According to Diesel IQ, “the 5.0 Cummins was withdrawn after the 2019 model year due to the high expense of fitting the Cummins to the Titan, paired with various engine problems and the low hauling benefit over gas trucks.”
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Nissan is retiring the Cummins diesel Titan XD truck for the following reasons.
The demise of the single cab type is not entirely unexpected given that the majority of pickup truck buyers appear to perceive their vehicles as crossovers with beds in the back. An oil-burner from a company like Cummins was expected to be a coup for Nissan, giving it a chance to gain traction in a market that overwhelmingly favors vehicles made by American manufacturers. However, the decision to scrap the diesel powertrain is telling.
Nevertheless, the pickup market is so large that, provided the product in question satisfies some unmet demand, even little niches have the potential to be lucrative. As we’ve discussed in prior truck evaluations, the problem with the Titan XD diesel is that it didn’t really succeed at achieving that.
As we noted earlier this year, the XD diesel trades off much of the refined ride and opulent accoutrements we’ve grown accustomed to on modern trucks in exchange for “nearly, but not quite, the capability of an HD truck in a somewhat, but not too much, smaller compact.”
The Titan XD basically falls between full-size and heavy-duty vehicles. While the diesel V8 gives the truck a lot of power, it also adds significantly to the price and the curb weight of 7,323 pounds. With the exception of the Cummins name, the Titan XD diesel didn’t have much to offer the typical buyer given the tremendous capability of today’s full-size gasoline-powered trucks. Evidently, that wasn’t enough.
However, it is a measure to how competitive the pickup industry is that Nissan is reevaluating its Titan lineup in the face of a market that still, at least for the time being, can’t get enough trucks.
Gordon Kozak
For as long as he can remember, Graham Kozak has been enamored with automobiles (probably before that, too).
Nissan will discontinue the Cummins diesel engine in the Titan XD in 2020.
- The Drive claims that Nissan will reduce the lineup of Titan pickup trucks for 2020.
- The Titan XD with the Cummins diesel’s final production run will take place in December 2019, a Nissan representative has confirmed to C/D.
- Both the Titan and Titan XD regular-cab variants will also be discontinued.
In December 2019, Nissan will stop producing the Titan XD with the 5.0-liter Cummins diesel V-8. According to Nissan spokesperson Wendy Orthman, the Titan and Titan XD regular-cab models will also be discontinued as part of the 2020 update, which will be unveiled later this year. This is allegedly an effort by Nissan to “concentrate on the heart of the truck market.”
In an apparent attempt to close the gap between half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickup trucks, the XD diesel model was created. However, the diesel XD became an answer to a question that we assume few pickup-truck customers were asking due to its poor performance figures, tow ratings comparable to half-ton trucks, and significant price premium over the gas engine (the XD with its 5.6-liter V-8 will continue for 2020). Nissan does not release sales data for the diesel motor explicitly, but the company sold 52,924 Titans in 2017, 50,459 in 2018, and 20,268 until July 2019.
During our lengthy evaluation, we had a bad encounter with a Titan XD powered by a Cummins engine. Within 40,000 miles, our long-term 2016 Titan XD left us stranded twice. We did not enjoy the diesel clatter, hunger for diesel exhaust fluid, or the powertrain’s general lack of smoothness while it was running. However, Nissan claims that the decision to discontinue the diesel was not influenced by reliability difficulties.
To maintain the Titan’s competitiveness in the truck battles, Nissan still has its work cut out for it. The Silverado and Sierra from GM are new for this year, the F-150 from Ford is still going strong, and our favorite, the Ram 1500, is the sweetie to beat. Even Toyota is releasing a new Tundra soon. Later this year, we will learn more about what the Titan’s 2020 update will entail.
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In memoriam a Cummins
After four years of manufacture, the Nissan Titan XD Cummins is no longer available. Beginning in 2020, Nissan’s full-size truck won’t be able to be powered by the Cummins turbodiesel 5.0-liter V-8. It’s an attempt to stop the brand from bleeding. Nissan recorded a 44.6 percent decline in operating profit from 2017 to 2018, while sales of the Titan were down over 25 percent for the first six months of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. These sales totaled just over 18,000 vehicles. Ford sold approximately 450,000 F-Series vehicles during the same time period.
From the sincere, no-frills D21 Hardbody of the 1980s and 1990s to the current Frontier, a truck that found 39,322 homes in the first half of 2019 while being mostly unchanged since its 2005 debut, Nissan’s trucks have always leaned in the opposite direction. However, the pickup market has shifted in favor of expensive, high-margin trims. The decision has left purchasers without anywhere to invest their money if they want a straightforward, affordable work vehicle. The XD Cummins made an effort to close the distance. Its failure to capitalize more on what made Nissan trucks popular in the past may have been its biggest error.
We are used to seeing models and trims come and go, but the loss of the XD Cummins feels different since it was a terrific truck that was plagued by a market that was developing quickly. It appears to be another development in the pickup’s transformation from a reliable workhorse to a typical commuter. What a shame.
