Small Diesel Trucks

A

akivory

Joined
Feb 5, 2001
Messages
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The conversation about the new diesels got me thinkig about the lack of small diesel pickups in the US. My latest diesel pickup is not very new. It is a 1986 Ford Ranger with a Mitsubishi turbo diesel. I am impressed.I bought it very cheap at a estate auction. It gets 35 MPG on the highway.. I have a small collection of Japanese diesels trucks.
For the last year I have been driving a 82 Mazda with a 2.2 lt Perkins.. It is the same as the earlier Rangers. It is also a very good truck. I am now working on a 86 4x4 Toyota turbo diesel truck. The parts truck I bought for this project has over one million miles on it.
I would consider buying a new small diesel truck if it were available but my collection will probably last me the rest of my life.
 
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You've seen the Top Gear episode where they give the destruction-test treatment to a HiLux? Classic television.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnWKz7Cthkk

I'm impressed with certain aspects of the Toyota HiLux. Towing, fuel economy, durability. Especially when compared to the petrol HiLux utes; those miniature gasoline engines are totally gutless.
Not so impressed with other aspects of the HiLux: Cab space, cargo space, comfort, features, diesel noise and smell.

In the end, even if the HiLux was available in the US, I'd still stick to my V10 gasoline SuperDuty.

I had a friend who had spent time in Europe and was crazy about diesel cars, and he'd grab one whenever the opportunity came up. His primary car was a diesel Lincoln Mark VII, and there was also a diesel Ford Escort around the place. From what I recall, I think that Lincoln got 40 or 45mpg, which is 50% higher than the similar 5.0 Cougar that I owned back then.
 
Diesel engines in just about anything in the US has always been a hard sell.I do think that has changed somewhat in the past 5-10 years. Diesel engines in most small trucks in the US would usually outlive the body and frame by quite a few years. I have a 1978 Dodge Powerwagon that I was considering putting a diesel in but I'm serously reconsidering just converting it to nat gas.
 
I find these trucks have plenty of power .I can load 3/4 cord of wood on my Mazda and keep up with traffic. Finding parts can be a problem. I have been collecting parts trucks for this purpose. I find I can get most any thing I need in Australia.
 
I think diesels got a bad reputation here from the start. I've been around diesels most of my life and have always preferred them until recently when nat gas seems to make more sense.
 
Oh how I would love to own a Toyota Hilux diesel. It's a damn shame that they are not available for sale here in the States though.

Those trucks are seriously indestructible.
 
For many of the above stated reasons, they are not avail in the US of A. Great fuel mileage, great reliability, great value & the fuel does NOT have to be refined as much-like gasoline does. Big oil is in bed with big govt & the big 3. No logical reason why diesel costs more. No logical reason that Germany has a Ford Fiesta that gets 73 mpg, is avail in 50 countries, yet not here. Imagine how much LESS fuel we would use as a nation, if the same vehicles were avail here. Same with electric vehicles as diesel. The USA makes you pay up front for any savings you may see down the road, which totally offsets the whole point. They set the prices high on purpose (or force you to LEASE ONLY-like GM's EV1) so sales are slow, then they can tell the govt: see, we did what you wanted but did not sell enough to make it cost effective. Then everything shuts down. This whole going green/save the planet thing is just a farce. People really want to but can't afford to. Too many road blocks.
 
Metal Made Fox said:
Oh how I would love to own a Toyota Hilux diesel. It's a damn shame that they are not available for sale here in the States though.
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There's probably multiple reasons for that, but I've always wondered.
Emissions tests? Since they're lightweight and small, the testing is more strict than a big work truck.
Safety features required in the US that aren't on the HiLux? Beats me, but possible.
I've read, but don't know, that the HiLux is a low-profit vehicle for Toyota. Explains why they're so popular in places with lower income levels. Availability here would take sales away from their more expensive and more profitable trucks.
Design- style- and engineering-wise, the HiLux and Tacoma models are becoming more alike each year anyway, minus the diesel engine of course.

I personally wouldn't buy a diesel anyway, nor would I trade my SuperDuty for a mini-truck. But when traveling overseas the HiLux trucks are my preference for rentals. :thumbup:
 
No logical reason that Germany has a Ford Fiesta that gets 73 mpg, is avail in 50 countries, yet not here.
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Yes, but Germans who drive diesels get slammed with heavy taxes on account of the pollution from diesel engines. Quite a tug-of-war in the European countries - using less fuel vs. using cleaner fuel. Tax hikes for diesel to fight pollution, tax hikes for petrol cars to encourage people to buy diesels...

Here's an excellent article from Popular Mechanics about diesel vs gasoline.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/alternative-fuel/diesel/4330313
In short, people who buy little cars like the Ford Fiesta are cheap-skates who aren't going to pay a bunch extra for diesel engines. :D

Here's a health-related article:
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/10/22/diesel-vs-gas-contributing-to-smog/
Summary: The health and pollution costs of diesel outweigh the fuel economy advantages and it's counter-productive for governments to unfairly subsidize diesel fuel.

Are gasoline-fueled cars or large diesel trucks the bigger source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), a major component of smog? UC Berkeley researchers have stepped into this debate with a new study that says diesel exhaust contributes 15 times more than gas emissions per liter of fuel burned.
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Another health article:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jan/27/diesel-engine-fumes-worse-petrol
Major cities in India and elsewhere have become increasingly aware of the health costs of diesel exhausts and are considering imposing higher taxes on diesel cars or even banning them from city centres.
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The health hazards of diesel are well-known in the mining industry as well, an upcoming crack-down on diesel-powered vehicles is expected from MSHA and OSHA in the US.
Australia mining article: http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/news/diesel-fumes-cause-cancer
USA info: https://www.osha.gov/dts/hazardalerts/diesel_exhaust_hazard_alert.html
 
The VW TDI in my Passat is a great engine. It has all the power I would need in a small pickup like an S-10/Ranger or similar.

I don't buy into the conspiracy theories. I do believe GM screwed the US marketplace with their 350 diesels. No power and constant mechanical failures. Then their early 6.2L engines came out with different major mechanical failures. At that point, the US market was basically dead regarding diesel passenger vehicles.

The new VW/Audi 3.0L V-6 diesel would be a good match for a 1/2 ton pickup or SUV. Dodge, are you listening .... ?
 
I have no use for a diesel, but have never driven one. I was very impressed though at the local track, watching the diesel pulls. Duramax came out on top as the winner, and the top three were all Duramax. Several Fords actually broke their suspensions, and only two Dodges made it into the top 5. These were not street legal machines, just for the track. The power though was awe inspiring.

A classmate did tell me that he drove his VW p/u to a Maryland resort town, about three hours away, drove around the town for a couple weeks, and came back, on one tank of fuel, with fuel remaining. No idea if that was true, but I still see him puttering around in that truck from time to time.
 
The deisels your watching in a puller is a whole lot different than the ones that you see on the street but that is what a diesel truck is designed for torque and pulling power, they do get better fuel mileage in a compairable class especially when pulling a load.
 
I did not like diesels until I owned one. I bought a Toyota diesel from the original owner and was hooked. I found they work well in our very hard winers and will burn most any thing. I have been using Jet A in my Mazda. Vege fuel is too much trouble but if you have time you can get used cooking oil for free.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
A classmate did tell me that he drove his VW p/u to a Maryland resort town, about three hours away, drove around the town for a couple weeks, and came back, on one tank of fuel, with fuel remaining. No idea if that was true, but I still see him puttering around in that truck from time to time.
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I'm getting over 800 miles on a single tank with normal urban driving. Steady state or "easy" driving in town will easily get me to nearly 1K.
 
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