G'day ZWITAWI
Thanks for the comments.
I suppose its horses for courses, I've always been a diesel fan for on the farm due to the low down torque and low fire risk associated with diesel fuel and lack of cat converters, there's also just something about a big diesel that I love, and that love will never change.
However I do wonder about the longevity of the newer diesels. We used to have the bulletproof 1HZ motors at 4.2L putting out 129hp and a fuel rail pressure of ~3000psi you couldn't kill the things and it generated a cult following. Now you have the little 3L 1KD pushing out 173hp with a fuel rail pressure of ~30,000psi it just doesn't sit right with me, or with bad fuel for that matter.
They're very sensitive to bad diesel, and our family along with friends had lots of injector problems due to the high pressure rail/injectors and the heat soak effect of having them mounted on top of the motor.
Petrols just don't seem to care about fuel quality, and while diesel were once renown for their lack of electrical systems (and problems) it's no longer the case and it's no longer a benefit over a petrol (gas) vehicle.
A long range fuel tank in a gas vehicle, and the availability of unleaded in all but the most remote locations makes me think there is no longer a real benefit.
From what I've seen there also seems to be a bit of a resurgence in gas vehicles in the states and I do wonder if we will see the same in Australia. Although diesel hiluxs still outsell the v6 something stupid like 100:1. A lot of new trucks are also lacking a gas option, but we will see what the future brings.
The only downside I can see is the longer gearing in the v6, which is easily fixed with a gearing change. Either way... I love the power, it's an absolute rocket.
I'll be sure to post plenty of pics as I go forward with the hilux.
