We weren’t sure Nissan would ever upgrade its dated Titan half-ton pickup. Finally, though, a new one arrives, and it quickly tows away those doubts of recent years.
The 2016 Titan is bigger – a bit larger than a half-ton, not yet as big, though, as a three-quarter-ton. A prime market, Nissan says, will be those seeking stronger tow capacity without stepping up into the heavy-duty 2500 field.
The big news for the Titan, besides its larger size, comes from beneath the hood – the new 310-horsepower, 5.0-liter Cummins V-8 turbodiesel engine, mated to a 6-speed Aisin automatic transmission and developing 555 lb.-ft. of torque. The Titan XD Platinum Reserve four-wheel-drive version boasts towing capacity of 10,610 pounds; tow capacity for the truck in rear-wheel-drive configuration (when properly equipped) jumps to 12,310 pounds.
The big Titan’s arrival in my driveway coincided with a 10-inch drop of blowing snow on our area, on top of 6 to 8 inches received over the preceding two weeks; the Nissan plowed head-on into the challenge. The footing situation required use of four-wheel drive almost continually, and a couple of times I engaged 4-Lo range. The Nissan system lets the driver shift between two-wheel and four-wheel drive instantaneously up to 60 miles per hour.
Below-average cold and all that white stuff to churn through, with some icy spots beneath, kept the big truck’s fuel mileage in town at an overall low average of 10.6 miles per gallon.
On Sunday morning, Jan and I headed west on U.S. 34 to the I-25 interchange, made a quick stop at Starbucks, then north on I-25 to Crossroads Boulevard, east to Windsor and back to Greeley for services at our downtown church.
The highways were clear and the opportunity to drive in rear-wheel-only mode resulted in fuel mileage of almost 18 mpg. For the entire week, the Titan averaged 13.3 mpg.
In seeking its own niche between the half-ton and three-quarter-ton trucks, the 2016 Titan XD’s wheelbase grew to 151.6 inches and its overall length has been stretched to over 20 feet (242.9 inches).
With the longer wheelbase and curb weight in the 7,000-pound range, the Titan XD appears bigger than most half-ton pickups. Its hood height of 55 inches is 3 inches taller than the hood on my personal four-door, 4-by-4, half-ton pickup.
The Platinum Reserve model is the most plush of five offerings for the Titan XD. Other grade levels are the S, SV, SL and the sporty PRO-4X with lots of offroad features, including Bilstein shocks. Standard engine for the XD is a 5.6-liter, V-8 gasoline engine making 390 horsepower and 401 lb.-ft. of torque. It is mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with adaptive shift control and downshift rev-matching.
The turbodiesel, though, is the lure Nissan is counting on to bring some decent sales back to its Titan. The Titan was introduced in the fall of 2003 and in its first full year sold 83,848 pickups. Sales totaled 87,000 in 2005, but began slipping in ’06 and by 2009 had declined to only 19,000. Nissan sold only 12,140 Titans last year.
Premium leather seats are heated and cooled in the front row and heated in the roomy back seat. The interior features fine stitching at the seats, across the dash and even on the leather-wrapped shift knob. The shifter is on the column, which frees up room for storage in the center console.
On the outside, easier access is provided to the pickup bed by the fact that step rails extend from beneath the front door to the back wheels. The Titan rides on General Grabber LT265/60R20 tires.
The diesel engine option and the many high-end amenities, including a 12-speaker premium audio and a bed liner with built-in storage, raised sticker price to $63,270.
