For Whom Does the 2016 Nissan Titan XD Roll?
With all the requisite pomp and circumstance, Nissan recently celebrated the first all-new 2016 Nissan Titan XD to roll off the production line in Canton, Miss. Nissan's Jose Munoz, executive vice president of Nissan Motor Co. and chairman of Nissan North America, and Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant had front-row seats for the Nov. 19 event.
But the big question about the segment-busting XD is whether there is a place for a full-size pickup that sits in between a traditional half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickup. If you swallow the research Nissan is pushing, there are many people who want more than a half-ton can provide without making the trade-offs one has to make when choosing a heavy-duty platform. The problem we see is that when you look at the numbers, it's a much heavier truck with less payload capacity than many half-ton configurations, and it's not strong enough to pull the heavier loads that heavy-duty powertrains can handle.
There's no question that as trailers and toys get bigger, the pickups that tow them will have to change, but up to this point it seems like half-tons have done a pretty good job. We wonder if there are that many people who need to tow or carry heavier loads than most normal-sized half-tons can manage. Or put another way, is there really a need for this "tweener" or is this new pickup an answer to a question that no one in the pickup-buying world is asking?
Take the Ford F-150 as an example. There are several crew-cab and SuperCab F-150 models that offer more payload capacity than the much heavier Titan XD. Yes, the stronger and heavier frame of the XD does offer more than 1,000 pounds of extra gross vehicle weight (ranging between 8,800 and 8,990), but then again the aluminum-bodied F-150 weighs at least 2,000 pounds less (in some configurations even more) than the XD. That means that the Ford's max payload in a four-door crew cab is often much greater than(depending on trim and engine) the bigger and heavier XD.
From our vantage point, the Titan XD, regardless of how capable or well built it is, could turn out to be a niche vehicle player in a segment that has a ton of bandwidth. The most obvious example of this is the previous-generation Honda Ridgeline, which attempted to serve pickup buyers who didn't really want to own a pickup truck. The Titan XD clearly offers strength and traditional truck values but without the unique details of the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline didn't really look like a pickup or drive like a pickup, although it had some nice storage and bed access details that separated it from competitors.
The Titan XD's advantage is that it offers everything everyone else does — premium trim packages, good payload capacity, good towing capacity and a traditional look — but does it with a heavier truck. We'll concede that the 5.0-liter V-8 Cummins engine is a wonderfully unique selling point and could possibly be enough to separate the XD from the field. However, an engine of this size on a chassis this heavy (a crew-cab SL 4x2 we drove weighed more than 7,200 pounds) won't do well in the fuel-economy department. Some estimated reports have the Titan XD hitting the 15/20 mpg city/highway range, but we'll never know for sure. Nissan decided not to submit the Titan XD for EPA certification because it's not required for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 8,500 pounds. (We wish Nissan had submitted the truck for certification.) Those numbers are not bad, but they're not categorically different from the bigger turbo-diesel choices available from GM (6.6-liter V-8), Ford (6.7-liter V-8) and Ram (6.7-liter inline-six); each of those can tow and haul a lot more than the Titan XD.
Where the Titan XD crushes potential competitors is ride quality. With so much range and configurability available in the half-ton segment, heavy-duty pickups have focused on work-centered buyers, oftentimes fleets that purchase large, stripped versions. These are the brutes of the pickup world, designed to pull and haul loads bigger than they should, and their suspensions feel like it, especially when driving around town with an empty bed. Not so with the Titan XD. Drive the XD empty and you can tell the suspension engineers did an excellent job of balancing ride control and comfort.
The bottom line isn't how well the Titan XD does the same thing that all the other competitors do, or even whether it does any one of those things differently. The issue that concerns us most is whether there are buyers waiting for a truck that doesn't ride as well as any of the half-tons, won't carry as much as any of the other diesel-equipped three-quarter-tons and doesn't offer enough of the technology we're beginning to expect.
