it's been more than 12 years since the
Nissan first introduced their first
full-size pickup truck to the US market
the nissan titan but that's why we're
out here in the desert just outside
Phoenix Arizona at the Nissan proving
ground to test the all new
next-generation nissan titan next day
and all we have to say is it's about
time when this new truck goes on sale
every single one of them will have the
5-liter v8 commons turbo-diesel under
the hood and you know that it's a big
hood they've had to completely redesign
the front end to accommodate this big v8
engine because of how the air intake
comes up and then to the air filter but
a lot of very cool things about this
engine compacted graphite iron block
aluminum heads composite valve covers on
32-valve engine 310 horsepower 555
foot-pounds of torque that's more torque
than any half-ton engine that's made and
more torque than any half done any
three-quarter-ton gas engine that's
offered out there in the market as well
obviously the most important part of
this entire vehicle review is how it
drives from behind the wheel and nissan
did a great job allowing us to do some
kind of on highway Arizona highway
driving as well as on their proving
grounds where this vehicle was
essentially engineered and born so we
got to do some nasty hard cobblestone
driving we got a chance to do some
durability and market market
marketability drive testing loops that
they put all their vehicles
and also did some water fording and even
some pretty serious toeing around the
track as well and we have to say just
right off the top engine is very
impressive it's matched up to a
six-speed ice and transmission that were
familiar with from the GM products both
the Silverado heavy duty and the Sierra
heavy duty but the tuning is very very
well done a lot of torque from this
engine but first a second second to
third gear shift even downshifting heavy
load you've got a chance to talk about
9,500 pounds very very smooth and very
well done all of this seems like a very
integrated in harmonious package that
nissan has tried to create here and we
think it's working
they're trying to slot right in between
a half-ton and a three-quarter-ton
pickup truck
this drives very smooth when empty but
also feels very solid and stable when
towing a heavy load
we're here in the back seat of the XDS
platinum reserve where there's tons of
storage back here underneath the rear
seat you can either create a flat load
floor or use lockable storage on the
side of the bed the side steps go all
the way past the cab itself so you can
stand on the side steps and actually
reach in to the front of the bed
also there's an optional rear step that
you can just knock on the back corner of
the truck reach right into the back of
the bed and grab any gear that you might
need access to the Sun is doing
something very interesting with this
pickup truck it's not technically a half
time it's not technically a
three-quarter time they're trying to
slot this right in that white spaces
what they're calling it so so this is a
vehicle that's trying to straddle two
very well-defined segments that means
payload capacities g bw's towing
capacities are going to be right in
between those two segments it'll be
either a strong half-ton pickup truck or
maybe a three-quarter time light-vehicle
it's got the diesel engine it's got a
very strong frame it's a very solid
foundation it looks like it's going to
do very very well they're still going to
offer five different trim packages the
SDS be the pro-4x dsl
and their top level platinum reserved
and pricing they haven't gotten specific
yet but forty thousand dollars maybe a
little underneath for the $YEAR s
$50,000 for the pro-4x and right around
60 thousand dollars for their top level
premium pickup truck for more
information about this nissan titan XD
or any other truck go to pick up trucks
. com