Diesel isn’t dead, but it’s certainly under siege in the last-mile segment.
Isuzu‘s lineup has featured a gas-powered truck in the North American market since 1994, and at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis on Wednesday, the company added two new gasoline engines to its N-Series.
A 6.6-liter V8 will be available in the Class 3 NPR and Class 4 NPR-HD, while a 6.0-liter V8 is slated for offering in both the Class 5 NQR (17,950-lb. GVWR) and Class 5 NRR. The NRR will be the first 19,500-lb. GVWR low-cab-forward truck on the market to offer a gasoline engine option.
Emissions regulations, definitions of which Isuzu Commercial Truck of America President Shaun Skinner called “a work in progress,” have made gasoline an attractive option when coupled with a shortening length of haul and the mechanical complexities of a modern diesel engine.
“Gas truck sales for the entire medium-duty segment continue to grow,” Skinner said, noting gasoline engines account for 50% of Class 4 and 5 medium-duty truck sales.
Sales of gasoline trucks already make up almost 50% of Isuzu’s North American sales, and Skinner said greater emphasis has been placed on research and development on gasoline powertrains.
The new small-block 6.6-liter V8 direct-injection engine has a power output of 350 hp and 425 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,800 rpm. It features variable valve timing, a variable displacement oil pump that fluctuates oil pressure based on engine demand.
