The Titan will get a barely refreshed face for 2020.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
If you’ve got been occupied with shopping for a pickup truck, then you definately already know the phase is crimson sizzling. The Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150, GMC Sierra and Ram 1500 are all battling it out for dominance, and truthfully, it is onerous to choose between these choices. The closely refreshed Nissan Titan enters the ring swinging for 2020, however it’s actually only a middleweight possibility taking up the heavyweight contenders. Good because the up to date Titan is, its swing cannot match the punch supplied by its American-made rivals.
LikeRevamped V8 engine provides sturdy efficiencyUpdated styling seems to be good, particularly on the Pro-4XLots of obtainable driver-assistance know-how
Don’t LikeOnly one engine, whereas rivals provide extraNo useful towing techTowing and payload numbers fall behind the competitors
Nissan simplified the Titan’s lineup for 2020, however with rivals obtainable in myriad configurations, this solely hurts the truck’s attraction. The S, SV and Pro-4X fashions are supplied in King Cab and Crew Cab physique types, whereas the SL and Platinum Reserve solely get the latter. You should buy the Titan with two- or four-wheel drive, besides the Pro-4X, which is 4WD solely.No matter which model you select, each Titan is powered by the identical engine: a naturally aspirated, 5.6-liter V8. Honestly, the powerplant is the most effective factor in regards to the Titan, pushing out 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. Compared to 2019, this 5.6-liter engine has extra energy and torque all the way in which round — offered you fill it with premium gasoline. A better ultimate drive ratio improves acceleration, which is particularly noticeable within the engine’s midrange. In reality, Nissan says the Titan is a full second faster from 50 to 70 mph than a 2019 mannequin.
The transmission is a gem, most likely the quickest-shifting computerized within the class. It by no means hunts round for the best gear and is pleased to upshift or downshift a number of steps at a time. Best of all, a throaty V8 rumble comes into the cabin with out a lot wind or street noise to drown it out.Not the whole lot in regards to the driving expertise is hunky-dory, although. The increased ultimate drive ratio may be nice for acceleration, however it may possibly do a doozy on gasoline economic system. I noticed solely 14.8 miles per gallon throughout my week with the Titan. Meanwhile, the EPA estimates {that a} two-wheel drive truck like mine ought to return 16 mpg metropolis, 22 mpg freeway and 18 mpg mixed.
In addition, this “improved” powertrain would not do a lot for towing. Most configurations are literally rated barely decrease than earlier than: The most towing capability is 9,370 kilos in a King Cab with two-wheel drive. At least payload improves barely, with a max score of 1,680 kilos for all four-wheel-drive fashions.
Those aren’t unhealthy numbers, it is simply that the competitors principally does the whole lot higher. Both the Ram 1500 and Ford F-150 could be configured to haul over 2,000 kilos or tow greater than 10,000 kilos. Of course, if you happen to want extra towing functionality you might commerce as much as the sturdier Titan XD, which begins at about $2,500 extra.Nissan has jumped on the driver-assistance bandwagon for 2020, beefing up its Safety Shield 360 suite of driver’s aids. All Titan trims get blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, high-beam help, rear computerized braking and and computerized emergency braking with pedestrian detection. My tester additionally has the non-obligatory adaptive cruise management, driver alert system, rear door alert and site visitors signal recognition. This 5.6-liter V8 is the most effective factor in regards to the 2020 Titan.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
On the entire, these driving aids work as marketed. The adaptive cruise management can do its factor in slow-speed site visitors, bringing the truck to a whole cease when obligatory and keep engaged for a short second or two. I like that the lane-departure warning is simply that — a warning. No torque is utilized to the steering wheel, just a bit buzz to deliver my consideration again to the street. I want the blind-spot indicators had been a little bit larger, nonetheless. Placed on the highest outdoors nook of the facet mirrors, they’re fairly tiny. Given the scale of the truck and the mirrors, it is simple to overlook these warning lights — particularly on the passenger facet.For infotainment tech, Nissan Connect now runs on a regular 8-inch touchscreen, however my tester has the non-obligatory 9-inch display screen with Wi-Fi. Regardless of