Would you drive a Titan? Adam, your input please!

[nissangirl74]

I was reading this article http://www.thecarconnection.com/overvie ... titan_2013 and the author is basically ripping the truck, even though he does point out a few good points. My question is this: Is there anything about this truck that would make you buy one, knowing how the others stack up against it? Why or why not?

If not, and if you were in the market, what full size truck would you buy?
For me: Chevy Silverado (or GMC Sierra) , Crew Cab, 4x4, 6" lift, meaty tires, preferably in maroon or navy blue metallic.

I have always been in love with the (idea of the) Titan but its lack of a manual transmission always killed it for me, even more so than the mileage, which is HORRIBLE. I like the looks of it, a lot. Especially the ones that have a modest lift and beefier tires. I have never driven one so I have no idea how it performs mechanically, although I would like to one day, just so I could make comparisons and have a more educated viewpoint.

Adam, how do you feel about your Titan? still love it? Buyers remorse?

[Jesda]

Nissan seems to be giving them away. Four grand off and 0% financing.

[Bubba1]

I was reading this article http://www.thecarconnection.com/overvie ... titan_2013 and the author is basically ripping the truck, even though he does point out a few good points. My question is this: Is there anything about this truck that would make you buy one, knowing how the others stack up against it? Why or why not?

If not, and if you were in the market, what full size truck would you buy?
For me: Chevy Silverado (or GMC Sierra) , Crew Cab, 4x4, 6" lift, meaty tires, preferably in maroon or navy blue metallic.

I have always been in love with the (idea of the) Titan but its lack of a manual transmission always killed it for me, even more so than the mileage, which is HORRIBLE. I like the looks of it, a lot. Especially the ones that have a modest lift and beefier tires. I have never driven one so I have no idea how it performs mechanically, although I would like to one day, just so I could make comparisons and have a more educated viewpoint.

Adam, how do you feel about your Titan? still love it? Buyers remorse?

Bex, I don't see where they're ripping the Titan. It's essentially a 9 yr old design, and many of its cmpetitors have improved. And the Titan's gas mileage is a tad below it's comptetition. Can't sugar coat that. Ford is selling more F150's these days with 6 cylinders. Hopefully Nissan won't try to bump gas mileage with a CVT, but the lack of a manual transmission would keep me from buying one.

I think Nissan made significant improvements in titan reliability in recent years with this design, which is good, but it's still an old design. Until Nissan decides update the model with more than a facelift, I don't see them with much choice but to discount steeply.

[AppleBonker]

Adam, how do you feel about your Titan? still love it? Buyers remorse?

I have a feeling this will turn into a long post...

When first searching for a truck, there were a few items that were required for me:
Crew cab (or whatever name the manufacturer gave it: 4 full-size doors)
Four-wheel drive
Heated seats*

*not a requirement for me, but the little lady

You'll also notice that final requirement drives the cost up rapidly. It essentially forced me into the higher trim levels for all brands. (LTZ on the Chevy, SLT on the GMC, FX4 on the Ford, Pro4x/SV for Nissan, and I didn't seriously consider Toyota - sorry). MSRP here is roughly at the 42-44k range across the board. Invoice, however, is a few grand lower on the Titan than the other trucks it would seem.

At this price, I searched for used vehicles first, but finding one this loaded was not too simple. I then found a Carmax in MD that is a certified Nissan dealer. Like all Carmax pricing, they roll as much of a discount in as they can and advertise their lowest price (no haggling required/allowed). The almost fully-loaded (no sunroof/navigation) Pro-4x was listed at $32.5k (after a cash incentive), much lower than I could hope to get a Chevy/GMC/Ford dealer to go. I used that dealer to negotiate with my local Nissan dealer and wound up getting them down to about $35k OTD. So that covers why I selected the Titan: almost solely based on price (through incentives, etc).

Having covered the why, I'll try to answer some of the questions about how I like the truck, and rebut some of that review.

Gas Mileage
It's a truck. Mileage sucks. Deal with it. I've been averaging a bit over 16 mpg with a driving blend that is mostly (say 85%) highway. The difference between that and 18 mpg is roughly $300 every 10k miles (assuming $4.50/gal gas). Hardly a deal-breaker. And the F150 Eco has seen a lot of discussion centered on if it actually performs to the EPA numbers. FWIW, my mileage isn't too far off from a few Ridgeline and midsize-truck owners that I know.

Interior
Having checked the interior of most of these trucks (again, no Tundra), I don't see the complaint here. I don't have any problems with the feel of the interior. Are some of the newer GM/Ford trucks a bit nicer? Sure. But I personally don't feel like the Titan is lacking. Again, it's a truck, not a luxury vehicle. I'm not sure what people are expecting. Note: I'm in the Titan Pro-4x with leather interior, so the base models may be substantially different.

