NISSAN Titan 2017

Body and cabin

After years of conventional design, the Nissan Titan adopts the imposing chrome grille now nearly norm in the pickup segment. It inevitably brings to mind the 2009-2014 generation of the Ford F-150, but who can fault Nissan for taking its cue from North America’s best-selling vehicle?

While the standard Nissan Titan and the XD share this slightly borrowed styling cue, the XD has its own fenders, hood, grille and bumpers to accommodate its more robust structure. In fact, apart from identical width, all of the XD’s dimensions are larger.

Nissan first launched the two Titans with a four-door crew cab, currently the segment’s most popular configuration. However, Nissan is set to bring back an extended cab model, and to introduce long-bed single-cab versions for the first time. The manufacturer expects the additions will allow it to cover 85 percent of the body styles offered by the competition, whereas the former model offered just two combinations.

Inside, the two Nissan Titans are the same. Though still relatively traditional, the restyled dashboard easily erases the memory of the former model’s dated design. The top-trim Platinum Reserve model now compares favourably with its most luxurious rivals in terms of finish, as evidenced by its classy two-toned quilted leather seats with contrasting stitching.

Those bucket seats (cooled in the Platinum Reserve and PRO-4X Luxury Package models) provide excellent comfort, enhanced behind the wheel by a good driving position. Controls are straightforward, accessible and nicely sized, with the exception of the touchscreen’s too-small virtual buttons. The gear shifter has migrated to the steering column, expanding storage space on the centre console.

The wide, well-padded rear bench easily accommodates three people. Top-end models get heated outboard seats. Vents and power outlets on the back of the console are standard starting with SV models with Premium Package and up. The cushion folds up against the backrest to access a storage bin with a locking lid and two foldout panels to create a flat floor.

The bed, too, has its share of convenience features, such as flush-mounted LED bedrail lighting and optional lockable bed boxes. The latter are accessible from inside the bed so as not to get in the way of a tonneau cover, and removable when the full width is required.

It should be noted that the 7-ft. bed, formerly an option on crew-cab models, is no longer available. Crew-cab Titans are now offered with either a 5 ft.-7 in. bed (standard model) or a 6 ft.-6 in. bed (XD).

The 2017 Nissan Titan XD also offers a frame-integrated gooseneck hitch to facilitate heavy-duty towing. A factory-installed trailer brake control system is another new feature, available on nearly all versions, XD or not. The same goes for a very practical key fob-activated trailer light check function.

Safety

New safety features include blind-spot warning with rear cross traffic alert (available starting on SV trim with Premium Package and up) and surround view cameras (Platinum Reserve and PRO-4X with Luxury Package only). Titan S and SV models without Premium Package do not have a backup camera; that’s a poor calculation on Nissan’s part, especially since this accessory will be mandatory as of May 2018 in North America. You’ll also have to wait for automatic emergency braking, a feature manufacturers have promised for all vehicles by 2022.

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Overall score: 4 / 5
Frontal impact: 4 / 5
Side impact: 5 / 5
Rollover resistance: 4 / 5

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS)
Moderate overlap frontal impact: 4 / 4
Small overlap frontal impact:
- driver side: 4 / 4
- passenger side: 4 / 4
Side impact: 4 / 4
Rear impact: 4 / 4
Roof strength: 4 / 4

Mechanical overview

The 2017 Nissan Titan XD is the big newsmaker in terms of mechanicals. According to Nissan, apart from the gasoline-engine drivetrain, no mechanical components of the sturdier XD are shared with the standard Titan. The XD is also the only of the two Titans built on Nissan’s commercial vehicle platform, better known as the NV platform.

Larger brakes, a recirculating ball steering box rather than rack-and-pinion and a beefier suspension are just a few of the components that ready the XD for more demanding work. Still, the XD costs only $350 to $1,700 more than the light-duty Titan, which is more than reasonable.

Obviously, the price differential concerns just the gasoline models. You have to add another $7,500 to equip your Titan XD with the optional Cummins diesel engine that Nissan is trumpeting in its publicity.

Designed starting with an existing block but modified to adapt to the Titan XD, the Cummins 5.0-litre V8 delivers 310 hp and 555 lb-ft of torque. That tops the half-ton truck segment, which includes only one other diesel engine, that of the RAM 1500, a less powerful, 3.0-litre V6.

The Cummins V8 fits the Titan XD like a glove, especially when it is put to good use. We had the opportunity to haul an enclosed trailer weighing more than 2,700 kg (6,000 lb.)—contents including a Nissan Micra Cup race car!—up a long, steep hill as we left Baie-Saint-Paul en route to Quebec City. For a truck with a towing capacity of 5,447 kg (12,010 lb.), it was a piece of cake.

On the way up, however, the six-speed automatic transmission had some trouble finding the right gear; fortunately, there’s a manual mode to avoid this behaviour. It is the same Aisin transmission used on the RAM 3500 diesel truck, which is designed for much heavier work than the Titan XD. That for Nissan is a guarantee of solidity that should confirm itself with time. For now, the trade-off is rough gear shifts, even in normal driving.

The 5.6-litre V8, the standard Nissan Titan XD engine (and the only engine available for the light-duty Titan until a V6 becomes available) received its share of attention for 2017. A new cylinder head, redesigned intake and exhaust systems and direct fuel injection, notably, boost power to 390 hp and 394 lb-ft (from 317 hp and 385 lb-ft, respectively). A new, seven-speed automatic transmission pairs with the V8; it is based on the transmission used on several Infiniti models.

This drivetrain delivers very good performance with impressive smoothness and quiet. Natural Resources Canada official ratings promise a combined city/highway consumption of 13.4 L/100 km, which is 20 percent lower than the 17.2 L/100 km average for the outgoing light-duty Titan.

On the road, the “light” Titan proves stable, secure and generally comfortable. Though its rear leaf-spring suspension may not be as conciliatory as the RAM 1500’s coil springs, it still avoids the rear-end hop typical of pickups. It also easily manages heavy loads, as we noted on a haul with a 300-kg crate of apples on Orléans Island, near Quebec City.

A short off-road excursion at the wheel of a Titan PRO-4X allowed us to appreciate its high ground clearance, more aggressive tires and automatic hill-descent controlled via the anti-locking brake system. Like all Titan and XD models, the PRO-4X currently offers part-time four-wheel drive only. Nissan is not ruling out an automatic transfer case, depending on demand. A rear-drive model will become available in 2017.