2016 Nissan Titan

2016 Nissan Titan XD: First Look

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You can’t blame Nissan for promoting its next-generation Titan loudly and proudly with the social media hashtag #cumminssoon. After all, it’s been more than a decade since the original Titan launched in 2004, and the truck still in showrooms is largely unchanged since then. The original plan was to share a platform with the Ram 1500. But once Fiat took control, those plans were scrapped, leaving Nissan back at square one. Well, Nissan doesn’t plan on staying a distant also-ran in the fullsize truck segment, and the 2016 Nissan Titan XD is irrefutable evidence of that.

Heavy-Duty Capability, Half-Ton Comfort
With the Titan XD, Nissan is promising a whole other level of capability in the light-duty segment by incorporating several features more closely associated with HD trucks into a smoother-riding, more comfortable package. This idea is not entirely new, with General Motors briefly offering 1500 HD trucks in the early 2000s, and Ram offering the softly-sprung 1500 Mega Cab for a time. Prior to the Super Duty, Ford also offered an F-150-based F-250LD with oddball seven-lug wheels. But Nissan’s approach seems much more methodical and deliberate. Let’s take a look at some of the hardware.

First of all, the engine. It is Cummins’ first light/medium-duty V-8 of the modern era. Nissan is hoping to cash in on the popularity of Cummins engines in the Titan XD, a legacy built largely on the shoulders of Chrysler’s Ram HD trucks. But the ISV V-8 is an entirely different animal than the B-series inline-six engines that have powered Rams since ’89. The 5.0L V-8 features double-overhead cams, 32 valves, a compacted graphite iron (CGI) block, and Cummins’ new M2 two-stage turbocharger system, designed to minimize lag by managing boost between the low and high-pressure turbos. Power ratings for the new engine are 310 horsepower at 3,200 rpm, and 555 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm. The exclusive transmission is an Aisin-sourced heavy-duty six-speed automatic, the same unit used for the Ram 3500. This powertrain gives the Titan XD a towing capacity of 12,000+ pounds and a payload of 2,000 pounds. Specific towing and fuel economy figures were not announced, but Nissan is claiming a 20-percent improvement over an equivalent gas V-8 model. Taking the current Titan’s 13 city, 18 highway figures as a benchmark, some back-of-napkin calculations yield an unofficial 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.

Further emphasizing its heavy-duty credentials, the Titan XD borrows extensively from the NV fullsize vans, starting with a “proven” Nissan Commercial Vehicles chassis. The chassis was further reinforced with added torsional rigidity and resistance to vertical and lateral bending. Rare for the half-ton segment, the Titan XD has a built-in gooseneck hitch receiver in the bed mounted directly to the frame. For conventional towing, the Titan features a rear view camera with a trailer guide feature to allow the driver to precisely align the trailer ball with the hitch. The suspension is coils and double wishbones in the front, and proven 3.5-inch rear leafs with twin-tube shock absorbers. The rear axle will be familiar to Power Wagon fans as the same 10.5-inch AAM unit that underpins the Ram, however, Nissan stuffs it with an electronic locker of the company’s own design. The front differential on 4x4 models is 9.25 inches. Available wheel/tire combinations include LT245/75R-17, LT275/65R-18 and LT265/60R-20 sizes. Not wanting to repeat the early brake woes of the current truck, the Titan XD’s brakes also reflect its heavier-duty mission, with vented rotors at all four corners measuring 14.2 inches in the front and 14.4 inches in the rear, a significant upgrade from the current Titan’s 13.8 inch front and 12.6 inch solid rear rotors.

