San Francisco:
The Nissan Titan is in the second year of
its assault on the domestic truck market, and it seems to be an
effective one. Ample power, good looks and strong towing performance all
make it a good contender.
The Titan Crew Cab features a spacious cabin
that offers more room than other trucks in its class. Its cabin looks
more modern and stylish than its Dodge and Chevy competitors, although
the Ford F-150 probably gets the edge in quality of materials.
There's something magical about listening to
Hank Williams when you're driving a pickup truck. It's like the two were
meant to be together. They just feel right. And when you're driving a
Nissan Titan, listening to Hank Williams via satellite radio feels just
as fitting. Hank's twang and country drawl inspire the feelings of good-ol'-boy
America, but you know there's something different about the delivery -
something high-tech, fresh and foreign.
The Titan has been an intriguing truck ever
since it was introduced in 2004, mainly because it has absolutely no
heritage here. While Ford, Chevy and Dodge owners may have loyalty that
spans generations - going from no radio, then AM, followed by FM and
satellites - Nissan's truck was born entirely in the satellite era. It's
a 20th century concept built in a 21st century mindset. That's what
makes it so compelling.
Just like the trucks that built America, the
Titan is all about power, freedom and simply getting a difficult job
done. It looks tough and rugged because it is. The heart of the Titan,
like any good truck, is its engine, and this one is plenty strong. The
5.6-liter V8 makes 305 horsepower and 379 foot-pounds of torque, enough
to tow 9,400 pounds when properly equipped. That's the good news.
On the downside, only one engine is offered.
There's no V6 or smaller V8 for fuel economy and no diesel engine for
really serious towing, so people who like to pick an engine based on the
needed workload are out of luck. The available V8 is a fantastic engine
- among the very best on the market - but that doesn't mean it's a
perfect fit for everybody who drives a truck.
One thing in the Titan's favor is interior
space, as it has more volume in the cab than any truck in its class.
There's lots of space to stretch out even for the biggest passengers.
Also, the quality of the interior is one of
the best on the market. It's a close second to the Ford F-150 in my
opinion, and clearly nicer than the aging styles in the Chevy and Dodge
trucks.
What the Titan lacks in engine choices it
makes up for in amenities, with features that can range from bare-bones
to totally luxurious. The top-of-the-line crew cab model I tested came
with technology found most often in expensive luxury cars and SUVs,
including a DVD player, navigation system, leather seats and satellite
radio. It lacked nothing in the wiz-bang department.
On the road, the Titan handles extremely
well for a truck of its size, offering outstanding acceleration,
steering and braking. It's not as bouncy over bumps as the Chevy or
Dodge, and it feels as smooth and controlled as the market-leading Ford.
The Titan also features a standard power-assisted rack-and-pinion
steering system, designed for greater steering and handling performance,
especially during heavy towing situations.
Perhaps Titan’s biggest innovation and
differentiation from the competition is in its cargo bed, where a
spray-in bedliner is applied at the factory. The bedliner helps prevent
scratch damage and corrosion to the bed and inner tailgate surface, and
it's the first offered by any original equipment manufacturer. It's also
covered by the Nissan warranty.
Another innovative feature is the bedside
storage compartment located behind the rear driver’s side wheel. The
bedside storage bin is designed to hold common truck items such as work
gloves, chains, rope, road flares, first aid kit or a hitch ball. The
compartment is double-sealed to help prevent the intrusion of water and
dust. It also uses the Titan ignition key for unlocking.
It looks and drives great with the
performance to match. It's also a good value considering how pricey
trucks are getting these days, and its cabin can be outfitted with lots
of luxury goodies. Overall, assuming you want the standard V8 engine,
it's hard to find anything to fault in the Titan.
Why buy it? It looks good, drives well and
performs like a champ. And it's sure to be keeping some folks in Detroit
awake at night. By
Derek Price © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
Nissan Home Page
Byline: Syndicated content provided by Tony Leopardo ©
AutoWire.Net
Column Name: Titan
a serious contender
Topic: The
2005 Nissan Titan
Word Count:
821
Photo Caption:
The 2005 Nissan Titan
Photo Credits:
Nissan Internet Media
Series #:
2005 - 47
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2005 Nissan Titan
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2005 Nissan Titan
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