Transmission
I love manual transmissions, but that wasn't something I was looking for on a truck. A truck is pretty much the only vehicle I prefer in an auto, so this wasn't an issue for me. The auto included seems perfectly capable at selecting gears. I've had very few issues.

Performance
The VK56DE has plenty of pull when needed. I tend to mostly stay out of the throttle, as this isn't a sporty vehicle. I'm not too concerned with how fast I can hit 60 in a 5,000 lb tank. Braking from speed is something I pay more attention to than getting to said speed. Stopping power is there, but the truck obviously takes longer than any of the smaller vehicles I've owned previously. Brake feel is a bit mushy but, again, not as big a concern for me with a truck (and not appreciably different than the competitors). The suspension on the Pro-4x is definitely a bit firm, but not overly so (IMO). Handling is actually better than I expected from a vehicle this size. Though, without a substantial amount of miles behind the wheel of a competing truck, I'd be hard-pressed to pick a winner between them.

When moving a few months back, I was able to test the towing ability. I had the largest offered UHaul trailer strapped to the back, and it was fully-loaded for at least one trip (still nowhere near a large load, however). Even without using Tow Mode, the truck wasn't phased. I had my dad with me and he mentioned how much better the Titan handled the load than his Ridgeline (nothing shocking there).

My plan was to test off-road performance this year, but the whole moving situation put a kink in that one. I will get this truck on the trails, and I'll report back at that point.

Other thoughts
-The rear sliding window is larger on this truck than every other truck except the Tundra. Do NOT underestimate how important this is. Air flow through the cab with the rear window down is substantial and removes the need for A/C below 80 degrees (even for a guy that sweats like a fatty).

-Power seats/pedals/mirrors with memory are a nice feature too (included in this trim/option combo). The front bucket seats are also quite comfortable. The longest drive I've had was only about 4 hours, but I had no issues near the tail-end of that trip.

-The spray-liner and utili-trak system in the bed is awesome. I've used the track system many times now (with moving and buying appliances and such), and can honestly say it is a fantastic feature. I have virtually unlimited tie-down options now.

-Standard locking tailgate is also a nice perk when adding a bed cover. The locking cargo box near the rear wheel is almost worthless, though.

-The exhaust note is quite loud at the 1.5-2k RPM range. This could be where some of the complaints originate (at highway speeds, you're pretty much in this band the whole time).

Finally, Bex, if you ever make it out to the Chi-town area, you're more than welcome to do an extended test drive. Jesda too. So, no buyer's remorse here. If I had to do it over again, it would likely end the exact same (unless GM/Ford issued about $3-4k more in incentives). And if you have any specific questions, post them up and I'll do my best to answer.

[MinisterofDOOM]

7 years in and the Titan is STILL one of my top-picks for half-ton pickups. I'm a truck guy, and I use trucks for real truck stuff. Most of that guy's criticisms are non-truck-guy talking. Why?

Modern truck interiors are galaxies ahead of truck interiors just ten years ago. You can get F150s outfitted like Lincolns, or Silverados like Cadillacs. But at the turn of the century, trucks were trucks. They had plastic interiors, maybe a little upholstery in a few spots on the doors, and crummy seats. While I do agree that it's nice to be able to get a half-ton pickup you can drive in comfort as a daily-driver these days, I think perhaps our reviewer has forgotten that pickups are not Town Cars, were never meant to be Town Cars, and probably are best off not becoming Town Cars.

The fact that every truck you see these days has a leather interior with woodgrain and a 50 speaker sound system is actually one of my major COMPLAINTS with the modern pickup. I don't NEED all that s***. I don't want all that s***. I have a Lincoln for that. And even if I didn't, I wouldn't be buying a truck for the luxury in the first place (and if I were, I'd buy it from a luxury BRAND and get a Mark LT). All the leather and other garbage does is drive up the price. If I want a truck for truck stuff, I don't care to pay extra for leather and sound system and voice command tech.

While you can still buy modern pickups with column shifters and split-bench front seats, but if you start to order many options, the middle front seat goes away and instead you get a carlike center console, and a goofy oversized console-mounted shifter.

Mr. Halvorson probably should have bought a Town Car.

My dad daily-drives a 1997 Ram 1500. It has rock-hard grey plastic everywhere inside. Interior panel seams are curved to disguise their loose fitment. The door panels are more plastic with small pads of fabric over them. The seats are flat. And that truck has done more truck stuff than 99% of the leathered-up modern trucks you see bragging about their towing capacities and offroad capabilities. It's been OFF ROAD. Not dirt roads. NO ROADS. It's hauled everything from boats to coal to motorcycles to natural disaster debris to other cars. It's banged-up, with dents, scrapes, and bullet holes in the bodywork. And the interior would be shredded if it were leather and wood. It gets 12mpg. And it sounds marvelous.