The Five Most Regular 5.0 Cummins Engine Issues
The Nissan Titan XD diesel truck introduced the 5.0 Cummins engine in 2015. The Titan XD, with 310 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque, was created to bridge the gap between heavy-duty quarter- and full-ton diesel pickups and half-ton gas trucks. The towing capability of the Titan XD with the 5.0 is 12,830 pounds.
The 5.0 Cummins was discontinued after the 2019 model year due to high installation costs, numerous engine problems, and a limited advantage over gas trucks for towing. In addition to the engine’s depressing mechanical issues, Titan sales in general were extremely poor, especially when compared to its Ford, GM, and Dodge rivals. Sales of XD were extremely low, providing insufficient advantages over gasser vehicles, which led to its termination.
The 5.0 Cummins is a 90-degree V8, in contrast to the 5.9L and 6.7L traditional inline-6 Cummins. The 5.0 ISV has certain features in common with the Dodge truck engines, such as aluminum alloy cylinder heads and a compacted graphite iron block, despite having a separate design.
Nissan retires the Titan XD diesel pickup.
According to a letter delivered last week to U.S. dealers, Nissan will stop producing the Titan XD truck with a diesel engine after the 2019 model year and replace it with a gasoline-powered version. The 5.0L, V-8 XD was released in late 2015 for the 2016-MY, and the change was first reported by The Drive.
Nissan has announced the change, stating that work is being done in anticipation of the debut of the new, updated Titan and Titan XD Gas models later this year.
Nissan North America’s Billy Hayes, division vice president of sales, claimed in a letter to dealers that the elimination would enable the manufacturer to concentrate its efforts on a “stronger, more focused” Titan portfolio.
In order to concentrate our efforts on models that have the best chance of luring retail customers looking for a full-size truck, Hayes stated, “We are streamlining the Titan lineup.”
The 310-horsepower Cummins V-8 XD engine offers 310 hp, 555 lb.-ft. of torque, and a maximum towing capacity of 12,830 pounds. It is covered by a five-year, 100,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.
The truck was unable to convince enough people to switch from segment leaders Ford, Chevrolet/GMC, and Ram to Nissan. According to Automotive News, Ford sold 448,398 full-size trucks during the same time period while Nissan sold 18,026 units, or 1.5% of the market.
A “dramatically renovated” Titan will premiere at the Texas State Fair in September, according to Hayes’ letter to dealers.
Is the Nissan Titan XD going out of production?
Nissan Titan XD is still being manufactured. But in 2019, the diesel option was dropped. Think twice before purchasing a used Nissan Titan XD with a renowned Cummins diesel engine. The fact that diesel engines are no longer offered with newer models was such a letdown.
The price of a new 2019 Nissan Titan XD ranges from roughly $32,000 to the same amount for used versions, depending on where you live. However, the 2019 Nissan Titan XD Diesel costs an additional $42,000.
To get ready for 2020, when the Nissan Titan underwent a considerable update, production of the 2019 Nissan Titan XD with the Cummins diesel was halted. In response to incredibly low sales, the Nissan Titan XD Diesel was also dropped.
Will the Nissan Titan have a diesel engine in 2023?
Pickup Truck News reports that the 2023 Nissan Titan will receive a midcycle update. A brand-new diesel engine and other improvements could be added to the Titan XD. From 2016 until 2019, a Cummins diesel engine was employed.
However, a critical fault in the engine led to its discontinuation. It could be simple to mix up where the DEF filler neck and the diesel exhaust filler tubes are located. Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) contamination affects the entire diesel system.
This error was proven to be the fault of multiple owners. The gasoline systems consequently suffered long-lasting damage that was not covered by the guarantee. Additionally, it was established that the diesel engine was to blame for cabin exhaust leaks.
Nissan stopped utilizing Cummins when?
The Nissan Titan offered the two types of engines that the majority of truck purchasers were seeking for, the 5.6-liter V8 and the Cummins 5.0-liter diesel, both of which were initially released in 2015. The diesel was later discontinued in 2019. It appeared strange at the time because the diesel engine performed better than any Nissan engine in terms of performance and torque. Additionally, it was one of the market’s cleaner diesel engines.
Which Nissan truck is powered by a Cummins engine?
For aficionados of Nissan trucks, there is some good news: Nissan is getting ready to release an updated Titan XD despite the discontinuation of the diesel option. However, the manufacturer is not yet ready to provide specific information about what the changes might include. The vehicle now only has a 5.6-liter V8 gasoline engine with 390 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque.
The soon-to-be-gone Nissan-specific Cummins 5.0-liter V8 turbodiesel engine generates 310 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque. The gasoline engine can tow 1,010 pounds less than the diesel engine, according to the manufacturer, when configured as a crew cab.
We don’t know if Nissan considers the diesel engine to be a market success. Nissan declined to provide any estimates of the volume of Titan XD diesel pickups it has sold over the years since the company does not provide sales data for specific engines or build options. The best indication of how customers felt about the engine option is perhaps the fact that the Cummins is departing the market after such a brief time.
Nissan’s most recent sales report reveals that as of July of this year, the corporation has only sold 20,268 Titan cars overall. Comparatively, the brand sold 27,271 Titan units at this time last year, a decrease of 25.7% year to date.