The 2016 Nissan Titan XD: A Force to Be Reckoned With
Erica Mueller
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The perfect truck: the 2016 Nissan Titan.
Since all my journalist friends experienced the brand new 2016 Nissan Titan at the Texas Truck Rodeo I’ve heard over and over how amazing this truck is, how it took everyone by surprise, and how it won the Texas Auto Writers Association’s coveted Texas Truck of the Year award. Being a truck gal from Texas I couldn’t wait to try it out for myself.
I was not disappointed.
The Titan’s Cummins 5.0-liter V8 Turbo Diesel engine rumbles just right and put a grin on my face every time I accelerated. I’ve always been a little drawn to diesel trucks. They generally get better mileage and the engines tend to last longer. This isn’t a hard fast rule of course, but diesel engines, the Cummins in particular, have excellent reputations for long life. With 310 hp and 555 lb-ft of torque this truck is strong enough to tow up to 12,300 lb and climb steep grades with ease.
And boy do the guys like this truck! My husband and I took it to Houston (a six hour drive for us) to deliver a huge kiosk to a trailer dealership. When we got there, all the guys had to look at the truck, and the next day they wanted it parked in a prominent spot out front – opened up for all their customers to see. I smiled all day as people walked around it, poked their heads inside, or checked under the hood.
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- 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4×4
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- Quite a haul of building materials in the bed of the 2016 Nissan TITAN XD
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- Picking up some lumber from our stash at the in-laws
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- Puddles anyone?
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- Showing off the TITAN
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- That commanding grill
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- “It has a Cummins?!?!” was a question I got a lot this week!
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- Loud and proud
Exterior qualities (AKA eye candy) – judging a truck by its appearance
The Nissan Titan XD is bad. Everywhere we went this truck was turning heads. The squarish body style and commanding grill are very strong and masculine. I’ve seen this truck in several colors, but the deep blue pearl we were sent is my favorite. Square shoulders, blue eyes… show me a girl who wouldn’t fall in love at first sight!
Whenever we have a truck to drive we make use of it for our DIY projects. This week’s was a jungle gym for our growing boys. Having a truck made picking up the lumber and other materials super easy, and with the box bedliner we didn’t have to worry about marring the paint. One of the other things I really like about the Titan is the Utilitrack C-channel with cleats built right into the bed. This makes tying things down super easy. We used the cleats and some ratchet straps to secure the kiosk we delivered and my husband and I were both impressed with the system. Another really cool feature is the built-in goose-neck and fifth wheel abilities. The bed is flat because the goose-neck hitch is flipped over and stored in the bed until needed. The tools you need to flip this over and get it ready to use are stored under the rear seat, along side the clamps for the Untilitrack. This was a big deal to the guys at the trailer dealership who absolutely loved this feature.
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- Love the pairing of the dark and light with wood grain to tie it all together
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- The cup holders were moveable so you could put them exactly where you like them!
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- Great dash display for the driver
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- Seats up, fold-out panel for flat cargo space. Some great storage under the panels.
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- TITAN!
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- Look at all that space! (and that serious face)
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- Goofy kid. He loves trucks, just like his mommy.
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- Showing off that TITAN nameplate, even in the backseat.
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- Rediculous amounts of space in this cabin.
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- Goobers enjoying the Nissan Titan
Welcome to my office, er, the interior of the 2016 Nissan Titan XD
The truck we drove sported the SL beige leather interior which means it had very light leather seats and door panels, paired with black carpet and dash and some wood trim. Normally I dislike a light interior, but Nissan paired these colors well so the light areas were easy to clean, and all the places that would see the most wear and dirt were dark. It is a really sharp color combination and the wood grain pulls the two main colors together.
The Titan is a comfortable truck. We spent six hours in the truck two days in a row and no one had a single complaint. The cabin is spacious and even with the front seats all the way back there is plenty of space in the back seat for three adults.
Everything you need for trailering is included – trailer break controller, lights, hill start assist, and more. For someone who grew up trailering horses from one show to the next, these things make me really happy.
And the technology for hands-free calling, texting, and controlling of the navigation is all top of the line and paired with a great seven inch touch screen display. I found the controls for entertainment and climate to be very intuitive making my week with this truck enjoyable. Sometimes you spend a whole week learning to use all this fancy technology – not so with the Nissan Titan.
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- This kiosk was over 6′ tall and made from solid steel
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- Tied down and secure thanks to the c-channel with cleats
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- Under the hood
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- There’s my Cummins
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- 4WD Controls
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- More controls
My takeaway from a week in the Nissan Titan XD
Our whole family enjoyed this truck and it has been added to our short list of future trucks to own. Our only dislike was the gear shift which seemed a bit flimsy and felt really out of place with the rest of the truck. We provided our feedback to Nissan of course and I look forward to seeing that improved in future models. Honestly though, that was the only thing we could find to complain about. This truck is so well engineered and styled that I’d call it the perfect truck.
What I Loved
- Memory function seat
- LED under rail bed lighting
- Tow mirrors
- Utilitrack C-channel with cleats
- Remote engine start
- 110V power outlet inside bed
What You Need to Know
- Cummins 5.0-liter V8 Turbo diesel
- 4WD
- Production vehicle with fuel economy not released; I got 17-18 mpg
- 6-speed automatic transmission
- Integrated gooseneck hitch
- Starts at $40,290 (model we drove: $55,030)
Note: Nissan loaned me the Titan for the review; opinions expressed are my own.
