Titan or Frontier?

[nobbie]

Okay, I don't know if this has been discussed. But, I have a dilemma. I want a Nissan crew cab truck. Logically, the Frontier makes the most sense. Higher rated. Better gas mileage. Easier to park. But, for me, the design of the Titan draws my eye. I just think the exterior lines are so much nicer. Do I follow my heart? Or do I follow my head?

Anybody else have this issue? What did you decide upon? I beseech thee!

[EL MAMITO USMC]

im having the same problem guys, but my wife is the one that wants the titan, any pro or cons, recalls or defects of the titans? thanks for the help

[Desert Rat]

Depends on so many things. What do you want to use the truck for. How much room do you need.

The MPG isn't a heckuva lot different, honestly. not more than 2-3MPG in real world driving.

[EL MAMITO USMC]

Depends on so many things. What do you want to use the truck for. How much room do you need.

The MPG isn't a heckuva lot different, honestly. not more than 2-3MPG in real world driving.

for which one?

ok , i guess my wife wants the titan since we are going to have 3 kids and she likes big truck so she can go later to the sand dunes and sand races...

[C-Kwik]

Okay, I don't know if this has been discussed. But, I have a dilemma. I want a Nissan crew cab truck. Logically, the Frontier makes the most sense. Higher rated. Better gas mileage. Easier to park. But, for me, the design of the Titan draws my eye. I just think the exterior lines are so much nicer. Do I follow my heart? Or do I follow my head?

Anybody else have this issue? What did you decide upon? I beseech thee!

What makes sense can be different for everyone. The real difference here is the size of the trucks and their capabilities (towing/hauling). Of course, its hard to ignore personal preferences for aesthetics, but consider your needs and the additional expenses of having a bigger truck. The Titan consumes more gas. Tires are probably more expensive. I put in 7 quarts of oil during changes. Parking can suck with the Titan, but its not much worse than my mom's 04 Frontier. Not sure about the new Frontiers.

im having the same problem guys, but my wife is the one that wants the titan, any pro or cons, recalls or defects of the titans? thanks for the help

I don't think that there are any recalls but there are a number of common problems. Early models had issues with brake judder, but all of those should be remedied by now with updated rotors. There have been a number of differential failures where the spider gears break. I can't recall what year it started, but Nissan apparently updated the part. One of the next things on my to do list is to have a Tru-Trac installed (Helical LSD), which would eliminate the part that fails).

Early on, I had seen a few people complaining about a coolant leak. Nissan released a TSB to replace the radiator cap. Mine had this issue, but it had to do with the coolant reservior cap's valve getting stuck. Since the coolant tank is pressurized, the pressure is released there rather than at the radiator cap. Either way, not a big deal and I haven't seen any talk about this being a problem for some time now.

for which one?

ok , i guess my wife wants the titan since we are going to have 3 kids and she likes big truck so she can go later to the sand dunes and sand races...

If you are referring to the gas mileage, the Titan's gas mileage is lower. I get about 12 now. But I have a heavy foot and some heavy tires. With the OE type of tires I was getting around 13. My mom borrowed the truck for a bit and she was got a little over 15 and she drives pretty normally.

If you plan on 3 kids, I'd speculate the Frontier might be a little cramped. With the rear seats in sitting position, I can pretty much walk around in front of them. Especially if you plan to keep it through much of their childhood. Though, if I were going to have 3 kids, I'd probably be eyeing an Armada (or any large SUV) instead of a truck. The third row seating could come in handy if you need to haul around a couple extra people here and there and provides some breathing room for the kids as they get older (Help avoid those "Don't make me come back there" moments). For typical every day use, the back of a SUV is a little more comfortable to use then the bed of a truck. Getting a stroller out is not as convenient to pull out over the top of the bed or across an open truck tailgate.

But if you must have a truck, a Titan Crew Cab would be comfortable enough to have 3 sit in the rear. Hell, I haul 3 adults in the back at times and they are just fine. You could also forego the captain's chairs and get the front bench seat as well. I took a ride in one a couple of years ago and it was nicer than I expected. I still prefer having the console myself, but there are times when having a 6th seat would have been convenient.

As a recommendation, if you do get a truck, get one with the Factory spray-in bedliner and the Utili-track rails. Both are awesome. The back-up sensors on the Titan are helpful too.

Lastly, before you make any decision, go out and take a look at them. Test drive them. Don't decide right away. Go back home and think about it. Then decide.

[Timmbo]

Both nice rides, I think the biggest difference is the size. Fuel economy really isn't that different in the grand scheme of things. A few years ago my brother walked into the Nissan dealer looking for a Pathfinder, he also considered the Xterra. Anyway, I spotted a sweet deal on a close-out Titan LE, once he test drove it he fell in love. It really was the extra space inside, he really wasn't in search of a pickup, but he could not afford an Armada, hence he ended up with the Titan.

Right now I noticed there are obviously great deals on new Titans and other Nissan trucks, but if you look for an '08 that is used with super low miles, you will be shocked by how cheap they are. Even Armada, you can find a $54,000 Armada, used, '08 model, fully loaded, super low miles, for around $35,000. That is crazy stuff. Titan and Frontier are even better.

