 | Positives: Handsome and comfortable cabin, superb front seats, versatile cargo bed makes easy work. |
 | Negatives: Styling already looks dated, down on power and towing compared to the competition, crappy infotainment system. |
 | Bottom Line: The Titan is a competent pickup but more visible, more capable competitors keep it in the shadows. |
Driving Experience
Pickup trucks are no longer relgated to rough-riding rigs that upset your driving experience. Most V8 models are also really quick, too. The V8 Titan lags a little in both areas, but it's still a competent half-ton. Towing is the lowest in its class (up to 9,660 pounds), unfortunately, but the numbers are still very good if you don't plan on pulling the really heavy stuff.
Ride Quality: The Titan errs on the firm side, and it can be a bit jarring at times.
Acceleration: The V8 packs 390 horses and 394 lb-ft of torque, but its lower than competitors.
Braking: The Titan's brakes are strong and powerful. Braking felt progressive, and we didn't notice any dead or mushy spots in the pedal.
Steering: Steering is decent. Effort was mostly light, and the turning radius is large. At least feedback is pretty good for a pickup truck.
Handling: As expected for a big truck, the body lean is noticeable, but it gets mitigated by the precise steering.
Technology
We're just not big fans of Nissan in-car technology. Sure, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and there is voice command, but the Nissan interface needs work.
Infotainment System: The smallish 7" screen is dull and slow to respond. We just can't figure out why Nissan can't make a better system than this.
Controls: Infotainment control buttons are a bit smashed together to make room for the audio knobs, which at least are decently sized. The climate control knobs are big and grippy, a nice feature.
Styling
We like the fact that the Titan looks different from other pickups, but the styling that was nice and fresh in 2016 is looking a bit dated. At least in Platinum Reserve trim, it gets some styling details that help elevate the model.
Front: There's a lot going on in the fascia with a big mesh grille and busy headlights. At least it provides some presence in a competitive field. The dark chrome in the grille nicely matches the wheels and tailgate trim.
Rear: A big swath of dark chrome on the tailgate looks premium, and the taillights jut out just a tad to give the back end a bit of character.
Profile: In dark blue paint wiht the crew cab, the Titan looks great. We also like the two-tone coloring that separates the body from the lower portions. Dark chrome wheels are a nice touch, too.
Cabin: Pickup cabins are getting pretty fancy these days, and the Titan Reserve with its posh leather seats and contrasting seat inserts look great. Too bad the dash is a bit boring. That center console is also a bit too busy and cheap-looking.
Comfort
Though the Titan doesn't have as much room as the cavernous Ram 1500 crew cab, but it's still good enough for families. The less than stellar cabin ergonomics and weak rear seats compromise the overall passenger comfort.
Front Seats: The Zero Gravity seats might just be the Titan's best feature. They have 14 different pressure points to put your body in a neutral position, and they provide ideal support from the neck to your thighs to reduce fatigue. Too bad there's not more lateral support.
Rear Seats: The rear seats miss the mark on comfort due to the flat cushion and seatbacks.
NVH (noise/vibration/harshness): Cabin noise is minimal, and the Titan rides quietly. It's well built, and we experienced no squeaks or rattles.
Visibility: Overall visibility is very good for a pickup truck, aided by a good seating position and no oversized pillars. The 360 camera is a huge benefit for tight spaces with this big truck.
Climate: The climate system worked well, as did the heated and ventilated seats.
Safety
There's a bit of a mishmash of scores for the Titan in testing between the IIHS and the NHTSA. It also lacks front crash prevention tech, further compromising its overalls safety scores.
IIHS Rating: The Titan nails all the crash tests with "good" but only has "marginal" headlights.
NHTSA Rating: Both driver and passenger miss the full five stars in frontal crashes, and rollover gets dinged by a star. The Titan does well in side impacts.
Standard Tech: The Platinum Reserve trim comes with a tire pressure monitoring system, Blind Spot Warning with Rear Cross Traffic Alert, a rear camera, and a surround view camera.
Optional Tech: None.
Storage/Cargo
There's plenty of storage and cargo bed space, as a half-ton pickup should have. We especially love the floor storage in the second row that's truly versatile. There's also a good bed system that's adjustable and provides tie downs for properly securing loads.
Storage Space: The cabin is a warehouse of storage space. The front row has a huge armrest that can manage a laptop computer, and the deep trays in the center console are excellent. The second row seats fold up, and there are under-floor storage binnacles for tools, etc. Then you can store bigger items on top. Brilliant.
Cargo Room: The Titan Box lockable bed storage option in our tester was superb. The bed, itself, was a standard 5.58 foot interior length and came with a spray-in liner and adjustable tie-downs.
Fuel Economy
The Titan shines when it comes to efficiency, for a pickup truck, at least. The big V8 isn't quite as thirsty as some competitors, another reason to look at the Titan. The XD is even better. The problem is there are no smaller engines for the Titan when competitors have those options that are even more efficient.
Observed: 17.3 mpg
Distance Driven: 56 miles
Audio
Platinum Reserve trim automatically comes with a nice premium Fender system. It's powerful and sounds great, and the fact that it comes at no extra cost at this trim level is a huge bonus.
