Does Nissan Titan XD come in diesel?

The Nissan Titan XD diesel pickup, which packed 555 lb-ft of torque and a theoretical towing capacity of 12,830 pounds courtesy of a 5.0-liter Cummins turbodiesel V8, will be discontinued for the 2020 model year, according to a report by Automotive News. Also on the chopping block: the Titan single-cab.

Given that most pickup buyers seem to view their trucks as crossovers with beds in the back, the discontinuation of the single cab variant is not a total surprise. But the decision to ax the diesel motor is telling: An oil-burner from a brand like Cummins was supposed to be a coup for Nissan, a way for it to make headway in a market that heavily favors trucks built by American manufacturers.

It’s not that Titan buyers dislike the diesels -- as Automotive News reports, roughly one in eight Titan pickups sold, and roughly half of all Titan XDs, are diesel-powered. It’s that there aren’t that many Titan buyers in the first place. Titans claimed just 1.5 percent of full-size pickup sales in the first six months of 2019.

Still, the pickup market is so huge that even small niches have the potential to be profitable, assuming the product in question fills some unmet need. The trouble with the Titan XD diesel, as we’ve explored in previous reviews of the truck, is that it didn’t really succeed at doing that.

As we wrote earlier this year, the XD diesel offers “almost, but not all of, the capability of an HD truck in a slightly, but not too much, smaller package,” while sacrificing much of the ride refinement and luxurious appointments we’ve become accustomed to on new trucks.

Basically, the Titan XD sits between full-size and heavy-duty trucks, and while the diesel V8 gives the truck a lot of grunt, it adds substantially to the cost -- and the 7,323-pound curb weight. Given the incredible capability of today’s full-size gasoline-powered pickups, the Titan XD diesel didn’t have much to offer the average buyer except for that Cummins name. That, apparently wasn’t enough.

Nissan’s decision to ax a few Titan variants (and perhaps a few other models globally besides) isn’t occurring in isolation; BMW recently announced that the oddball 3-Series and 6-Series GTs and the 6-Series Gran Coupe are donezo, at least in the United States. It's been boom times for the auto industry for years now; a slowdown seems all but inevitable, and cutting back underperforming models is a logical way for an automaker to batten down the hatches. The demise of BMW's weird bustle-backed sedans isn't exactly a shocker.

Still, that Nissan is reassessing its Titan lineup in the face of a market that still can't, at least for the moment, get enough trucks is a testament to how tough the pickup game is.

Graham Kozak Graham Kozak has been fascinated with cars for as long as he can remember (probably before that, too).

Nissan Titan XD Cummins 5.0ISV Engine Specs, Performance, and Tow Ratings

In 2015, the 2016 Nissan Titan XD pickup truck was introduced, boasting a 5.0L Cummins V-8 powertrain. This was a first for Nissan, as their Titan trucks typically used a naturally aspirated, V-8 gasoline-powered engine. The Cummins 5.0ISV engine was also uniquely offered on XD Titan models, the regular Titan pickup uses a 5.6L V-8 Endurance engine. Nissan Titan’s XD pickup was an attempt to bridge the gap between the half-ton market and the ¾-1 ton market. While it was a decent idea, the Nissan Titan XD with the 5.0L Cummins engine didn’t last long. It was discontinued in 2019, much to the dismay of diesel enthusiasts everywhere.During their production run however, the Nissan Titan XD’s 5.0L Cummins V-8 diesel engine offered better torque and performance specs than the other Nissan Powertrains. It was also an extremely clean diesel powertrain, utilizing the latest emissions technology to significantly reduce diesel emissions.

The impressive power output and low emissions were a result of a highly advanced and efficient powertrain. Some serious engineering took place to produce this Cummins 5.0ISV. It took years for Cummins and Nissan to finally bring this engine to market, despite it bearing many similarities to the 5.0 Cummins engine used in medium-duty trucks. In fact, Nissan and Cummins have both stated that this engine shares over 70% of it’s internals with the Commercial Cummins 5.0ISV variant. 