Good luck in your search, you will be happy either way!

[hsckris]

I've got about 42,xxx on my Frontier.

I've never gotten below 17mpg, even while towing. If he is getting 12mpg in that Titan I'd say that is enough difference to consider. I normally average 18-20mpg with mixed driving (it is minimally higher on all highway, 19-21ish).

Frontier is not recall/problem free. I've had mine in for brake squeal/shudder, replaced under warranty at 24k. My tailgate hinges sag, causing the tailgate to stick out from the rest of the rear body area. It needs to go in now for 1)the timing chain recall -- significant whine during acceleration & 2) my drivers side window almost gets stuck every time I put it up. Also, my cowl was badly faded and aged after only 20k, so Nissan replaced that under warranty. It still has a couple squeaks Nissan has been unable to fix. And for some reason the dome light won't turn on if you put it in the 'on' position. It works fine when you open the doors. Nissan has replaced and rewired twice, and still does it so I've stopped asking.

That said, this is by far the best vehicle I've ever owned. It tows my ~2000lb trailer easily. Always had enough room in the bed for what I've needed to haul (I do have a bed extender, and I use it!). Has good power (I've outrun many an unsuspecting full size Hemi, Gm, 5.4, etc. ). As far as tires, the Frontier wears 31" tires in 4x4 trim, 32" if you have a Nismo (its in metric, but you know what I mean). They aren't cheap if you want A/Ts. I think mine were ~$150 each, the Titan does have larger tires IIRC. As far as parking, 05+ Frontiers w/ 4wd have a terrible turning radius. Parking is real pain. I've gotten now to where I don't even bother trying to be straight on the first turn in, I just pull in and immediately back up and reposition.

I am going to get rid of it before too long b/c children are likely in the picture and it is just too small being a KC. The 4 door would likely be fine, but I'd question it with 3 kids. Full size trucks just have a lot more room.

I'd say you need to go drive them both, see which one fits better & see if the Frontier has enough room.

[EL MAMITO USMC]

thanks guys for the info, keep it coming.........

[i_love_my_300zx]

I've had my Frontier for 2 years and have only encountered one problem. The first winter that I had the truck, the radio's LCD screen stopped working. Warranty covered me for that.

I get respectable gas mileage, due to the fact that I do alot of highway driving. I've also put on the Nismo cold air kit / Magnaflow exhaust which helps a bit.

As it was said earlier, the bedliner / rail system is awsome. Its quite easy to keep the back clean, and the rail system has proved itself quite valuable when hauling items.

I do not have the CC, but test drove one during the buying process. The salesman was in the back, and he looked somewhat cramped. However with the KC, if I have friends in the back, it usually leads to them complaining about the lack of space.

[EL MAMITO USMC]

thanks guys, keep the info coming

[Promise Land]

To those still looking for a truck, let me know if I can help with a VPP discount. It may get you a new truck for the price of a used low miler.

[EL MAMITO USMC]

To those still looking for a truck, let me know if I can help with a VPP discount. It may get you a new truck for the price of a used low miler.

post some more info or email me , thanks

[bwarren228]

Tough call. I love my Frontier, but have always liked the look of a Titan. The Frontier is more reliable from what my buddy at the dealership says. He said they always have Titans coming in getting things fixed, but rarely see Frontiers. I can't comment directly because I don't have a titan,but my 05 Frontier has been great.

[Promise Land]

Sorry to get back to this so late!

http://www.insidenissan.com/vpp/vendor/index.html

Go here for the VPP discount info. If you tell me what you want (options, etc.) I can check what the current price would be for a new one.

The new Frontiers are really well built. The Titan's had a lot of nagging warranty issues corrected for the 2008.5 model year, so get one of those or later if possible.

Email me directly if it's easier. I don't get in to this forum much.

[EL MAMITO USMC]

Sorry to get back to this so late!

http://www.insidenissan.com/vpp/vendor/index.html

Go here for the VPP discount info. If you tell me what you want (options, etc.) I can check what the current price would be for a new one.

The new Frontiers are really well built. The Titan's had a lot of nagging warranty issues corrected for the 2008.5 model year, so get one of those or later if possible.

Email me directly if it's easier. I don't get in to this forum much.

email sent

[nissangirl74]

That said, this is by far the best vehicle I've ever owned.

I am going to get rid of it before too long b/c children are likely in the picture and it is just too small being a KC. The 4 door would likely be fine, but I'd question it with 3 kids. Full size trucks just have a lot more room.

I'd say you need to go drive them both, see which one fits better & see if the Frontier has enough room.

I have an '05 with just under 40K that we drove 1900+ miles across the country hauling a 5 x 8 uhaul trailer packed to capacity. You never even knew the trailer was there. If you are going to get a Frontier, get the 4 door! You will not be disappointed and as far as kids are concerned, I have hauled my daughter and her friends across the state lines a time or two and none of them have ever complained. Unless your kids surpass 6'1" and 250 pounds, I don't think space will ever be an issue.

Hope this helps.