One last question: How can Nissan sell a diesel pickup truck that's presumably bought to tow or haul and offer only a 26-gallon fuel tank? The best-case scenario when towing a heavy load is that you'll be filling up every 200 or 300 miles; the worst case is much less than that. That's a lot of stopping over a long haul and one detail that has us thinking maybe Nissan doesn't quite have this new kind of buyer nailed down yet.
Manufacturer image
Comments
wow. It weighs 2000 pounds more than an f150. Clearly not in the same class as a half ton. The most glaring flaw with the new titan is the small fuel tank. Love the 35 gallon tank on my f150.
Don't forget pricing on top of all those issues and TITAN is DOA.
You are very correct with your concerns. I held off buying a half ton to see what this truck offers. From what I see I can get very close to the same capacity in a Ford or Chevy for less money and operating expense. I have already written the Nissan off.
In my opinion, there doesn't need to be a truck between the current 1/2 and 3/4 tons. Most current halfs a plenty capable trucks nowadays. I think that GM and Ford need to keep up with adding diesels to their lineups to appease those of us not needing 3/4 tons but wanting the benefits of a diesel engine. Getting fuel economy of a V-6 car with a full size half ton (ecodiesel) is very appealing to me. And most half ton owners don't tow at the trucks full rating anyway.
Its been said here before and I agree, if you need to tow 12000 plus pounds regularly, buy a 3/4 ton.
Good points Bill, there is no need for an in-between truck, I see 2 things with this truck, if it doesnt have good fuel mileage it will fail, if they dont fix the small tank issue it will also fail. I see this truck as a niche truck and thats all at this point
It seems it would have been better to offer the diesel in the lighter standard Titan, although it would still need the bigger engine bay. I'm wondering if Nissan has bigger plans for the truck like maybe a true 2500/3500 with that big frame they are using.
Poor al. F series dominated sales in November on less incentives. Gmc down huge!!! Twin midsize only sold around 8400 combined even though they make 10k a month.
BAFO has been wrong about everything!!!!
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2015/12/usa-best-selling-pickup-truck-sales-figures-november-2015-ytd.html?m=1
"swallow the research Nissan is pushing"? Why the hate for the titan putc? Before the titan rolled off the line you fell all over yourself praising it. You even made a video expressing your love for it. What happened? Couldn't help comparing it to the ford though. EVERYTHING ford puts out makes you giddy. I understand, you have your favorite brand. We all do.
Looks like a great truck. The 2500 ram can tow 17000, then on the same engine can tow 30000 my ges is this thing can tow a lot more than advertised when properly equipped
I would buy the Titan XD PRO 4X to tow the travel trailer if the max payload is about 2000 lbs and the fuel tank is larger than 26 gallons. So that I can load more stuffs on the truck and travel longer for the fuel stop.
Titan misses the mark on the 1/2 ton segment. It's not even EPA rated. It can't tow very much for being a 3/4 ton compared to the others. Mpg's are realistically going to be worse then any 1/2 ton according to until reports. Price is going to diesel expensive. Big 3 except maybe ram have nothing to worry about.
@roadram, PUTC did praise the truck during the first review/drive but then the negative reviews come out and all of a sudden they have to follow what the other truck sites said. Kind of a shame
Could this site be any more biased towards the F150? They never miss an opportunity to mention it. It's become so comical its hard to take any article posted here seriously. Hell I love my F150 and I still find it sickening.
I know tons of guys that haul cars to the track in enclosed trailers that would buy this truck in a heartbeat, except that it only has a 26 gallon tank. Tracks are often an entire day of towing from home, and this isn't getting it.
Further, anyone that tows with a gooseneck hitch needs more than 2000# of payload considering that proper load distribution for a gooseneck requires 25% of the trailers total weight to be over that pin. This limits you to an 8000# trailer, which is NOTHING when considering how much gooseneck trailers weigh. I'm afraid we're lacking on payload if you really want to use the gooseneck capabilities.
For tag trailers, the payload and everything looks awesome - no one needs 800# of torque if you're just towing a moderate enclosed trailer.