Two of a Kind
The Titan XD is one of two distinct models in the 2016 Titan Lineup, with a unique frame and front-end styling, partially to accommodate the heavier weight and larger size of the Cummins engine, as well as the heavier-duty frame, but also to establish the XD’s placement as a viable alternative to traditional HD trucks for buyers looking for greater comfort and a more affordable price point. Nissan believes the Titan XD is a “white-space” truck to offer buyers a powerful, capable tool, but don’t need the full capabilities of today’s ¾ and 1-ton models. Official details on the two other gasoline engines are sparse for the moment, but we know for a fact that a gasoline V-8 and V-6 will also be offered. The leading candidate for the V-8 is the VK56DD direct-injected 5.6L out of the Infiniti QX80, where it produces 400 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque. The V-6 is a bit more of a mystery, but expect some version of the current VQ40 4.0L V-6, possibly updated with direct injection to increase power and fuel economy. Look for output to be in the 280-300 hp range, and torque to be in the same ballpark. The XD will reportedly be offered with a choice of the Cummins as well as a gasoline V-8.

Visually, the Titan XD is much more massive and imposing than its predecessor, but dimensionally, it’s not radically different. The XD model stretches 242.9 inches bumper-to-bumper, with a wheelbase of 151.6 inches and a width of between 79.4 and 80.6 inches, depending on configuration. The largest model of the outgoing Titan was the crew cab model with 7-foot long bed, which had a wheelbase of 159.5 inches, and an overall length of 244.2 inches. The XD features a 6.5-foot bed. Non-XD Titan models will offer King (extended) and regular-cab models, and three available bed lengths. The XD is nearly two inches taller than the tallest of its predecessors, the Pro4X, at 78.7 inches.

The exterior styling theme for the new Titan was “warrior-like” with designers getting inspiration from ancient battle helmets. Yet the design is thoroughly modern, with a chiseled shape. Love it or hate it, there’s no ignoring it, which was likely fully intentional. LED lighting is used extensively on the exterior, with available LED headlights, taillights and bed lighting in the XD model.

One of our biggest gripes about the outgoing Titan was its plasticky, dated interior. Nissan made sure it didn’t make that mistake again with the ’16 model. Materials are significantly improved, with higher-trim models featuring black and tan quilted leather seating surfaces designed to evoke the quilting inside of a premium hunting jacket. In a surprising move away from the predominant industry trend for half-tons, the Titan abandons its console-mounted shifter for a column-mounted shifter to free up more storage space in the center console, which can accommodate a 15-inch laptop computer. Like many other recent Nissan models, the new Titan features available “zero gravity” seats to increase long-range comfort and reduce driver fatigue. The XD and other crew cab Titans also feature lockable rear underseat storage with a fold-up feature, and fold-out flat floor surface.

The factory-applied sprayed-on bedliner and Nissan’s Utili-track adjustable bed channel system carries forward, and the Titan XD also features in-bed storage options that can still be utilized with the addition of a tonneau cover or camper shell, one of the shortcomings of the RamBox concept. The compartments are watertight, drainable, and removable for times when extra bed capacity is needed. The Titan XD also features an available bed-mounted 120-volt AC power outlet, as well as full bed illumination.

Playing to Win
It’s clear Nissan plans on being a legitimate contender in the fullsize market with the Titan XD, as well as offering a full array of powertrains and cab/bed configurations, covering 85 percent of the fullsize market. Higher sales than the outgoing model are virtually assured, as the current Titan sells as many units a year as Ford sells F-Series every two weeks. From a volume standpoint, it has little chance of toppling Ford or Chevy, but could give the Tundra and Sierra some serious competition. We’ll have to see how Nissan’s latest warrior battles it out the fullsize truck arena, but we can confidently say with the hardware it’s bringing to the table, it’s battling to win.

Truck Trend

Seems like a rather solid effort. Ascetically the body appears Dodge like with a Dodge stance and Ford like front end. Interior seem to been a blend of Ford and Dodge. Looks neat overall, seems like I've seen bits and parts of it before somewhere else.

Why does Nissan keep trying so hard for 1% of full size truck sales would they not be better off concentrating on the smaller trucks that they are good at , and way to go for only showing the soccer dad trucks and not the regular cabs .

Likely Nissan is going where the money is.  Greg published an article recently that alluded where the monetary cash cow in the market is, and it's at the top.

