Nissan Titan Review

2008 Nissan Titan PRO-4X Extended Cab Shown

Full-size pickup trucks are about as all-American as baseball and apple pie. And traditionally, consumers interested in purchasing a full-size pickup were limited to the offerings from the domestic Big Three automakers. But in the past few years additional choices have become available. One of these is the Nissan Titan.

The Titan, introduced for 2004, was designed to be the first Japanese pickup to truly possess the attributes that buyers typically expect from a full-size. It's manufactured at Nissan's Canton, Miss., plant and boasts dimensions and capabilities that are very similar to those of domestic full-size pickups. Whether you need power for towing, space for hauling or just a comfortable and spacious cabin, the Titan can meet your needs.

Current Nissan Titan

The Nissan Titan is a full-size pickup truck. In terms of size, it's very similar to the trucks offered by domestic automakers, which means it provides competitive amounts of cargo and interior room. There's a fully boxed frame underneath for maximum rigidity and strength, as well as a traditional solid rear axle with leaf-spring support. For now, the Titan is available only as a standard half-ton model.

Nissan currently offers the Titan in extended-cab (King Cab) and crew-cab styles, with two bed lengths each. The King Cab is offered with either a 6.5- or 8-foot bed, while those on the crew cab are each 1 foot shorter. The King Cab's rear-hinged doors open extra wide to aid cargo loading or a passenger's entry to the rear seats. The crew cab has four traditional doors and a larger rear seating area with more available rear legroom than the extended cab.

Each Nissan Titan body style is available in three trim levels. Similar to other Nissan products, there's the entry-level XE, the midgrade SE and the luxury-oriented LE. The XE has a front bench seat; captain's chairs with a flow-through console are standard on the SE and LE. Notable options, depending on trim, include upgraded audio systems, a navigation system, front-seat side and side curtain airbags, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system and utility-enhancing cargo bed features. An off-road package and tow package are also available.

For power, Nissan offers only one powertrain combination: a 5.6-liter V8 connected to a five-speed automatic transmission. The V8 is rated at 305 horsepower and 379 pound-feet of torque. The transmission features a tow/haul mode for when the truck is used for pulling or carrying heavy loads. For every body style and trim combination, two- or four-wheel drive is available.

In Nissan Titan reviews, our editors have found that the vehicle possesses advantages in engine power, cabin comfort, cargo utility and handling, both on- and off-road. Downsides include a lack of additional powertrain choices and the absence of a heavy-duty model. Overall, the Titan comes highly recommended. In fact, the truck has been named the winner in Edmunds.com's Editors' Most Wanted awards for full-size pickup.

Past Nissan Titan

Though the Titan is still relatively new and not nearly as plentiful as domestic full-size pickups, it could be a good choice for a shopper searching for a used late-model pickup. Nissan has been making incremental improvements for each year, but so far there's no model year that dramatically stands out from the rest. Models built for 2007 and earlier were available in one wheelbase length only, however, and lacked the two different bed lengths for each body style.

SELECT A SPECIFIC NISSAN TITAN MODEL YEAR*

* Edmunds.com maintains vehicle data as far back as 1990.