I am baffled by the small fuel tank.
^^^LMAO at this guy, it's not PUTC fault that there are more news of FORD then any other mfg'er. It's the mfg'er that pushes the envelope.
Does the truck look good, sure. The interior appears to look upscale also. That is needed in the truck market now. As the article pointed out it only has 1/2 ton capabilities. Depending on suspension tuning it should be more secure towing heavy than the big 3s 1500s. That is a plus but according to BIG Al, nobody's buys a 1500 series truck for tow and load. Lol. The diesel option is nice but the economy does not initially impress. Add DEF to the equation and you wonder the price per mile. Where they missed the mark IMO is they should have given it more towing and payload. Set it closer to a 2500 truck with great ride, smaller size and economy. Will it sell, sure will. Not earth shattering from what I can see.
I do like how even the motoring journalists speak of the pickup as if they are all working vehicles.
The Titan was designed as an alternative large car/SUV. Many of the lighter HDs sold are not work trucks. They do tow, but how much?
It seems so many so called pickup experts only look at load and tow, when in fact that is a secondary issue to most who purchase a pickup.
The focus on ride quality should be a good indicator of this.
Also, it will be interesting to see how well the Titan does with the 26 gallon fuel tank. I do believe it is on the small side, but only slightly. Remember, in real life how far does the aluminium F-150 EcoSuck travel?
The Titan with the diesel on the highway will travel 500 miles. So it can drive most of the day. Sooner or later you will stop. But a larger tank would be nice.
The Cummins XD Titan will be a good vehicle for Nissan. It will take sales away from the lighter Big Three HDs.
Mark
I haven't even finished the article and I can already sense the "I don't like foreign car guys building trucks", thing! Your are comparing the new Titan to the outgoing Honda Ridgeline? Come on, that's ridiculous. I'm sure after you finished the article you got into your Ford F150 and went home. The truck just won Texas Truck of the year....really???
Where's the story about the crooks at Ford, that once again stole other peoples hard work. I know you cover the story back in 2011, when Ford and Toyota said they would team up to build a hybrid truck. Ford just jumped ship after they got their crooked dirty hands on Toyota's blue prints! I guess that is the only Ford engineers can build any thing good, steal it from better companies and copy it.
" Toyota feels Ford may have taken advantage of the relationship by gaining knowledge of hybrid technologies before severing ties.
“Because we proposed everything,” Saga said. “Well, I don’t know whether they stole, but we proposed all the technologies we had. It even went as far as the drawings.” He also added, “Technologically, we went far, and the engineers of both companies agreed that that technology was good enough to do it. But ultimately, the Ford management made a decision, and it fell apart. I really regret it, and I’m very sorry.”
http://www.tfltruck.com/2015/12/ford-vs-toyota-race-hybrid-pickups/
I have a feeling we won't get any news of this on fordpickuptrucks.com. Mike Levine truck Communications Manager at Ford Motor Company won't let that story be read on here.
Love the points being made here. Some great observations and insights. We look at this piece as more of an evolving stance, as we get more time behind the wheel and give more thought to the "whitespace" idea. Can't guarantee it won't change again either.
As to our comparing the new Titan XD, we didn't see anything wrong with comparing the new truck with the leader in the half-ton segment. In fact, the leader in the three-quarter and one-ton segments (http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2015/07/midyear-hd-sales-ford-maintains-strong-lead.html) are Ford as well, but the Ram 2500 was our winner in our last shootout (http://special-reports.pickuptrucks.com/2014/08/ultimate-three-quarter-ton-hd-challenge-and-the-winner-is.html).
D.O.A
This HEAVY truck must drive/handle like a tank...
Fly it around a corner and you will feel the heft....
Big 3 except maybe ram have nothing to worry about.
Posted by: Scott | Dec 1, 2015 10:48:20 AM
Which one?
Looks like Mike at PUTC is actually paying attention to the questions raised by LEGITIMATE pickup buyers.
