L'il engine, big truck?

Mark W. Ingalls

Mark W. Ingalls

Contributors
Joined
Jun 19, 2007
Messages
1,248
Location
Houston, TX
This may be a self-killing thread, but I am wondering if anybody else would like to have a heavy-duty truck (springs,chassis, brakes, ...) but without the big engine?

You know, "drive slow, it's the journey," with no plan B....

I'm thinking of a truck that goes 65 mph tops, but hauls a load and goes anywhere with 6 passengers...
 
I rarely drive faster than 70 MPH

Provided the big truck with the little engine got really good fuel mileage I might be interested.

On the other hand, it's nice to have enough power to merge onto a highway from a standing stop, and/or to maintain highway speed going up a 7% grade. :)
 
On the other hand, it's nice to have enough power to merge onto a highway from a standing stop, and/or to maintain highway speed going up a 7% grade. :)

I agree on this. It'd be nice to have a smaller turbo diesel that still had the goods for our type of hauling but you weren't toting around the extra mass which makes it able to tow a house up a hill...
 
Interesting discussion!

And the timing is good (IMO) considering the recent news that Gov't is re-upping the MPG requirements by 2016. I'm no gearhead/etc...so I'd love to hear a few of you who consider yourselves somewhat knowledgeable address the prospects/possibilities/limitations of a truck that gets 35+ mpg.

in your opinion...

What's gonna be sacrificed to get to this point...or...do you think it's totally doable and the US car industry has just screwed off for years and took the easy way out via the production of higher MPG models?
 
I don't think it is possible to get 35mpg in a truck without enormous expense such as a high capacity hybrid system. Even then, this is probably a pipe dream.

As for the trade off, a big truck and small engine makes no sense to me. The V6 versions of trucks get only marginally better gas mileage, particularly under load. So why not have the power if it only costs an extra few percent in gas?

But I wouldn't mind a stronger, but lighter truck in general. Who really needs all the noise insulation, power this and that, 50# subwoofer and power windows. Sure, they are nice, but if it made a truck 10% more efficient, I would seriously consider it. You know, less is more.

Now, if gas were really, truly getting scarce and $10/gal, then even a 10% savings would be meaningful. But that is a difference scenario I think.
 
I'd love to see a smaller turbo diesel in an F250. Ford has a 4.4 in the works, I think, that they intend to put in their F150s and Expeditions. If it makes it to the F250 that would make a sweet FWC/ATC camper platform!
 
I don't think it is possible to get 35mpg in a truck without enormous expense such as a high capacity hybrid system. Even then, this is probably a pipe dream.


Hybrids only have MPG advantages in stop and go city driving so I don't think hybrid trucks for cross-country trips like we take will ever make sense.

I'd love to see a smaller turbo diesel in an F250. Ford has a 4.4 in the works, I think, that they intend to put in their F150s and Expeditions. If it makes it to the F250 that would make a sweet FWC/ATC camper platform!

I read something about the F250 being available with this engine. Can't wait to see what its all about.
 
Ford's 4.4 for F150/Expedition

Got put on hold. It was supposed to come end of this/beginning of next year, but with unleaded pricing where it is currently they put it on hold unless unleaded skyrockets again....

http://www.trucktrend.com/features/news/2009/163_news090504_ford_diesel_f150_delayed/index.html

There are the Indian trucks that are coming from Mahindra. They're all equipped with a 4cyl diesel. They're a bit ugly, but harken back to when a "truck" was a "truck" and not too much more.

http://www.trucktrend.com/features/consumer/163_0708_mahindra_pickup/index.html
 
What's gonna be sacrificed to get to this point...or...do you think it's totally doable and the US car industry has just screwed off for years and took the easy way out via the production of higher MPG models?

The messed up thing is Toyota and the US folks already made a midsized truck with diesel engines for instance that are available in other countries but not here. The US is really behind the curve on turbo diesels...
 
The 35 mpg number is an average for all vehicles. The target mileage is 39 mpg for passenger vehicles and 30 for trucks. Again, this is an average for each category, so a manafacturer can produce a small truck that gets 35 mpg and a large one that gets 25 mpg in 2016 and meet the goal. Doesn't seem that out of reach. Especially once they start putting those little Fiat engines in Jay's favorite ride. ;)
 

Attachments

  • Jay's truck.jpg
    Jay's truck.jpg
    23.7 KB · Views: 388
There are the Indian trucks that are coming from Mahindra. They're all equipped with a 4cyl diesel. They're a bit ugly, but harken back to when a "truck" was a "truck" and not too much more.


