FIAT Cuts Back Diesel Options For 2023 Fiat Toro Pickup!

Stellantis has made it no secret that the automaker is trying to move away from diesel power in favor of electrification. The decision comes after the automaker agreed to plead guilty to criminal conspiracy charges related to its efforts to conceal the amount of pollution produced by its diesel engines. Stellantis agreed to pay $300 million in penalties to end a multi-year investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.

But the decision isn’t just for the U.S. market. Instead, we are seeing a move across all markets from Stellantis to move away from diesel-powered internal combustion engines (ICEs).

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In Latin America, where diesel has been a popular choice among buyers, we have seen the introduction of the revised 2023 Jeep® Renegade come to market without a diesel option. But thanks to new information from our friends at the Brazilian automotive website, Autos Segredos (Auto Secrets), we are now learning that even the high-popular FIAT brand in Latin America will be cutting back on diesel options for its successful 2023 Fiat Toro pickup.

According to Autos Segredos, details about the 2023 Fiat Toro will be released in the upcoming weeks. This includes the decision to drop the availability of its 2.0-liter Multijet II turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine (known as the TD350) from across the lineup, to just a single model. 

That model will be the western-themed Ranch trim level. The TD350 powertrain will continue on be offered with a ZF-sourced 9-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive (4×4), hill descent control (HDC), a crankcase protector, and an integrated front bumper skid plate. The TD350 powertrain is rated at 170 horsepower and 35.7 kgfm (258 ft.-lbs) of torque.

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The motor replacing the TD350 will continue to be the turbocharged 1.3-liter ‘Firefly’ inline-four-cylinder (also known as the T270), which is from the Global Small Engine (GSE) family and is available in the Renegade, Compass, and 500X crossover, all of which share the same Small Wide 4×4 architecture as the Toro. The engine was introduced to Toro for the 2022 model year and features flex-fuel capability. The ‘Firefly’ delivers 185 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 270 Nm (200 ft.-lbs.) of torque on ethanol. The engine loses about 5 horsepower when running with gasoline.

The turbocharged 1.3-liter comes mated to a 6-speed automatic from Aisin, which featured updates for 2022 with a new “neutral function”, which automatically put the transmission in the Neutral (N) position when the vehicle stops in Drive (D). This new function reduces engine vibrations, as well as increases fuel economy.

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Toro will also introduce a new Freedom S-Design T270 package for 2023. The Freedom S-Design package will be a dark-themed appearance package for the popular trim level. It will include black stripes on the hood and tailgate, dark exterior badging, as well as a black grille, side steps, black-painted wheels, and dark grey accents on the mirror caps, upper grille surround, and roof bars. The package last appeared on the Toro in 2020, as you can see above.

Other changes for the 2023 Fiat Toro include the update of semi-autonomous parking (Park-Assist). Park-Assist will become a standard feature on Toro Volcano, Ultra, and Ranch models. There will be the introduction of the popular Sting-Gray exterior color from the Jeep lineup. That should be an easy update for the Toro, as it is built on the same assembly line as the Renegade, Compass, and Commander.