Yup, people are willing to chuck out big bucks for loaded pickups. Generally, work trucks are fleet sale vehicles, with a few exceptions of course.

Yep for the work truck, what's the untapped or new revenue potential in that market? $0 Not unless the economy grows, I mean really grows, not the lies we're told from the government and media. The untapped comes from people who have money. Make a truck more like an Audi and yep, that's a real possibility.

Pretty decent effort IMO as well.

Has something GM trucks don't....two tone paint!

The design of the K2XX trucks and GMT-900 trucks simply didn't appear to have design lines that lend to a two tone paint scheme. The GMT-400 and GMT-800 they could get a way with marginally. Though remember the painted half tail gate on the GMT-800 trucks? Looked odd to put it politely. The bumpers should have been colored, not half the tail gate. It might look very scary if GM attempted to two tone a current K2XX truck. Leave that to Dodge, Ford, and now Nissan.

Looking at the outside first couple of pictures, my though was that it was a Ford F-150.

I dont care for the way the front fender line dips down into the front doors. It makes the front end look frumpy from the sides..

joemac wrote:

The design of the K2XX trucks and GMT-900 trucks simply didn't appear to have design lines that lend to a two tone paint scheme.

And whose fault is that?
Doesn't cost anymore to add feature lines to the body while stamping it.

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 The GMT-400 and GMT-800 they could get a way with marginally.  

Personally I always though the GMT-400 looked great with a two tone. They even used some really nice colors back then.

Diesel Dan wrote:

And whose fault is that?
Doesn't cost anymore to add feature lines to the body while stamping it.

It's no ones fault.  Given the actual production design of say the GMT-900 Silverado body front fender.  There's no break line or flow from the front, to the doors, to the rear quarter to accomplish two tone.  Just stating the reality.  Trying to force two tone on a design not intended tends to verge on the side of shoddy or gimmicky from the ascetics perception.  Providing the similar appeal of parts store, two cent, fender stick-ons.

Two tone done right....




On the low end of the execution scale...


I don't know maybe my expectation for execution of the design is too high.  Maybe they should just toss some paint on the as is K2XX's.

It always annoyed me that GM didn't finish the two-tone on the tailgate of the GMT800's.

That echos my previous comment on the GMT-800 being marginal on the applicability of two tone paint.  

From the aesthetics it seemed the break line the GMT-800 was much higher on the door than the GMT-400.  On the GMT-800 instead of having a truck with a "tone", you end up with a product that has two colors, least on the sides, the front and the back don't bother.

I've seen the 800's done as pictured and with the lower tail gate break painted.  With the tail gate lower painted from the rear you have paint, tone, and chrome.  Just thinking it could have been done much better with color matched bumpers.  They did it on the Z71 Tahoe's and Suburbans providing color match bumpers.  Why not here?  Just not a good effort or execution.

I think that also speaks to the take rate.  If there were breakouts of two tone paint from Ford and GM at the time the percentages would likely be stark.  For GM it seemed like an afterthought.

Yota_Fan wrote:

I dont care for the way the front fender line dips down into the front doors. It makes the front end look frumpy from the sides..

It does look unique. Some of me struggles with the saturation of truck or vehicle design in general. Everything from a design standpoint seems to have been done. How do you design and differentiated yourself from the competition. Least they are trying. Seems to do more things right overall than their last attempt. Now it at least seems credible with a shot at the leaders.

joemac wrote:

It's no ones fault.  Given the actual production design of say the GMT-900 Silverado body front fender.  There's no break line or flow from the front, to the doors, to the rear quarter to accomplish two tone.  Just stating the reality.

All the reasons you state are from the designers.
So in that aspect it would fall on them, right?

Blame whomever you'd like. The approved design went through a lot more hands and approval than a single team. It could be possible that two tone paint was never in the requirements demanded of the design team. So this would be fault of who? In the end it doesn't matter, it may be no one's fault at all if it wasn't an intent of the design. Possibly there where two design candidates, one with two tone paint, one without, and the coin toss went to tails for two tone paint. Blame the US Mint, and the government.