CLASH OF THE TITANS
Nissan’s half-ton truck offering has smooth, refined road manners, while the 2017 XD is louder and stiffer
Driving writers Derek McNaughton and Costa Mouzouris took turns driving Nissan’s newest pickup trucks — the 2017 Titan XD and 2017 Titan half-ton — swapping them after a week and comparing notes. Here is what they found.
DM: Why would Nissan ever try to cloud the issue of whether or not the Titan XD is a three-quarter ton? I know its payload and towing strength of 11,638 pounds (5,280 kilograms) is not as crazy as Ford’s Super Duty or Ram’s 2500, but the XD drives like an HD truck, struts like one, and it sure sounds like one with that sumptuous 5.0-litre Cummins V-8.
CM: The XD sounds like a truck, all right, and rides stiffer than the Titan half-ton and with a choppier ride, but it’s much more refined than the Ram 2500.
DM: Are you saying the ride in the Ram 2500 isn’t as good as the Titan XD? That’s quite a dig against Ram — or a compliment for the XD. I don’t think there’s a noticeable difference between the two in ride quality — but there is in the interior. The Ram has the edge here, but just getting close to the Ram says a lot about how good the Titan’s interior is now.
CM: The Ram 2500 did have a choppier ride, quite firm, but it’s understandable considering it has a higher payload and towing capacity. The Ram’s transmission was smoother, and the interior on the Laramie was more luxurious than in the Titan XD. I’d choose the Ram over the XD if towing capacity was an absolute priority, otherwise I’d go for the more refined XD. The XD is tall though, and the Titan was already a tall truck.
Where the Titan has smooth, refined road manners, the XD is all truck. It’s louder, choppier, stiffer, and the transmission is jerky. The Cummins sounds like a diesel. And it seems to get more than a litre better fuel economy than the Titan, despite its larger size.
DM: The Titan is smoother because it has hydraulic cab mounts and uses a different frame; the XD gets a chassis unique unto itself. For the average truck user, even for most contractors, the Cummins Titan XD and its 555 pound-feet of torque and six-speed transmission is all they’ll need for towing and work. And the engine really is a sweetheart, although I had some weird fuel economy issues on the highway where my respectable average went from about 12L/100 km to more than 30, so there are some computer issues to work out. Still, the diesel is quiet on the highway. Not so at idle, but it certainly sounds “right.”
CM: I agree on the sound, and on the better fuel economy despite pulling a bigger truck. I’d love to see the Cummins engine in the regular Titan. Measured fuel economy was 1.8 L better on the XD than on the Titan, which is considerable, though the price premium for the diesel on the base-model XD is $7,500.
DM: Yes, just like the Big Three, you pay a big premium for the premium engine. I averaged 12.9 L/100 highway with the XD, but it was hard to be sure with the computer acting up, and I recorded 15.1 L/100 km average with the half-ton Titan. Even though both base trucks are only $1,250 apart — the XD starting at $45,900, the half-ton at $44,650 — our bright yellow Pro-4X cost $57,100 and our XD was stickered at more than $70,000. If I weren’t towing trailers and hauling big payloads, the regular Titan would suit just fine, and it also looks a lot better. The XD has that longer snout that makes it look a little ungainly. The half-ton looks proportionally perfect, maybe even better than the F-150.
CM: I think both Titans look better than the Fords. Actually, I prefer the profile of the Ford, it’s more masculine, but I can’t take that Super Duty grille.
DM: If you were buying a new half-ton today, would it be a Titan? I would have a hard time picking between the upcoming F-150 diesel, the ancient but durable Toyota Tundra that was last fully revised a decade ago, and the new Titan half-ton — which, we can’t forget, gets a full five-year warranty. I also liked how tight the Titan felt. It steers easily, doesn’t lean in the corners and the Titan’s 5.6-L V-8 is deliciously smooth, smoother than Ford’s 5.0-L V-8. Truck buyers are really looking at a tough choice.
CM: If the Titan half-ton was available with the diesel engine, I’d take it over the F-150, otherwise it would be the F-150 EcoBoost. On such a big truck, fuel mileage would be a factor for me.
DM: I hear you. Gasoline won’t be getting any cheaper. If the half-ton came with that Cummins, I’d be all over it — that would make for the perfect pickup.
CM: Exactly. The half-ton drives great, has the payload (730 kg) that would take care of anything I would do with the truck, and it would have the sound and fuel mileage of the diesel engine. But, unfortunately, that can’t be done with the current Titan. And, the Ford is available with the more fuel-efficient V6. The V-8 is great, but it’s overkill for me.
DM: Yes, the EcoBoost 2.7-L and 3.5-L are compelling power plants for sure, but every other pickup on the road is an F-150. I might choose a Titan just to not be like everyone else. And the warranty is a nice bonus. The refinement of the trucks is about equal, though Ford has way more options and configurations.
CM: It’s a tough call: I love the drive of the Titan, but when it comes to operating costs, I don’t think I could live with the V-8. Again, love the diesel if it were available in the Titan. Here’s the conundrum for me: The XD is a heavy duty truck, but it doesn’t have the specs of its HD competitors.
DM: Exactly. The XD isn’t quite a three-quarter ton truck on paper and yet it’s still too much truck for those who just want a diesel option in their pickup. I’d wager the XD won’t occupy the supposed niche between the two classes after all.; it’s either or, but the XD is neither nor.
CM: I especially liked the Titan half-ton, but it lacks the engine choices that would most likely broaden its appeal. And the seat warmers in both were weak, and the XD seemed to take a long time to blow warm air into the cabin.
DM: Yeah, the Titan needs to ripen on the vine a bit more. Our Pro-4X half-ton also had a few loose trim bits and a rattle I couldn’t cure myself. Sure, that stuff will improve as the Canton, Miss. assembly plant irons things out, but if Nissan is going to compete, it has to be better in every way: more choice, better build, better performance.
CM: So much to like, yet it comes up short. Maybe the next revision will offer more, but future sales will determine if that’s worth pursuing.
DM: Let’s hope so.