Trucks are trucks. They're not luxury cars. Unless you're driving your truck offroad, towing and hauling with it, and doing more than lifting it, putting on some white sunglasses, and going to Super Target for groceries, you probably should find something else to review. Granted our Mr. Halvorson may do these things. But it doesn't sound like it from the review. A man who USES his truck would have things to say about its truckness, not its lack of sufficient leather.

[Mr1der]

to summarize, it's a perfectly fine and capable truck, BUT waaaaaaaay behind to it's current competition. Seems to be the case for about anything in the Nissan lineup.

The new Altima included. f*** YOU AND YOUR CVT NISSAN.

Probably only offer the next titan with one too...***holes.

[alms24sebring]

Ive always liked them. Ive driven one and it definantly had some pick up for a pick-up. But at the same time its no F150/250/350. They are just better and more well known trucks. I would buy one if I had an actual use for it and towing stuff regularly, but other than that I have no use for it. Checking it, I didnt know they were still producing them. Goin on 9 years of the same chassis and trim.

[MinisterofDOOM]

The current F150 is trying WAY to hard to look cool. It's ugly. The gigantic chrome grille, the stupid fenders, the headlights and taillights...they all suck. It looked so much better before it started falling off the #1 selling vehicle spot and Ford panicked and decided to try and make it "cool".

[alms24sebring]

I agree with that. That includes the Super Duty's too. Way too much front end

[AppleBonker]

If I want a truck for truck stuff, I don't care to pay extra for leather and sound system and voice command tech.

That's actually one of the other nice things about the Titan. Nearly all of the mechanicals are standard. The optional items tend to be almost strictly creature comfort related.

Also, even though the truck hasn't changed much in appearance since its debut in '04, I still think it's visually pleasing (which is more than I can say for any of the other trucks out there - they all had at least one moderately terrible design during that period).

[PapaSmurf2k3]

The author of this article clearly doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. He says he reviewed a 2013 Titan. Those aren't even out yet. And if they were (or if he actually did his homework), he would know that a rearview camera is an option. 2013 gets mild re-style, with some added features. 2014 or 2015 is a major (MAJOR) redesign.

A few things I like about the current model Titan:
Interior (I actually think it's REALLY nice). A friend of mine just bought an F150 FX4. I'm not impressed with the interior at all. Maybe it's because I know what goes into making an interior cheap (like heavy grain to mask plastic defects, warping, and dips), and the F150 has a TON of that. I understand it's so they can crank them out faster and cheaper, but I'm wise to their games.
Power- Seriously the thing hauls a**.
Exterior styling- as mentioned, its old, but it has aged very well.
Bed height- All new trucks have an annoyingly high bed. So high you can't reach over the side of it to put things in/take things out of the bed. The Titan doesn't suffer from this.
Fully boxed indestructible frame of awesomeness.
Electronic locking rear diff
Pretty tight turning radius

Things I DON'T like about it:
No manual option
Bad gas mileage
no engine options (which is changing with the major redesign).

...and there's one more that I'm forgetting. Oh well.

[nissangirl74]

I think I need to go drive one. that way, when the new one comes out, I can write a comparison review. I hope nothing ever happens to the Frontier and we have to go get another truck because I'll be tempted to upgrade.

[themadscientist]

Just want the engine.

[nissangirl74]

I wonder if we could drop that into the 620.....

[Bubba1]

I think I need to go drive one. that way, when the new one comes out, I can write a comparison review. I hope nothing ever happens to the Frontier and we have to go get another truck because I'll be tempted to upgrade.

I would also suggest trying the Toyota equivalent. They might surprise you.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Just want the engine.

I'd rather have the M's 420hp direct injection, VVEL-equipped version, thank you. More torque and more hp more of the time.

[themadscientist]

I would rather have an L3.1. Engines are too complicated these days and the s*** to power ratio is not acceptable to me.

[nissangirl74]

I think I need to go drive one. that way, when the new one comes out, I can write a comparison review. I hope nothing ever happens to the Frontier and we have to go get another truck because I'll be tempted to upgrade.

I would also suggest trying the Toyota equivalent. They might surprise you.

Meh, never have been much of a Toyota fan, especially not of anything past the late 70s.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I would rather have an L3.1. Engines are too complicated these days and the bullsh*t to power ratio is not acceptable to me.

I completely agree. If I ever have kids (which I hope I don't), I deem you the only person ever that I consider acceptable to babysit them. MOD would be as well, but he doesn't seem kid friendly. (Not that I blame you Chris, I'm not either... just saying).

[alms24sebring]

Who doesnt want to throw a kid's face in the corner of a coffee table to shut them up? I cant even handle other peoples kids in public. Christ I cant even take care of goldfish. You are not alone my friend.

[themadscientist]

Kids are like any group, a few cool ones, a lot of annoying ones. Every time I am ready to writeoff kids I meet a really cool one. My nightmare is having boring kid that just sits up his or her room looking at the internet,,,,,like their dad it seems.