Going For The Jugular

You have got to admire Nissan’s audacity. It comes out with its first full-sized pickup and goes straight for the jugular of the segment’s most popular model, Ford’s F-150. Not only that, the newly resurrected Japanese giant prices it all the way to $54,500, a king’s ransom by pickup standards and within spitting distance of the fully-leathered Cowboy Cadillacs that currently rule the roost.

Oh, sure, the base Titan King Cab starts just over $30,000, but the true measure of how it will stand up to the pressure of dealing with the domestic products will be how the four-door, four-wheel-drive models compare.

Quite well, at least in the powertrain department. The all-new 5.6-litre, double overhead camshaft V8, also found in Nissan’s Armada SUV, is good for 305 horsepower and a very healthy 379 pounds feet of torque. Needless to say, it’s rarely at a loss for get up and go. Tip your foot into it, even gently, and there’s a forceful rush of power that promises untold reserves of hauling power, not to mention decent performance.

It’s also pretty darn smooth, though it does make some racket when it’s woken up on a cold morning. But, once up to operating temperature, it’s a sophisticated beast, though still not quite as quiet as Ford’s new F-150.

In topline LE trim, there’s also a DVD entertainment system. It’s perfect for keeping the rugrats occupied, should you use the Titan as a minivan alternative. It will also perform the same feat with construction workers if you’re using the Titan as intended. The entertainment system also comes complete with front and rear proximity sensors, a boon when parking 5695 mm of pickup in a cramped downtown parking lot.

There’s also a huge amount of room in the back seat. All the perches in the Titan are plenty comfy and, in the case of the LE, leather-lined, which considering its size, means a considerable number of bovines donated their epidermis for my seating pleasure.

As for the interior decor, it’s stylish and contemporary, though the tester came perilously close to the ubiquitous grey hue that we chastise General Motors so much for. There’s a few too many buttons on the centre stack, but that’s what you get when you combine an audio system with a computer readout with a navi system. All the necessary doodads are there, too, like cupholders for every seat and dual 12-volt outlets.

Where the Titan really goes where no Japanese pickup has gone before is the LE’s substantial 4173-kilogram (9200-pound) towing capacity and the decent 533-kilo (1175-lb.) payload. I used some of the above hauling away tile, carpet and absolutely filthy underpadding. Thank God for bedliners.

There’s also a lockable storage bin built into the lower left side of the bed’s fender panel. It’s a handy little thing, perfect for those valuable (but small) tools that you don’t want to leave loose in the bed. However, the latch on my Titan didn’t work very well, taking a healthy nudge/push/kick to get it to stay in place.

The Titan’s hauling capabilities haven’t compromised ride and handling very much. Though it’s not quite as coddling as the F-150, compliance is nonetheless a big improvement over pickups of yore. As you might expect, large potholes are absorbed well, but you feel all the frost heaves our Canadian highways are famous for. The steering is also precise, but a little ponderous as one might expect from a company producing its first true behemoth.

Nonetheless, the Titan ranks right up there with the Fords, Chevys and Mopars of the world. It’s uniquely styled, adequately brutish, and more than capable enough. And judging from the pickup market these days, buyers won’t even blink at its price.