The interior of our Nissan Titan HD tester features two-tone leather.Fast facts
Model: 2016 Nissan Titan XD Exterior color: Magnetic Black Interior color: Black/Brown Engine: 5.6-liter, eight cylinder Horsepower: 390 Transmission: 7-speed automatic Fuel economy: NA Local Dealer: Nissan of Chattanooga East, Mountain View Nissan Price (as tested): $56,715
Mark Kennedy
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How big is the Nissan Titan XD pick-up truck?
So big that I had to climb down from the cab to pay the cashier at a McDonald's drive-through in Red Bank.
So big I feared that I would scratch the truck's roof on the 7-foot-tall basketball goal in our driveway.
So big that I left it at home on school registration day because I was afraid I couldn't thread it through the school parking lot traffic.
All that is to say that the Titan XD heavy-duty truck is not the most maneuverable commuter vehicle in the world. But, in fairness, that's not what it's designed to be. It's designed to tow pontoon boats to Chickamauga Lake, or traverse muddy farm pastures in Sequatchie Valley, or carry enough lumber to frame a tiny house on Lookout Mountain.
For those jobs, the Titan XD is more than qualified.
After spending a week in the pickup, it's clear this is a work truck with a capital "W" designed to compete with heavy-duty offerings from Ford, Chevrolet and Ram. Titan XDs are available locally at Mountain View Nissan (Market Street) and Nissan of Chattanooga East (Chapman Road). Both local auto stores have an inventory of Titan XDs in stock.
The Titan XD sits astride the half-ton and three-quarter ton truck segments and offers buyers both diesel and gasoline engines. Our tester this week is a Magnetic Black Titan XD in top-of-the-line Platinum Reserve trim with a 5.6-liter V-8 gas engine and a sticker price of $56,715. For about $5,000 more across trim levels buyers can opt for a Cummins diesel-equipped Titan XD with a slightly higher towing capacity.
STYLING AND FEATURES
When you encounter a Nissan Titan XD your first impression is of its imposing mass, not its design. Running boards are standard, which is a good thing unless you plan to pole vault into the leather-clad seats. The wheel arches are so big that you could stack shoe boxes over each tire.
The Platinum Reserve package amps up the chrome on the Titan XD, which has an oversized grille and a big slab of bright-work on the tailgate. Big V-8 badges on the front fenders hint at the brawny power-plant under the hood. Front tow hooks and an integrated Class IV trailer hitch telegraph the Titan's working-class intentions.
The 6.5-foot bed has a factory applied, spray-on bed liner. LED bed lights conveniently illuminate the business end of the Titan XD at night. Twenty-inch, dark chrome wheels shod with General tires are standard equipment.
Inside, the Titan XD has a spacious back seat with plenty of leg room. As part of the Platinum Reserve package our tester comes with two-tone, black and brown leather seats. The front seats are firm and wide enough for almost any posterior. Carpooling to soccer practice was a breeze in the Titan XD. My older son merely flung a bag of 10 soccer balls into the truck bed and motioned two pals into the back seat.
Amenities in the Titan XD include heated and cooled front seats, remote engine start, a Rockford Fosgate premium audio system with 12 speakers, navigation, SiriusXM radio, dark chrome interior accents and premium wood trim.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
Powered by a new, 5.6-liter, aluminum block V-8, the Titan XD can tow up to 11,270 pounds and scoots from zero-to-60 miles per hour in the 7- to 8-second range, according Car and Driver. The V-8 makes 390 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque. The cabin is remarkably isolated by pick-up truck standards, and consequently highway cruising in the Titan XD is a restful experience.
Parking it, on the other hand, will require your full attention. An around-view monitor helps protect the sheet metal. If you're about to scrape one of the corners of the Titan XD a chorus of alarms will sound the alert. A 7-inch monitor and back-up camera makes backing the big pick-up into a parking space a breeze, but it's hard to see parking spaces over the hood of the truck. A couple of times I had to climb back inside and reposition the truck after overshooting a space.
Our Titan XD comes equipped with a shift-on-the-fly, four-wheel-drive system and a seven-speed transmission. A full-size spare tire is a plus.
BOTTOM LINE
The Titan XD is exempt from government fuel economy testing due to its enormous weight, over 8,500 pounds, but we'd expect combined city and highway MPG to average in the low- to mid-teens.
The price for a base Titan XD is $35,290 but can approach $60,000 in top trim. For those that need heavy-duty work the Titan XD is a solid, if sometimes overlooked, alternative to the better-selling domestic brands.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/ mkennedycolumnist.