra is for you.