Nissan's Bulked Up Family Truck

With its powerful, full-size Titan, Nissan is looking to grab a chunk of the pickup market. So why isn't it selling better?

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Engine power, towing capability, versatile storage features

The Bad: Two-star J.D. Power quality rating, lack of style and engine options

The Bottom Line: A good family-oriented upscale pickup

Reader Reviews

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The Nissan Titan is kind of like a Sumo wrestler trying to make it big on the pro wrestling circuit. It's the first powerful, in-your-face, full-size pickup truck to be offered by a Japanese manufacturer, and it clearly has the bulk to succeed. You just have to wonder if it's flashy enough to continue winning hearts and minds in the land of The Rock and Hulk Hogan.

Nissan (NSANY) really studied American tastes when it created the Titan. The truck has a distinctive, chromed-up front-end and a powerful 305 horsepower V8 engine that makes it one of the fastest full-size pickup trucks on the market. Car and Driver magazine has clocked the Titan at just over seven seconds going from 0 to 60 mph, which is very fast for a vehicle that weighs over 5,000 lbs.

In its four-door, crew-cab iteration, the Titan also has one of the roomiest cabs in its class: In theory, it will seat six if you get the bench-style front seat, and five if you opt for the captain's chair front seats (though cramming in more than four adults on longer drives won't be comfortable). There are so many drink-holders in the thing it's almost embarrassing: two up front, four in the back, and space for a one-liter bottle in the center console -- and bins in each of the doors that could easily hold another bottle or two apiece.

BETTER SELLERS.

Demand for the Titan, however, shows signs of topping out. Sales soared to 83,848 units in 2004, the truck's first year on the market, but were only up 4% last year, to 86,945, and have fallen 1.7%, to 21,277, in the first three months of this year -- odd because some rival full-size pickups continue to sell well.

General Motors (GM) is getting clobbered (Chevy Silverado sales were off 8% in the first quarter), but Ford's (F) best-selling F-Series pickups jumped 5.5%, to 199,801, in the quarter, while DaimlerChrysler's (DCX) Dodge RAMs were up 1%, to 90.386. And despite high gas-pump prices, what's selling best for Ford and Dodge are big, powerful crew-cab trucks like the Titan.

The Titan's big downside is that it isn't offered in the incredible variety that rival trucks from Ford, GM, and Dodge are. The big V8 is the only available engine and the Titan only comes with crew or extended cab. There's no economy version with a smaller engine and regular cab for $20,000 or less.

TRY IT OUT.

The big crew cab only comes with a five-and-a-half foot bed, though you can get a six-and-a-half foot bed with the smaller cab. There's no manual transmission, and there are no big, heavy-duty workhorse versions of the Titan like Ford's F-250 and F-350. And for the high end, there's no super-fancy, wood-trimmed luxury version, either.

Still, the Titan probably should be on your shopping list if you're a weekend or recreational user, especially if you have a family and want to tow a boat, camper, or horse trailer. The cab isn't as big as Dodge's hot-selling new Mega Cab, but it's plenty roomy with two adults up front and two or three kids in back (see BW Online, 3/22/06, "Dodge's Living Room on Wheels"). I'm 5' 10", and with the front seats all the way back, I still had a couple of inches between the backs of the front seats and my knees.

The Titan also has excellent towing capabilities. Equipped with the optional towing package ($250 to $400 extra) it can pull up to 9,500 lbs., about equal to an F-150 and well ahead of a comparable Silverado (7,700 lbs) and Toyota Tundra (6,800 lbs). The big engine has lots of torque for easy startups when you're pulling a load, and the automatic transmission has a towing mode that keeps shifting smooth. The bifocal rear-view mirrors (with both a regular and wide-angle view) can be pulled out from the frame for seeing around a wide trailer.

FIDO-READY.

Nissan has built tons of family-friendly versatility and comfort into this truck.