Is the 2.8 worth it?

Pretty much as title suggests - is the 2.8 swb Fronty worth it?! I've always had a petrol frontera and no idea how different a 2.8 diesel will be. Just want your opinions on the vehicle really.

Fbm

Speaking as someone who has had a 2.0 petrol. A 2.2 dti and now a 2.8
If you are looking for speed then stick to the petrol or the 2.5
If you want low end power and torque then the 2.8 is unrivalled. ..and no ecu to go wrong

Its the one with true power but were talking Torque not outright speed!!!

I'm surprised you've not had more replies to this, actually...

I started out with 2.2 Fronteras until I got bored of them going bang, then I started with the 2.8 models and haven't looked back.
They're a little on the noisy side, and as Ian's mentioned you're not going to win any drag races in them, but their advantages are plenty of torque and a very simple setup. Change the oil regularly and the motor will go on for ever, as there's very little to go wrong and certainly no complicated electronic gubbins.

I've got two of the 2.8 trucks - a SWB and a LWB.
The SWB is my toy; bought for a couple of hundred quid, receives very little maintenance and a whole lot of abuse and has never let me down yet. She's perfect for offroading with the combination of engine and SWB chassis. Just have a look through the various picnic threads in the SE section for the number of 2.8 trucks in use.
The LWB is my road & greenlane car; cost a little more but worth every penny as you'[ve still got the reliable old 2.8 under the bonnet with the extra space and stability, and the knowledge that whatever the road throws at you, you'll be fine.

if parts were not a problem and they are not to bad most of the time, i would love another 2.8 shorty to use as a play toy, but i have had a few frontys and the best that i liked was the good old 2.8,as you have seen in the previous comments they are them that love them and im one, the 2.0 is just a slight bit underpowered for me the fronty killer if you listen to some peole but i am onto my 14th fronty :roll:

I have only ever struggled to get push rods for my 2.8 when I snapped the cambelt (my fault) and that was solved by using 3.1 trooper push rods other than that I have never had a problem or pay a premium for parts for the 2.8 and I have had it near eight years

I like the grunt and the simplicity of the engine and you can tweak the fuel pump for a tad more :angel:

I have a LWB DTI and a 2.8 shorty, the DTI is refined and it's my daily driver and also done green laning in it, however for pure off road stuff the 2.8 wins due to it's grunt and simplicity.

Only ever had the 2.8, now got two of them both LWB's. One is used as my daily driver (Truck) and is currently sat at 219k and still going. I do something in the order of 500 miles/week plus in that and tbh have had very little trouble with it apart from changing the turbo twice. The first time was my fault, turbos dont do very well when blasted down the motorway with some oil flush left in the oil (long story, its on here somewhere)... :oops:

The second time, the the replacement turbo (second hand) just plain wore out and gave up. This was replaced by a new one and it's been fine ever since.

The other one (O-no) was bought with being a off road toy in mind, but the boss has knicked it as her daily driver... So gonna have to get another now! Anyone got a SWB 2.8 going for a sensible price?