2016 Nissan Titan XD and 2017 Nissan Titan: Your Questions Answered [Ask TFLtruck]

2016 2017 nissan titan xd gas v8 versus cummins diesel
2016 Nissan Titan XD: Diesel vs. Gas

Thanks to all of you who submitted your questions about the new Nissan Titan trucks.

Q: Do you think the Titan XD is priced too high?

Andre:

The 2016 Titan XD is not priced too high. The Titan XD S crew cab 4×2 with a 5.6-liter gas V8 starts at $35,290. The 5.0-liter Cummins turbo-diesel V8 and a 6-speed Aisin automatic transmission add precisely $5,000 to the bottom line. The 4×4 system adds exactly $3,000. How does it compare to the competition? Well, the Titan XD does not truly compete against any other truck. It is aimed in between the half-ton and 3/4-ton segments. However, XD’s GVWR approaches 9,000 lbs, which is near the 3/4-ton truck territory.

For example, Ram 1500 Tradesman crew cab 4×2 with a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 starts at $33,270. Ram 2500 HD Tradesman crew cab 4×2 with a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 starts at $35,550. The Titan XD pricing fits within the gap between the half-ton and 3/4-ton trucks. Adding a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 to the Ram 1500 adds $4,460 to the price. Adding a 6.7-liter Cummins I6 to the Ram 2500 HD increases the price by $8,995.

The price comparison is similar when you consider Ford, GM, or Toyota full-size truck offerings. In some case, the Nissan XD is priced below comparable half-ton trucks.

Nissan Titan Warrior Concept
Nissan Titan Warrior concept

Q: How come the Titan Warrior concept is not for sale?

Andre:

The Nissan Titan Warrior concept made its debut at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. It is based on the diesel-powered Titan XD and has a fully customized stance. The truck is six inches wider, and rides three inches higher thanks in part to the 37-inch tires. It has an off-road biased suspension and a desert pre-runner truck appearance. I don’t know exactly why Nissan does not offer the Warrior package for sale. One explanation is that this is purely a concept. Another reason can be that the added cost of this package is too great. However, it is within the realm of possibility that Nissan will make a package similar to this available to consumers in the future.

2016 nissan titan xd 2017 5.6L v8 gasoline endurance

Q: Do you like the overall look / do you think the Titan XD has design queues borrowed from Ford?

Andre:

The beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is highly subjective. Personally, I like some aspects of the Titan XD appearance and dislike others. I like the headlight and grille design, but I don’t like the extra height of the hood and how long the front-end is. The cab, bed, and the interior are very well done in my opinion. Do I think it has design elements borrowed from Ford. The headlight design and the dip in the front side-glass remind me of the Ford F-150, but it’s not enough for me to say that the truck looks like a Ford. The Titan XD has its own identity.

 

Q: What is Nissan’s advertising strategy for the Titan XD and the light duty Titan?

Nissan:

It’s a little early to discuss our marketing strategy for TITAN and TITAN XD, but we did release a major television ad titled “Shoulders of Giants” during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on ESPN on Monday, January 11th. Stay tuned for more details on the rest of our campaign as we ramp up production of TITAN XD and prepare for the official launch of the 2017 TITAN.

2017-Nissan-TITAN-Crew-Cab

Q: Why doesn’t the Titan XD come with a manual transmission?

Nissan:

Our research indicated that there was not enough consumer demand for manual transmissions in this class of pickup to warrant the investment in the technology. We’re quite pleased with the ability of the Aisin 6-speed automatic and Jatco 7-speed automatic transmissions to respectively handle the capabilities of the 5.0-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel V8 and 5.6-liter V8 Gas engines offered on TITAN XD.

 

Q: How does the Titan XD ride compare to the Ram 2500 HD with either Coil or Air suspension?

Andre:

The Titan XD offers a great on-road ride loaded or empty. It is more compliant than the Ram 2500 HD with either rear coil or air suspension. The Ram Power Wagon with Bilstein shocks comes closest to the ride quality of the Titan XD.

 

2016-nissan-titan-xd-gooseneck-towing

Q: Can the XD platform go to a fully-blown 3/4-ton truck?

Andre:

Considering the big frame that underpins the Titan XD and the availability of a turbo-diesel engine, the XD truck can potentially go to a 3/4-ton truck with the addition of heavier capacity axles/hubs and a power boost for it Cummins engine. This is based on my evaluation. Of course, the devil is in the details as building a 3/4-ton truck was not Nissan’s original intention.

 

Q: Would you buy a Titan XD Diesel or Gas?

Andre:

I would go for the 5.6-liter gas V8 in the Titan XD after my first drive. Personally, I do not tow trailers over 6,500 lbs. And the additional 500 lbs of payload capacity on the gas Titan XD would allow me to carry my slide-in truck camper.

2017-Nissan-TITAN-Crew-Cab
2017 Nissan Titan light duty

Q: When is the 2017 Titan light duty coming? When are the other cab sizes and bed length configurations be available?

Nissan:

The TITAN XD with the 5.0-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel V8 went on sale on December 22nd of 2015, and the XD with the 5.6-liter V8 Gas joined it in showrooms on April 2015. Next up is the 2017 TITAN, our ½ ton volume model, which goes on sale later this summer. A V6 engine will eventually be available on this truck, but not at the initial launch. Following the ½ ton TITAN, we’ll launch Single Cab versions of both TITAN and TITAN XD followed by King Cab versions of each of these trucks. Stay tuned for more details on the timing of the Single- and King Cab TITAN and TITAN XD models.

We will add more questions/answers to this post along the way.