display screen dimension, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are commonplace, as is satellite tv for pc radio. Nissan has made a couple of tweaks to its in-dash know-how as of late and the system is organized higher than it was up to now, however the display screen is typically lazy to reply to inputs. Besides, it is nowhere close to as strong because the Uconnect system within the Ram 1500, with its non-obligatory 12-inch touchscreen.Charging choices are ample with USB type-A and type-C plugs up entrance, a 12-volt outlet within the heart console and two USB-A shops, a 12-volt and a 12-volt, 400-watt outlet for rear seat passengers. Wireless charging just isn’t obtainable, nonetheless.Perhaps most notably, the Titan would not include any form of digicam help for towing. In reality, there’s no form of know-how to make towing simpler in any respect. The Ford F-150 has the Pro Trailer Back-Up system that takes the stress out of reversing when hitched up, and the GMC Sierra 1500 has an unbelievable array of cameras so drivers at all times know what is going on on. Meanwhile the Ram 1500 has blind-spot monitoring that covers the size of the trailer. The Nissan Titan makes do with a blurry back-up digicam. That’s it.The Nissan Connect infotainment tech is simpler to make use of, and could be had on a 9-inch touchscreen.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
The 2020 model-year replace would not change the truck’s styling an excessive amount of, although every trim will get its personal particular grille. It’s all chrome, on a regular basis for the SL mannequin, whereas Platinum Reserve dials it again with a satin-chrome end. The Pro-4X will get a black grille with crimson badging accents. S and SV trims get a black grille, as nicely, simply with the usual silver Nissan badge.A brand new headlight design on higher-level trims is a welcome change, as is the LED lighting. Out again you will discover revamped tailgate finishers, once more denoting the completely different trim ranges, and LED taillights. Finishing out the brand new look are redesigned wheel choices and 4 new colours: Red Alert, Super Black, Baja Storm and Cardinal Red Metallic.If a fancy-pants inside is your factor, you may be upset by the Titan. Sure, the whole lot is inside attain, with huge grippy knobs and buttons for large manly palms, however the design is utilitarian at greatest, particularly once you examine it to the Ram 1500. That stated, Nissan’s “Zero-Gravity” seats are right here and are definitely essentially the most snug you will discover in a truck, save for the massaging seats within the upper-level Ford F-150 fashions.The Titan is an effective truck. Problem is, it competes towards some really nice choices.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
If I’m shopping for a Titan, my cash is on the Pro-4X trim, not solely as a result of I feel it seems to be the most effective with crimson accents and devoid of chrome, however it additionally has a locking rear differential, Bilstein shocks and upgraded off-road tires. I’d spec the $2,190 Utility Package to get the bumping 12-speaker Fender audio system, trailer brake controller and mattress rack system, in addition to a bed-mounted 120-volt outlet. The $3,390 Convenience Package, in the meantime, simply is not value it. The surround-view digicam is mediocre at greatest by way of readability and the heated seats are among the weakest I’ve examined. All instructed, that places my supreme Titan at $53,575, excluding $1,595 for vacation spot.That’s some huge cash, not simply by itself, however particularly when you think about I can get a equally optioned Ram 1500 Rebel for a bit much less, or spend only a tad extra to get a base Ford F-150 Raptor that’ll run circles across the Pro-4X (what can I say, I like off-road vans). Even my two-wheel-drive SV King Cab tester begins at $39,990, however including the Utility Package requires you choose the Tow and Convenience packages as nicely, so I’m as much as $46,505 together with vacation spot.The 2020 Nissan Titan is not a foul truck — removed from it, in actual fact. The engine and transmission are nice, it has all the mandatory driver’s aids for making a commute a bit simpler and it seems to be fairly good, particularly in Pro-4X guise. The drawback is simply that the competitors is so significantly better. Chevy, Ford, GMC and Ram all provide extra engine decisions, together with a diesel possibility. (You might additionally get a Toyota Tundra, however it has the identical issues because the Nissan.) The others additionally provide extra know-how, higher interiors and elevated utility. If the Titan suits your wants, then you definately will not be upset. But you would be doing your self a disservice by not certainly one of its rivals first.