Fightin' Titan

VANCOUVER, Canada — An annual sales target of 100,000 vehicles for the new Nissan Titan fullsize pickup is modest by U.S. standards. It's less than 5% of the total fullsize truck market and barely registers against the big boys, such as Ford Motor Co.'s F-150, which is gunning for the 1 million mark.

But for the American stalwarts, there's a barely perceptible trace of fear, knowing the Titan has the potential to scramble the automotive landscape more than any other vehicle coming out this year. What really has the domestics spooked is Titan's ability to open the floodgates to credible, foreign competition.

The next-generation Toyota Tundra promises to be huge; Nissan already is kicking around the concept of a three-quarter-ton truck, a diesel, or both; and rumors of a Honda big truck continue to gather strength. What's next?

Titan's acceptance, however, is not a done deal yet, and there's a significant degree of risk on Nissan's part. The challenge, Nissan officials say, will be getting customers to even bother with a test drive, without a boost from a “Built Ford Tough” or “Like a Rock” reputation.

Titan is just as tough as the competition. Nissan might be a truck neophyte, but it's got street credibility in engines. The all-new VK56DE Endurance V-8 is a 5.6L, 32-valve DOHC engine that will be shipped from Nissan's Dechard, TN, engine plant to Canton, MS, where the Titan is assembled — and also will power Titan's sister vehicle, the Pathfinder Armada fullsize SUV.

Its numbers are impressive: The lightweight, aluminum-block V-8 makes a second-best-in-class 305 hp at 4,900 rpm and 379 lb.-ft. (514 Nm) of torque at 3,600 rpm. The torque is highly accessible at low speeds and is quite amenable to towing or carrying heavy loads. Tow capacity is 9,500 lbs. (4,309 kg) and payload is 1,650 lbs. (748 kg). The V-8 is mated to a standard 5-speed automatic transmission.

The Crew Cab Titan is 224.2 ins. (569.4 cm) long, 78.8 ins. (200.1 cm) wide and 76.6 ins. (194.5 cm) tall, with a 139.8-in. (355.1-cm) wheelbase — dimensions that are alarmingly similar to that of the '04 Ford F-150 SuperCrew. (“You'd almost think we colluded,” quips one Nissan executive.) Interior volume is an excellent 127 cu.-ft. (3.6 cu.-m), and Nissan lays claim to the segment's best headroom and legroom.

In the handling department, Titan shines. It rides on a Tower Automotive-built frame with double-wishbone front suspension and rigid leaf rear suspension. The configuration works well for offroading in the 4-wheel-drive high or low modes.

Onroad, Titan manages to feel downright car-like, taking the corners with an unexpectedly nimble lightness. And the 4-wheel disc brakes with Continental Teves Inc. antilock brake system are a perfect match.

Much ado has been made about the wide-opening, 168-degree rear doors that open suicide-style on the slightly smaller King Cab. All around, there is an intense focus on cargo flexibility. Central to Titan's identity is the high-utility package featuring the utili-track bed system, which has five open-section channels for variable tie-down attachments. Accessories that fit into the channel system include a sliding bed extender and a moveable toolbox.

Also part of the high-utility package: a first-in-class, factory-applied permanent spray-in bedliner, courtesy of PPG Industries Inc., and an outer bedside storage compartment. Though lockable and nifty, its size makes it of little use to store anything larger than a bottle of water.

The vehicle proves itself highly competent in extreme offroad situations. The offroad package adds P285/70R17 BF Goodrich tires, the biggest in the segment; Rancho shocks; and additional skid plates. Eventually after a delay, Titan will get an electronically controlled, switch-on-demand locking differential — the first of its kind on a fullsize truck, Nissan says.

Other firsts include: DVD-based navigation system; a center console large enough for hanging files and laptops; floor-mounted gated shifter; available seat side-impact and rollover-curtain airbags that cover both rows, in both the King and Crew Cabs; optional vehicle dynamic control and optional proximity sensors.

The truck isn't perfect. A fair amount of road noise makes its way into the cabin, and the interior doesn't wow. But officials say its rather basic, stripped down utility is by design and preferred by most truck owners — a slight dig at the new F-150, which upped the ante in truck interior luxury.

In all, Titan comes in 260 configurations — double anything Nissan has produced before but a lot less than the 1,500 combinations available for the F-150.