Nissan rolls out a Titan of a truck

By Lethbridge Herald on March 18, 2016.

The Nissan Titan XD is a powerful new truck that will offer buyers plenty of towing and hauling capacity.

Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald
abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
Nissan has just fired a new volley in the war for North American pickup supremacy and it’s going to make quite a mark.
The company has redesigned and relaunched its full-sized pickup line, now called the Titan XD, a truck Nissan says has “the sense of a light duty with the heart of a heavy duty.”
This week’s Titan XD off-road oriented Pro-4X model, provided for a test by McDonald Nissan, is powered by a Cummins 5.0-litre turbo-diesel V8 engine generating 310 horsepower and a beastly 555 lb. ft. of torque. Transmission is an Aisin six-speed automatic with tow-haul mode.
Nissan press material says the new engine has a lighter cylinder block made out of compacted graphite iron. With a 12,000-pound towing capacity and the ability to haul a 2,500 lb. payload, the crew cab Titan XD is made for both work and play.
The truck even features a gooseneck hitch already mounted onto the frame. It also has an integrated trailer brake controller and a rear hitch alignment camera that uses coloured lines to help a driver judge distance from a trailer.
And as a convenience that will be much appreciated, the Titan XD includes a remote brake light check so once a trailer is hitched up, a driver can make sure all lights are connected by cycling through them with the truck’s Nissan Intelligent Key.
A spray-on bedliner is applied right at the factory to protect the truck box from the get-go. The Titan XD also has a 110-volt power outlet conveniently built into a corner of the box which also has LED bed lighting to illuminate cargo at night.
The tester is equipped with optional and removable cargo boxes that fit nicely along both sides of the truck bed. These boxes have superb versatility with multiple potential uses and can be easily taken out when more bed width is needed.
The Pro-4X model, priced at $73,460 as tested, has additional features including hill start assist, hill descent control, a front skid plate, all-terrain tires, electronic locking rear differential, Bilstein shocks, leather seating with an embroidered Pro-4X logo, embroidered floor mats plus contrast stitching on the steering wheel and interior trim which has a metallic look.
Other equipment in this trim includes LED signature automatic headlights with “Follow Me Home Function;” LED daytime running lights; fog lights; front and rear sonar sensors; Utili-track Channel System with four tie-down cleats; dual zone automatic climate control; console-mounted 110-volt AC and 12-volt DC power outlets; lockable under-seat rear cargo organizer; NissanConnect with navigation, seven-inch colour touchscreen and voice recognition; Siri Eyes Free; blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert systems; and a 12-speaker Rockford Fosgate audio system.
The tester is fully loaded with a telescoping steering wheel, heated and cooled leather bucket seats, heated steering wheel and heated rear bench seat.
The truck has a deep centre console and numerous storage areas throughout the spacious and luxurious cabin. Rear legroom is exceptional and passengers in back even get their own 12-volt power outlet. The climb into the cabin of the Pro-4X is a high one — at least for this tester — and once inside, driver and passengers have a commanding view of the road.
The interior is well-constructed and is highly user-friendly. I’m a fan of simplicity and the Titan XD gives me just that — easy-to-use controls for sound and heating, large legible instrumentation and an intuitive nav system. Cupholders are right at hand and there are plenty of places to put change, cellphones and other stuff.
The front seats are well-bolstered and all-day comfortable, ranking right at the top of any I’ve sat my butt on over the years. The back bench offers great thigh support and superb comfort for three full-sized adults.
The Titan XD is quieter on the highway than its predecessor with virtually no wind noise or road rumble reaching the cabin. This is particularly impressive since the truck is powered by a diesel engine which is virtually silent at idle.
For such a big unit, it is easy to manoeuvre around the city but on the highway towing a trailer will be where the Titan XD is most at home. And for buyers who haul for work or play, this Nissan is definitely well worth taking a long look at. The Titan is back and it has the right stuff to make a giant impact on buyers.
Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter.

Comments are closed.