Just to toss this in the mix the new Grenadier gas mileage is just as bad. You do have choice if you want range Td5 diesel conversion, European D2 came with diesels, automatic transmission were an option and they can tuned. Not cheap but it can be done

 

This is the year that MY99 D2s from abroad are legal to import to the US, I think?

 

Yeah for you US folk they should be legal, here in Canada we've had a few people import 04 TD5s and technically we can bring in tdv6 LR3s now but I haven't seen anyone do that yet

 

If you import get one out of Spain or Germany they are LHD

 

And I’ve been shopping them since getting over here. They are either clapped out or absurdly expensive.

 

@longtallsally Yea that is the problem with 20 year old trucks, they are either shot or well looked after. The thing is in Europe Disco's are well liked so you do not get the fire sales we get here

 

If your goals are fuel economy and power, I'd have recommend spending at least few minutes looking into the BMW M57 with 8spd ZF trans. An LS swap will get you more power than the original 4.6l, but not much in the way of fuel economy gains. The M57 will have the equal HP to an LS, around 300-350hp, but the M57 will have 600-700ftlb of torque, while the LS will still be down at 300-ish ftlb tq. That extra TQ helps push the big ole brick of a D2 thru the air better, and from what I understand from the folks in Europe that do the swap often, the fuel mileage goes up towards the mid 20mpg range, depending on how many non-aerodynamic add-ons the rig has, of course. The M57 engine gets 35-45mpg regularly in the BMX X5, and the many other variants it comes in. The engine was produced for many years, so there's lots of them around, are extremely reliable, and for right now anyway, not on many folks radar, so it's not to difficult to source. I found it worth the time to look into, and am considering going that route rather than the LS route I had been planning on.

Fun factoid... it seems the BMW M57 with a 5spd trans was OE in the RR P38 in Europe for years, we were just never lucky enough to get it in the US.

 

Put 94 premium that will give you better mpg and power. Some members here have done tests

 

Practically unavailable in the US. At best, we have 92-93 (RON+MON/2 method), but more states are seeing 91. Not to mention that it's diluted with ethanol. The last time I was in Canada, I loved the premium gas there because it didn't have ethanol. Got the best fuel economy I've ever experienced with my D2.

 

@Gripen 94 is great but no can afford it I think it is pushing 10.00 a gallon