This commonality in parts is very exciting as we’ve seen great success and reliability from engines that were originally designed for medium-duty or agricultural applications. They’re often over-built for regular consumer applications, giving much better durability and longevity than engines that were simply designed to meet the needs of regular consumers. Would these engines prove reliable though? They’ve been out for quite a while now, and we know a lot about their performance capabilities and the unique engine design characteristics that make their performance possible. You’ll learn everything you need to know about the 5.0L Cummins V-8 engine in this post. Before we get into their reliability however, you need to start by understanding how these engines tick.

5.0L Cummins V-8 Diesel (Cummins 5.0ISV) Engine Design

Unlike other Cummins diesel engines used in pickup trucks, this one is unique because it has a 90-degree V-8 design. The 5.9L and 6.7L Cummins engines used in Ram trucks since the 1980s have all utilized an inline 6-cylinder design. It has a bore of 3.701’ (94mm) and a stroke of 3.543” (90mm). The 5.0L Cummins also has a compression ratio of 16.3 to one.

Despite it having a different configuration than the engine found on Ram trucks, we see many of the same design characteristics incorporated in this engine. It uses a CGI block, or Compacted Graphite Iron block, for a durable, yet light-weight foundation. This is the same block material used on 5th Generation Cummins trucks. Aluminum alloy cylinder heads help save weight while also providing outstanding durability. 

This engine uses a DOHC, or dual overhead camshaft design. These Dual overhead camshafts control the 32 valves, or 4 valves per cylinder found on this engine. Light, durable aluminum alloy cylinder heads are used. For even more weight savings and durability, this engine uses a forged steel crankshaft and composite valve covers. Reduction of noise, vibration, and harshness, also known as NVH, is a massive trend amongst auto manufacturers right now as everyone wants a quieter, more comfortable ride. This is a clear theme in the 5.0L Cummins engine design. Every component on this engine was designed with reducing NVH in mind.

5.0L Cummins V8 Diesel Specs

For a complete look at 5.0L Cummins V-8 Diesel engine specs, or Cummins 5.0ISV specs, check out the following chart.

Performance

Highly advanced turbocharging and fuel injection systems are the biggest contributing factors to the 5.0L Cummins impressive performance specs. From the factory, these trucks produce 310 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque. Max Tow capacity is maxed out at around 12,314 lbs. Effective, advanced emissions devices help this engine be as clean as it is powerful. A 6-speed heavy-duty Aisin transmission helps bring all this power to the ground.

Below we’ll go into more detail about all of these unique performance attributes and how they work. 

5.0L Cummins V8 Turbocharger System

The Nissan Titan XD Diesel truck uses a unique, highly-advanced twin sequential turbocharger system. Holset (Cummins Turbo Technologies) supplies this new M2 turbocharger set-up that is made up of two separate turbochargers. This design provides excellent performance throughout the entire power band.  A smaller turbocharger provides quicker throttle response and acceleration, and adequate performance for lower airflow scenarios. The larger turbocharger provides better performance at higher engine speeds or under heavy loads.

A patented rotary valve helps control air flow between the two turbos. It opens ports to perform a bypass or wastegate functionality. It also provides exhaust after-treatment thermal management. 

Cummins 5.0ISV Fuel System

The Cummins 5.0ISV uses a High Pressure Common Rail (HPCR) supplied by Bosch. At the heart of this system lies a Bosch CP4.2 injection pump that can pressurize fuel up to 29,000 psi. Piezo fuel injectors are used, capable of firing up to 7 times per combustion event. Piezo injectors are known to provide quiet operation and have benefitted other diesel trucks before the 5.0L Cummins.

While the new fuel injection systems used of modern diesels are very capable and efficient, the Bosch CP4.2 has been known to be extremely vulnerable to poor fuel quality. To help protect the entire fuel system, an advanced Cummins two-stage fuel filtration system is used. It provides significantly better fuel filtration by using the latest NanoNet media from Cummins Filtration. The NanoNet filter media reduces fuel-flow restrictions while simultaneously trapping more than 99% of all particles as small as 4 microns.

Emissions System

While emissions devices hardly contribute to the Nissan Titan XD 5.0L Cummins engine’s performance specs, they do make this engine extremely clean. The Cummins 5.0ISV engine utilizes exhaust gas recirculation, Selective Catalyst Reduction, and a diesel particulate filter. These systems result in almost zero Nitrogen Oxide emissions and negligent particulate matter emissions.

