Nissan Makes Its Own Niche with The New Nissan Titan XD

Nissan has never made it a priority of theirs to go head-to-head against some of the full-size trucks that lead the industry such as Ford, Chevy, Toyota or Dodge. They’ve always been a little more consumer-based.

They decided to make their own niche with their US-market 2016 Nissan Titan. It is a heavier duty truck than the light-duty everyday pickups, the smaller and more fuel-efficient than the heavy-duty work trucks.

The new truck is 20 feet long, powered by a 5 L V-8 Cummins Turbo diesel rated at 310 hp and 555-pound feet of torque. It will tow up to 12,000 pounds which is said to be more than the F150 from Ford, the Silverado from Chevy, the Ram 1500 from Dodge, or Toyotas Tundra. It’s a big truck – it feels like you need to use a ladder just to get to the drivers seat. Yet, oddly enough, this is a midsize pickup.

The inside felt very different. It’s like this strange mix between a Toyota Camry and a GMC Cadillac. Either way, and felt luxurious and high-end with the seat warmers, seat coolers and plenty of cup holders. The around view Monitor projects a 360° panoramic of the truck surroundings. It makes parking a whole lot easier. The suspension system makes city driving feel as if you are driving a four-door coupe. The higher speeds on the freeway don’t jolt it either. It’s steady and holds its own.

This is the third truck Nissan has made, joining the ranks of the Nissan Frontier and the other Nissan Titans that are not of the XD variety. The way Nissan describes it is that this truck is neither a “beefed-up half ton now a watered-down three-quarter ton.”

Nissan is up against the Ford F150 whether they like it or not. The Ford F150 has been the country’s best-selling vehicle for a long time. Note that I said best-selling vehicle – not just a best-selling truck. To compete, the Titan XD is designed to be good for the daily driver, useful for the construction worker carrying a load, and suitable for the weekend warrior towing a boat or a horse trailer. It comes fully equipped with a trailer brake controller, trailer sway control, trailer light check system and downhill speed control.

Right now, the truck hasn’t been officially released – what is notable is that it is a diesel version. Nissan intends on releasing a 5.6 L V-8 gas engine by mid-2016. This will pack 390 hp and 401-pound feet of torque. Further down the road, there looking into a V-6 option. The V-8 will come equipped with a seven-speed automatic transmission. When it is released, it will be available in a single, crew cab, King cab and off-road Pro-4X versions.

No official price has been determined yet, but it is expected that the Titan XD will begin just above $41,000 at a base price and the Platinum Reserve 4 X 4 crew cab with all the trimmings rising up to $61,000. The current entry level Titan starts at just under $30,000.