Ram went the nice ride poor capacity route with their 1500's. That limits who buys their trucks. I rarely ever see Ram 1500 work trucks and I rarely see Ram 1500's used to tow larger boats and campers.
Looks like Fred Diaz has brought that same orthodoxy to Nissan. BiGal has ramped up the usual excuses since he is pro-diesel. Even if this is primarily a truck targeting the "fluffy" and "soft" truck buyer it still needs to do a good job of straddling the line between HD and LD. These buyers are image conscious. This truck does not have the numbers to match its image.
A small fuel tank is STUPID in ANY pickup. My brother used to hate having to pack extra fuel on his job. I had a friend run out of fuel going from my town to Calgary with his family on board. I made the same trip travelling at 110-130 kph (65-82 mph) and had 20 litres left when I got to their door step (well, 1 block from their house where I fueled).
If Ford or GM puts a small diesel into their 1/2 tons and keep the same capabilities as current gasser 1/2 tons this truck will be dead in the water.
Yus - sign me up for a as heavy as a HD truck with sub HD cargo and tow..............
BUT HEY.........................
WHAT A NICE RIDE
ROTFLMFAO
Lou,
Face reality.
Most pickups are used as daily transport.
Most pickups never tow or load.
Most pickups are bought as a large car/SUV.
Even this Titan will tow a very large trailer. You can sit behind your Ford computer and talk sh!t.
But most who buy a SuperDuty not only use them to tow the horse float to take the kids horse to an event.
Be realistic on what the pickup represents. It isn't all about numbers. The numbers are the ones sold.
You selling Ford's using numbers like, biggest, bestest, mostest is really not taking into consideration what the consumer thinks and feels behind the wheel.
This is why the Ram has improved over a period of time. You many not like this. But the reality is Fred Diaz has done a good job with the Ram and FCA's cost cutting and Chrysler's institutional cultural problems have let the Ram down.
The Titan will be a good pickup for what it's design purpose.
Remember pickups are not trucks in the sense of a Hino, Izuzu N Series etc.
They are now used as appliances and do fit well into the Amercian and even Australian dream of displaying middle class success.
The pickup is now primarily a lifestyle vehicle, not a truck.
Lou, don't forget, that RAM has nice ride with great capacity RAM 2500. RAM has nothing to worry about.
I agree that small gas tank is terrible decision. I have 36 gallon tank at my RAM 1500 LARAMIE.
Doesn't need EPA ratings, it's a diesel. So it's more than a 1/2 ton but less than a 3/4 ton, it's a 5/8 ton? Had a 96 Dodge 3500 that steadily got 19 mpg, weighed 7200 pounds empty so this truck should do pretty good and run all day without breaking a sweat. I think they should have come out with the gas version first though.
Great job ford by have the best selling f series. Appears aluminum is in such strong demand that pricing and sales make it novembers sale leader and best selling truck line to date!
Ford Motor Company U.S. sales of 187,794 vehicles, up slightly at 0.4 percent versus last November
F-Series retail sales increase 16 percent, driving total F-Series sales to a 10 percent gain, with commercial vans up 59 percent; best November Ford Truck performance in eight years
All-new Edge sales up 6 percent; new Explorer up 1 percent on strong demand for new high-end Platinum series
DOWNLOAD NOVEMBER SALES PDF WITH CHARTS
DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 1, 2015 – Ford Motor Company November U.S. sales totaled 187,794 vehicles, up slightly at 0.4 percent compared to a year ago.
Through November, overall Ford sales are up 5 percent versus the same period a year ago.
Ford’s lower incentive spending and strong model series mix in November boosted average transaction prices $3,800 versus year-ago levels – the largest gain among any major automaker. Ford cars, SUVs and trucks all delivered higher transaction prices.
https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia-mobile/fna/us/en/news/2015/12/01/november2015sales.html
“We saw strong customer demand for our cars and SUVs with the latest technology and sold a very rich mix in November,” said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service. “F-Series and commercial vans also were very strong, with an 18 percent gain for the month and our best November sales performance for Ford Trucks in eight years.”