Other Performance Features

Ceramic Glow Plugs

For better cold weather performance, the 5.0L Cummins Engine uses ceramic glow plugs. They make starting the engine in extremely cold temperatures easier and reduce start-up times. They also reduce electrical current draw for lower vehicle charging system requirements. These ceramic glow plugs should not require maintenance and are built to last these vehicles’ lifetimes.

Upgrading Performance

Because the Nissan Titan XD uses the 5.0L Cummins Diesel engine, performance can be improved very easily. Diesel trucks are highly customizable and often have tons of untapped potential. Here are a couple of the best Nissan Titan XD 5.0L Cummins Performance Upgrades.

1. Tuners

Tuners are the easiest and most effective way to add horsepower and torque to your Nissan TITAN XD with the 5.0L Cummins Engine. EZ-Lynk’s Auto Agent 2 with custom tuning will offer the best gains. The tuner doesn’t come with tunes so you will have to find a quality tuning company to create and send you tunes after purchasing the device.

3. Digital Gauge Displays

Digital Gauge Displays, often also called performance monitors, like the Edge Insight CTS3 offer vehicle customization settings and real-time data parameter monitoring. Check out our Edge Insight CTS3 review for more information about this system.

5.0L Cummins Towing Specs

Despite using a Diesel engine, the 5.0L Cummins diesel equipped Nissan Titan XD doesn’t offer better max towing capacity when compared to gasoline-powered rivals like the F-150, Ram 1500, or the Silverado 1500. It does offer significantly better towing performance however. This is because the 5.0L Cummins Engine reaches peak torque much earlier, at only 1,600 rpm, which is much sooner than typical gas engines. Diesel engines get significantly better fuel economy when towing than gasoline engines, so if you will be towing frequently, this makes it a very valid option. In fact, we think the Titan XD with the 5.0L Cummins Engine is an excellent choice for owners of small campers.

Nissan Titan XD Diesel Towing Capacity & Specs

Nissan Titan XD 5.0L Cummins Diesel History and Model Year Changes

2016

In 2016, the 5.0L Cummins Diesel engine makes its debut on the brand new 2016 Nissan Titan XD. Upon release, the 5.0L Cummins diesel powertrain produces 310 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque from the factory, offering a more powerful, capable, and durable alternative to many half-ton gasoline powered trucks in the same segment.

2017

In 2017, single cab and extended cab (King cab) configurations were added to the Nissan Titan XD lineup. Max tow capacity is increased to 12,640 lbs. 5 new packages are also added for the 2017 model year.

2018

The 2018 Nissan Titan XD with the 5.0L Cummins Engine received no mechanical improvements for this model year. A new Moonlight edition does become available however, offering a sharp “blacked-out” look. It has

2019

The 2019 Nissan Titan XD is the last model year available with the 5.0L Cummins Diesel engine. For this year, the Titan XD receives some refinement touches like a better stereo system and a bigger center display. The only change made specific to the 5.0l Cummins Engine is that the DEF capacity is increased because a larger DEF tank was added. Max tow capacity is also increased to 12,710 lbs.

Learn more about these trucks in our “Ultimate Guide to Nissan Titan XD Diesel Trucks” post.

5.0L Cummins FAQ

How much Horsepower and Torque does the 5.0L Cummins V-8 engine have?

The 5.0L Cummins V-8 Diesel engine used in 2016-2019 Nissan Titan XD trucks has 310 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque. These numbers can jump dramatically however with aftermarket performance modifications.

What years did the Nissan Titan XD use the 5.0L Cummins Diesel engine?

2016-2019 Nissan Titan XD trucks came available with the 5.0L Cummins Diesel engine. It was discontinued for the 2020 model year and instead the 5.6L Endurance V-8 gasoline powered engine is used as the primary powertrain option.

Learn More about the Nissan Titan XD and the 5.0L Cummins Motor

Does Nissan Titan XD have a diesel engine?

Will Nissan Bring Back Titan XD diesel?

Does the Nissan Titan come in diesel?

Does the Titan XD have a Cummins?