To play devil's advocate...the Japanese have a hell of a lot of experience building REALLY heavy diesel equipment from big ass construction gear to supertanker engines (check out Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries). Pretty fair number of diesel vehicles in Japan. We could use some serious competition in the U.S. diesel truck industry. I know guys with Isuzu delivery trucks that have 400K miles on them and all they do is put in oil, fuel and a battery every several years. Why is is there isn't a single smaller diesel delivery van sold in the U.S.? Europe is bloody well crawling with them and I WANT one for my company! Diesel competition is coming and the big three better get their act together and figure things out. Oh, and I don't know about you, but for a whole lot of folks, a truck with 520 ft lbs of torque is more than adequate for the vast overwhelming majority of their use. I'll never tow 18,000 lbs and I'll bet most of the guys here on the forums don't either. Why do you think you are going to see 1/2 ton diesels from the big three (Two? One?)? Because a lot of guys just don't NEED a 1 ton monster and with fuel now costing what it does, it makes sense. If said Toyota has high build quality, reliability, better fuel economy and comes in at the mid to low $30K range, you better believe folks will buy the living sh$$$t out of it! In the end you'll get better trucks if there is some competition.  

ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

DMAX, don't forget that the Duramax plant in Ohio is 40% owned by Isuzu, and they helped develop the first-gen Duramax.

Also, I ALWAYS request an Isuzu NPR as a moving van. Those things are great! Maneuverable, good fuel economy, peppy, and tough as nails. Almost every single one I've rented has had over 300,000 miles on it, and they still run like champs.  

it may be part isuzu. i would have to see the toyota diesel throw down good hp numbers at the rear wheels. see what mods it has availible and then go from there before i would even look at one twice.  

moldbuster, Ford has fielded a medium-duty cabover called the LCF.



But it's got a V6 version of the 6.0 Power Stroke. If it's anywhere as "reliable" as its big brother, I'll pass. I'd take an Isuzu any day over one of these.  

esanchez:
moldbuster, Ford has fielded a medium-duty cabover called the LCF.



But it's got a V6 version of the 6.0 Power Stroke. If it's anywhere as "reliable" as its big brother, I'll pass. I'd take an Isuzu any day over one of these.


What I'm looking for my employees is something along the lines of the Ford Transit Connect above...which I understand IS supposed to be coming to the U.S. (hopefully Ford will be smart and put the diesel in there that IS available in Europe). You would think that with as many sales of this kind of vehicle in the rest of the world, the domestics would have brought in a bunch of a small, ultra efficient, affordable delivery vans into the states. Instead we got the big honkin 3/4 and 1 ton ChevMC and Ford vans, "Dodge" Sprinters...which are nice but are HUGE, cabovers like the Isuzu/GMC/Chevy/Ford. There is a HUGE untapped market of smaller businesses like mine that need a smaller delivery/service type vehicle that doesn't get 15 MPG and has a diesel motor. Oh...and a diesel Ridgeline too.  

DMAX007:
didnt know rice burners could run on diesel! toyota and all that *** crap will fall flat on their face if they come out with a diesel. like that toyota one ton in d.p. magazine. the possible future heavy duty from TOYota, a whopping 520 lbs of torque and weak horsepower rating. that will be about as fast as two old people copulating with the 2010 emissions on it. it wouldnt even have the power to tear a wet kleenex in half.

But the same engine can be had at 260 hp and 585lb-ft of torque.  The 8 liter Hino is a really good engine IMO, and would be able to pull anything that you need to with it. I am sure that the internals could also handle mods and upgrades as well.