F-Series sales totaled 65,192 trucks in November, with retail sales increasing 16 percent and a 10 percent total F-Series gain.
So Fat Albert since no one buys a light duty truck for load and tow how will this truck fit in. It is heavy, will barely tow more than GM or Ford 1500s. FE is not good, payload is less than GM and Ford. So the only attributes is potentially a nice ride?
I truly think this truck is completely underrated in terms of capability while the Ford F150s are overrated. I bet a paycheck if you put 12,000 pounds behind a max capability titan vs. the equivalent F150 the Titan would haul better and get better fuel economy.
As reviewers have said before, the Titan drives like a smaller truck. The truck rides nice. This truck is a good blend of capability and drivability. I guarantee Nissan could use some HD springs like Ford and GM do to boost the payload and towing to be even more capable.
This truck does need a larger gas tank though.
Lou,
Your Ford EcoSuck might require a big fuel tank. But, I'd bet my balls that the Titan will travel as far or even further on a gallon of fuel.
The Titan is a fantastic addition to the US pickup market ......... but it hasn't got the blue oval.
"As to our comparing the new Titan XD, we didn't see anything wrong with comparing the new truck with the leader in the half-ton segment."
Let me fix that for you:
"As to our comparing the new Titan XD, we didn't see anything wrong with comparing the new truck with the leader in the half-ton segment, the all-new, all-aluminum 2015 F150, powered by EcoBoost! Check your local Ford dealer for rebates today!!!"
Hook a crewcab w/6.5' bed f150 up with 10k and a titanxd with the same cab and bed configuration and see which truck is more stable towing that 10k. I could almost say with confidence the titan will handily do it better than the f150.
Nissan has always made vehicles in between the standard size. The Altima is bigger then a Corrola or Civic but smaller then a Camry and Accord, and the Maxima is bigger then both, just odd sizing across the line..
Why hook up a Titan xd and compare it to a half ton..... Compare it to other non rated EPA trucks that are over 8500 gvw like the Titan is. Comparing the Titan 3/4 ton to a 1/2 ton is like comparing a Chevy 1/2 ton to a Chevy Colorado.
It's a pretty huge accomplishment by ford if people and manufactures want to compare there 3/4 ton trucks to a f150.
I truly think this truck is completely underrated in terms of capability while the Ford F150s are overrated. I bet a paycheck if you put 12,000 pounds behind a max capability titan vs. the equivalent F150 the Titan would haul better and get better fuel economy.
ted by: Nismo Titan | Dec 1, 2015 12:36:58 PM
Tfl truck went to the Nissan demo with them comparing it to a 5.0L F150. It barely pulled ahead of the gas 5.0L. Plus only Nissan people could drive the trucks and no one could look inside the trailers. I expected way more pulling power than that out of a Diesel engine with big numbers.
@LMAO, if 0-60 is important to you, maybe the f150 with the 5.0 is very well sufficient at doing so.
@Scott, imo, the titanxd was built to straddle the top end of halftons limits and bottom end limits of 3/4tons. The point of the titanxd is to haul and tow that max load well. the current crop of halftons will haul and tow near or at their max but they do it with white knuckles. That's where the titanxd comes in, tow and haul that same load with ease while staying shy of 3/4ton territory.
LMAO,
You mean this video where the Ford took off faster but the Titan pulled ahead and held gear better as explained by the driver?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4nfvHV6rJ0
Yes I saw that video. Do you know how Diesels work? They are not necessarily designed to go fast off the road. It's a constant pulling power especially uphill. Also, the titan was never said to be fast off the line. But as other reviewers has said once the turbos kick in this truck feels fast. If you want fast, wait for the 400+ V8 coming in the non XD titan.
Titan xd is over the gvwr of the 1/2 ton class.... Also halftone even heavy halftone have to carry an EPA rating. Titan xd doesn't... You can also get a 3/4 ton diesel ford with the 6.7 powerstroke that is only rated to tow 12,500. A light duty 3/4 ton. I think ram you can get a light duty diesel 3/4 ton also that has similar max tow ratings of the xd.