Betting we won't be seeing them in Cal anytime soon with CARB.
 
The 35 mpg number is an average for all vehicles. The target mileage is 39 mpg for passenger vehicles and 30 for trucks. Again, this is an average for each category, so a manafacturer can produce a small truck that gets 35 mpg and a large one that gets 25 mpg in 2016 and meet the goal. Doesn't seem that out of reach. Especially once they start putting those little Fiat engines in Jay's favorite ride. ;)
True. Does ANY truck get 35? or even 30? It's going to be really hard to meet that goal if getting even 30 is like squeezing water from rock. My guess is that "trucks" will include SUVs and an awful lot of RAV4s and Ford Escapes to get the truck average mpg up. Otherwise Ford will have to sell 50 stripped down, 4cyl Rangers that only go downhill with a sail on its back to offset one 15mpg big rig.
 
I've been following these Mahindra's for some time now. I even went to their web site and signed up for a test drive. If these things are only average in build quality they will sell well. 30 MPG on a 1 ton truck, not bad. Remember VW bugs and early Toyota's, people laughed. They're not laughing now. If these Mahindra's add up to their billing I think the U.S. manufactures are going to get caught with their pants around their ankles again!

Oh buy the way . When I bought my Dodge CTD the company was owned by Mercedes Benz. Pass the Grey Poupon please.

Cheers,

Mike
 
True. Does ANY truck get 35? or even 30? It's going to be really hard to meet that goal if getting even 30 is like squeezing water from rock. My guess is that "trucks" will include SUVs and an awful lot of RAV4s and Ford Escapes to get the truck average mpg up. Otherwise Ford will have to sell 50 stripped down, 4cyl Rangers that only go downhill with a sail on its back to offset one 15mpg big rig.

I don't know about that, toyota helix is a midsize truck knocking out 28-32mpg and its not a stripped down ranger: http://www.toyota-europe.com/cars/new_cars/hilux/index.aspx

US needs to get on board with diesel in an affordable manner.
 
Oh buy the way . When I bought my Dodge CTD the company was owned by Mercedes Benz. Pass the Grey Poupon please.



:confused:What does that mean Mike? You have a German American truck with mustard made by Kraft to look French?

BTW came real close to buying a Sprinter if the price had been better.
 
I don't know about that, toyota helix is a midsize truck knocking out 28-32mpg and its not a stripped down ranger: http://www.toyota-europe.com/cars/new_cars/hilux/index.aspx

US needs to get on board with diesel in an affordable manner.

WTF!? Isn't a Hilux basically the foreign version of the Tacoma? Dimensions are the same, but looking at the specs, it has almost a 2000# payload, diesel and gets almost 30mpg in 5sp automatic. Why in the world aren't they selling that here?
 
WTF!? Isn't a Hilux basically the foreign version of the Tacoma? Dimensions are the same, but looking at the specs, it has almost a 2000# payload, diesel and gets almost 30mpg in 5sp automatic. Why in the world aren't they selling that here?

It generally looks that way to me. WHY? GOOD FREAKING QUESTION! Honestly I'd probably have looked very heavily and likely bought one if so.
 
It reminds me of the motorcycle industry. Really great utilitarian and fun bikes everywhere but here. The canned response is the American market won't buy them......that only seems true for the American car industry :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads - WTW

P
**SOLD** - 2009 All Terrain Campers Panther Model
Pkerslake
P
S
2018 Toyota Tundra **FOR SALE** / **SOLD** 2020 Four Wheel Camper Hawk, CO
Ramblinman
Ramblinman
C
Go Fast Camper RTT with century truck cap build
Coreyf2
C
O
For Sale: 2021 4WC Hawk, Loaded, Joshua Tree CA, Mesa White, Solar, Lithium
OrangeCurtain
O
Y
1993 T100 offgrid 4x4 truck and camper $32k
yotacamper
Y

New posts - WTW

Back
Top Bottom