Looks like Fuso is throwing in the towel- at least on the FE

[pugslyyy]

Had an interesting conversation with the local Fuso tech today who came up and asked me about my truck. Said it had been all over north and south america, he said "we're struggling to get the new ones just to make it across town"

Talking a bit more seriously, he said that they are hearing that the "fix" for the current model is going to cost Mitsubishi about $15,000 per truck when it comes down, and involve replacing everything from turbo back (all the emissions stuff)

Also, that Mitsubishi has given up on trying to manage costs - if they say a transmission is acting a little weird, Mitsubishi just tells them to (warranty) replace it.

 

[DzlToy]

The fix is not to make over complicated emissions laden commercial trucks that don't function properly.

Nothing is accomplished by having "better" emissions if your fuel economy is reduced by 50%, thus resulting in more diesel burned to travel X number of miles. Burning 50% more diesel means 50% more emissions than one would have burned, had the MPG been significantly higher.

A mate of mine bought a new diesel pickup a few years ago and deleted it. Living in a place where diesel pickups are not inspected, nor do they require emissions checks, he saw fuel mileage improve from 10-12 MPG to 18-20 MPG on the highway. Adding a tuner, exhaust, intake, larger tires and a few other bolt on goodies, the truck rode better, performed better and had MUCH better power and MPG than it did when he drove it off the dealer lot.

The truck has a REAL transfer case, offset front axle (not centered like an FG), plenty of after-market support for wheels/tires, lockers, gears, transmission mods, engine mods, suspension tuning, etc., Cost? less than 40K new. It is comfortable going down surface streets or on the highway, easily cruises at 75 - 80 mph on the freeway and will pull a house down. What say ye, Fuso?

Fuso needs to quit selling junky trucks that don't work with 1990's interiors and 1950's ride quality for 50 -60 grand and they will be much better off, IMO.

In modern times, with all of the automotive knowledge, engineering resources and capability of a company like Mitsubishi, much less being tied into Daimler, one of the oldest and largest vehicle manufacturers in the world, there is simply no excuse for turning out anything less than a top of the line product. If you don't people will buy Isuzu, Ford, Hino or another truck and there will be no Fuso/Canter left in the USA, plain and simple.

 

[Czechsix]

I'll say that for those of us with these trucks, the "fix" is what'll make them work correctly. End story.

As with anything government mandated, it'll be screwed up six different ways. Alas, that's the law of the land.

I bought into FUSO due to their history, and the connection with Daimler-Benz, another company with a huge record of delivering capable vehicles.

They missed the mark on this, but it's a group effort at a screw up, that's for sure. Some kinds of emissions systems that work 100% is out there - but my bet is that costs are making those designs a no-go.

As far as DPF/SCR systems go with the major manufacturers, every single one of them is a FUBAR system. All of them, across the board, have issues. Some more than others.

 

[pugslyyy]

So I'm hearing that as Mitsubishi transitions their cabovers here from diesel to gasoline they will be withdrawing the FG4X4 from the US market. What will that mean for folks that still want a 4x4 cabover for an expedition build - an aftermarket 4x4 conversion similar to what exists for the Ford Econoline?

 

[DzlToy]

Buy a decent used FE140 or NPR and do this:

View attachment 485693
[/QUOTE]

Can be done with gas or diesel, using the 6L80/6L90 GM transmission or the Aisin Seiki AS68RC/69RC

 

[SkiFreak]

What will that mean for folks that still want a 4x4 cabover for an expedition build

Move to Australia.

 

[BoundarylessTraveler]

EarthCruiser is on top of it: All New 2020 EXP and FX expedition camper

 

[SkiFreak]

EarthCruiser is on top of it:

That's a bold endeavour.
It will be interesting to see the end result.

 

[Steve_382]

The home page has been updated for the new 2020 version of the EarthCruiser. Looks pretty interesting. V8, Allison transmission, heavy duty locking axles, disc brakes, etc.

EarthCruiser Home Page

 

[Semiquixotic]

The home page has been updated for the new 2020 version of the EarthCruiser. Looks pretty interesting. V8, Allison transmission, heavy duty locking axles, disc brakes, etc.

EarthCruiser Home Page

Very curious about the "living quarters" updates as well...

 

[jrubicon]

so what is a typical mpg yall get on the FG4x4 diesel like a 2013 or newer? im just curious

 

[Plumb Bob]

2017 model, an honest 15 mpg empty flatbed, 12-13 with the 3000lb camper. The weight and wind resistance I suppose.
Lots of 5th gear driving with the camper on, even on mild grades.

 

[yabanja]

so what is a typical mpg yall get on the FG4x4 diesel like a 2013 or newer? im just curious

Somewhere on this forum is a thread I put together comparing all reported fuel economy. The gist was. With the exception of a few outliers(20k lb vehicles for example) everyone was getting about 13mpg. On a recent 10k mile trip in my 2000 FG on 37" tires in conjunction with a 2014 Earthcriser FX I got 13 mpg and my traveling companion got 12.5.

Considering the weight, off road capability, and camper size, you will be hard pressed to find anything more efficient. Of course everything is a give and take. Max cruising speed on the flats is 70 mph with 65 being much more comfortable. Think volkswagen vanagon power and driving experience.

Hope this is helpful.

Cheers!

Allan

 

[Decanter]

Somewhere on this forum is a thread I put together comparing all reported fuel economy. The gist was. With the exception of a few outliers(20k lb vehicles for example) everyone was getting about 13mpg. On a recent 10k mile trip in my 2000 FG on 37" tires in conjunction with a 2014 Earthcriser FX I got 13 mpg and my traveling companion got 12.5.

Considering the weight, off road capability, and camper size, you will be hard pressed to find anything more efficient. Of course everything is a give and take. Max cruising speed on the flats is 70 mph with 65 being much more comfortable. Think volkswagen vanagon power and driving experience.

Hope this is helpful.

Cheers!

Allan

Were the odometers corrected for the tire sizes? I was told by the Fuso dealer that they couldn't do that within their software.

 

[yabanja]

Were the odometers corrected for the tire sizes? I was told by the Fuso dealer that they couldn't do that within their software.

Fuel economy corrected via gps speedometer.

Allan


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