How does shopping for a full-size pickup truck compare to the reality show The Bachelor? The smart, well educated, girl, can have her choice of any one of a number of strapping, macho, attractive, strong, and smart, men. Just like today’s pickup buyer.
We went out on a date with the 2016 Nissan 4×4, Titan X D SV CC, powered by a Cummins 5.0 L V-8 Turbo Diesel. “It’s BIG!” “and thirsty” was the comment I heard from a colleague. Before the truck arrived, I thought, great, I will have a huge fuel bill! Heavy duty pickups are not required to list fuel consumption on the sticker, though we were impressed with the mid 19 mpg with the Titan with the Turbo Diesel engine averaged. Impressive for a truck of this size and with the Nissan’s new square shouldered styling.
Big, and Strong, is not a bad thing when you have to do the hard work this truck has been designed for: hauling, towing, all the while carrying five full sized passengers. While we never asked the Titan to flex its muscles, we could see them bulging and ready whenever we needed them. Everywhere it went the Titan got looks of admiration, and sometimes, jealousy from other diesel pickup drivers.
While a truck this size is most at home where there is plenty of space, it also was well mannered in town. We used the front and rear parking sensors and a rear camera to help guide it into tight spaces along the quaint streets of Cooperstown and Sharon Springs, in New York State. Taking this big-boy out on unpaved country roads, as well off road across a farmer’s field, was a lot of fun.
Everywhere we went, the Titan made us feel safe and secure within its comfortable cab. The off road, the heavy duty suspension and four-wheel drive came in handy. During a particularly rough summer storm that shut down the interstate we were driving along, the Titan’s size and weight gave us a feeling of comfort in the midst of a raging rain and hail that had other vehicles pulled over to the roadside waiting for the storm to pass.
Inside we really appreciated the seating for five full-size men, with Man-Cave heated leather Captain’s Chairs with 8-Way Power Driver’s Seat w/Adjustable Lumbar Support and 4-Way Power Passenger Seat, and a 60/40 split Rear Flip Bench Seat. No seat fatigue in these extremely comfortable seats, even after hours of a long drive. Though power outlets were limited, with a single USB on the dash.
It was nice to have a 110v in the rear, and 3 old style lighter outlets for chargers, which meant you need USB adapters if you wanted to plug modern devices. Big boys like to have cup holders, and the Titan has four large gulp sized ones, two for the front and 2 for the dudes in the rear bench seat.(That third guy will have to hold his.) That rear seat is not skimpy, while it is not as ample as the front seats, it is still large enough for the guys. When not in use, you could fold it back for carrying things in the cab, or use it as a platform. Underneath the rear seats featured small, partitioned lockable compartments.
Speaking of interior storage, the center console is very large, enough to fit a lap-top in, with plenty of cubbies in and around the console as well as on both the driver and passenger door pocket, bigger than simple map pockets, that will fit log books or other things. And a normal size glove box. A well detailed dash and controls, no funny modern gear shifter here! The Titan features a trusted, olde style, steering column mounted shift lever with a tow mode and manual gear select to control the Alsin®6-Speed Automatic. When you wanted to go from 2-wheel drive into 4WD or 4-Lo, it is simple to control with the dash mounted rotary dial for the Shift-on-the-Fly system.
The Titan’s Sight lines were excellent, we could see everything around us with the extendable and heated outboard side mirrors. This ensured you saw all the little cars sneaking up beside you. Blind spots were few, except right beside the truck’s front fenders. Though parking in normal parking spaces took some practice. Sometimes big guys don’t fit in small spaces.
While we did not put the Titan to work as a heavy hauler, this big boy was built with an integrated gooseneck receiver as well as a class IV hitch receiver mounted under the rear bumper. Combine that with a trailer light check and brake management system from inside the vehicle, and extendable, folding, heated, tow mirrors, and you are ready to tow just about anything out there. The factory installed bedliner combined with the Util-track® system with 4 adjustable Tie-Down cleats, and plenty of LED lighting, in the bed, under the step rails, even a puddle light built into the mirrors, to make loading at night simple and safe.
No American truck is complete without big tires and nice wheels, the Titan is rolling on twenties, with nice looking factory rims, and a full-size spare tire. To make sure you see the Titan has bright headlamps, low mounted fog/driving lights and LED lights all over the truck..
So while you have a lot of big strong good looking trucks to choose from, the Nissan Titan X D is worth a look if you want a full-sized heavy duty pickup that has a lot of niceties and is pretty to look at.
Check out Nissan’s website or a dealer near you for more information.
Just as we turned this 4-door cab Titan back, Nissan released a 2-door cab version, more like the work trucks of old. Still full of the goodies and extras we like, outfitted with the V-8 engine (gas or diesel), and full-size pickup bed. Just without the extra interior space of the rear seating area. So now there is a Nissan Titan in a couple of muscular sizes to fit your needs.
An update from Nissan, is that the 2017 Titan and Titan X D models will come with a bumper to bumper 5-year 100K mile waranty. So this hot hunk of truck, and his family will be committed to you for a good long while. When a manufacturer puts this kind of warranty behind their vehicle, you know it is going to be a long lasting vehicle.
Photos and article by: William West Hopper