Also the xd has different everything then thetitan 1/2 ton.... Different frame, different axles, transmission, different springs. The reason Nissan is trying to compare this to a halfton is once they made there bed on there new 3/4 ton xd and found it can't compete in the 3/4 ton segment. It's like comparing a Silverado too a Colorado.
Not sure why it is so hard to grasp the goal. It is pretty simple. Haul and tow more confidently than a maxed out 1/2 ton and have more stout running gear for longer service life. Better ride and day to day comfort than one of the Big 3 HD trucks when not hauling or towing. Add in that the 5.oL will get better MPG when loaded up than the maxed out 1/2 tons when loaded up and beat the HD gassers and bigger diesels in regular driving.
LMAO,
You mean this video where the Ford took off faster but the Titan pulled ahead and held gear better as explained by the driver?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4nfvHV6rJ0
Yes I saw that video. Do you know how Diesels work? They are not necessarily designed to go fast off the road. It's a constant pulling power especially uphill. Also, the titan was never said to be fast off the line. But as other reviewers has said once the turbos kick in this truck feels fast. If you want fast, wait for the 400+ V8 coming in the non XD titan.
Posted by: Nismo Titan | Dec 1, 2015 3:26:33 PM
Both diesels with turbos and gas engines with turbos tend to pull very similar. Look at towing test up hills with the 3.5L The real credibility of that test is if they went up against a 3.5L F150 VS the 5.0L. Feels fast and being fast are two different things. Either motor trend or car and driver said the EcoRam felt fast but it is a slug compared to other trucks. FYI diesel turbos kick in pretty quick. It is not like there is huge lag. If there is, it is torque management. Something Ford uses to much in my opinion.
Actually, only the EPA lists weight class by weight for the sole reason of environmental enforcement.
By federal standards, any vehicle under 10,000 is classed as a light duty, 10,001-26,000 are medium duty and 26,001+ are heavy duty.
Looks like Mike at PUTC is actually paying attention to the questions raised by LEGITIMATE pickup buyers.
Ram went the nice ride poor capacity route with their 1500's. That limits who buys their trucks. I rarely ever see Ram 1500 work trucks and I rarely see Ram 1500's used to tow larger boats and campers.
Looks like Fred Diaz has brought that same orthodoxy to Nissan. BiGal has ramped up the usual excuses since he is pro-diesel. Even if this is primarily a truck targeting the "fluffy" and "soft" truck buyer it still needs to do a good job of straddling the line between HD and LD. These buyers are image conscious. This truck does not have the numbers to match its image.
A small fuel tank is STUPID in ANY pickup. My brother used to hate having to pack extra fuel on his job. I had a friend run out of fuel going from my town to Calgary with his family on board. I made the same trip travelling at 110-130 kph (65-82 mph) and had 20 litres left when I got to their door step (well, 1 block from their house where I fueled).
If Ford or GM puts a small diesel into their 1/2 tons and keep the same capabilities as current gasser 1/2 tons this truck will be dead in the water.
Yus - sign me up for a as heavy as a HD truck with sub HD cargo and tow..............
BUT HEY.........................
WHAT A NICE RIDE
ROTFLMFAO
Posted by: Lou_BC | Dec 1, 2015 11:50:38 AM
You are crazy! i see more Rams in this county then any other truck. Sec would be Ford F-150. the state DOT new trucks are all ram 1500s and you see them pulling trailers with Guard rail and mobile Electric message boards! I seen a crew of men with one RAM 1500 that had a asphalt hot box in tow. The county road crews has four RAM 1500s with plows and small salt hoppers in the beds. the power company just replaced all there fleet with about 20 RAM 1500s. and the half the civilians running around in ram1500 and 2500.
@Steven - okay. I'll take your word on what you see but you can't take my word on what I see?
Different parts of the country or different countries.
I see just as many Ram 1500's as Ford F150's. More than what I see for GM 1500's but when it comes to work or towing and hauling Ford and GM do all of the heavy lifting in the 1/2 ton ranks.
I'm from Northern BC (British Columbia Canada).
Where are you from?
@BiGal - once again you bait and switch your conversation.
You said a while back that one should expect a truck to ride rougher.
You've also said that globals can easily out haul our 1/2 tons.
You've even compared global small trucks to HD's.
You keep comparing the XD to 1/2 tons when it isn't.
The Titan is actually a class 2B truck READ 3/4 ton.
It was built to target the heavy duty end of 1/2 tons.
BUT BUT
The problem is cargo which kills towing. A 1500 lb cargo rating at full bling with a 12K tow means 300 lbs left over for occupants.
For the casual tow and haul type weekend summer warrior the extra cost of the Cummins XD is a waste of money.
A Chevy or ford max tow/haul will suffice.
A HD diesel from GM/Ford/Ram will kill this in every metric except empty ride.
IF you say most do not tow or haul and just ride around empty then WHY even bother with a Titan XD?
If ride is all you want without capability then Ram 1500 is all you need. They even got you covered with a diesel.
If you don't want to pay HD costs then the Titan is the wrong truck.
I'm betting that this will be almost as expensive as a 3/4 ton.
You keep blathering on about the extra cost for Ford to build an aluminum pickup but you do not mention the extra cost of building a class 2B truck meant to target Class 2A.
That is one more inconsistency of yours.
Keep em coming.
The comedy relief you provide is priceless.
It took Nissan a long time to get here, but I'm confident that their new truck will impress. The 5.0 diesel will be a solid performer and offer grunt for towing that out performs the other powertrain choices in the half ton space.
@Lou I live in Northern Saskatchewan and our "paved" roads are super rough here. I know a guy who works for the highways department here who has a 26 foot travel trailer. My guess is it would be between 6,500 to 7,000 lbs. He used to tow his trailer with a newer F150. This past year he bought a Ram LongHorn with an EcoDiesel with air ride. He still has the Ford and is a Ford "guy"! Guess which truck he uses to pull his trailer on his vacations out to your beautiful Province? You got it the Ram! Why because it tows the trailer just as well as the Ford but rides way better when the roads get real rough! And as you get older a much more pleasant ride helps.
And Big Al is right. Most people don't use their half ton trucks to their capacities as per weight is concerned. Those people normally buy 3/4 tons or 1 tons. Having driven semi truck all over North America that is true. So do us all a favour and go back to smoking your BC weed and keep dreaming that Ford is the only way to go.
In fact, our half ton loaded everyday at max or towing everyday 9000+lbs will die and cost alot in maintenance. Brake, rear end, tranny, suspension, etc... And you will pay 50k$ or more for a truck you will drive to garage regularly. With à heavy duty half truck, or extra duty, you get à real work truck that will survive à commercial use and all abuses that comes with. And shall stay away of garage. For more, hook a 9000 lbs or more trailer everyday on every halfton and thé best you will realy get is 23-25L/100km (more often 28-32 if in city). With à diesel, you shall stay at 18-20, and around 24 city. At same cost, with alot l'ESS long terme maintenance, beter survivability, and lower daily cost, it is easy to count where you can save.
"The Titan was designed as an alternative large car/SUV"
hahaha. THat's the most ridiculous thing big al has said all day!!! You are so out of touch. If I didn't already know you were not from america, it would be very easy to guess.
For everyone who says that nobody wants an in-between truck, I would highly consider one if the price was less than the other 3/4 tons and especially so if it was a significant savings and a work truck model, but that doesn't appear to be an option. I'm curious to see the prices even though I think it will cost nearly as much or more than the big three.
Nissan got the motor and tranny right on this truck. The rest will be a big question mark that will be answered in 6 months. If the sales peak the begin to drop in six months Nissan better start hoping the new true half ton catches on and that truck has a lot of competition already. I had big hopes for the XD, after seeing the numbers it's too much of one thing, and not enough of the the other.
The comments to this entry are closed.