Let me introduce you to the very large 2017 Nissan Titan XD. This truck is so good that it crosses party lines, smashes racial barriers and makes everyone your new best friend (at least in the South). I was stopped every single day by someone asking about it. Do you know why? That big ole Cummins badge. The second someone sees it… they are automatically your new best friend and when you mention the heavy duty Aisin Transmission their eyes light up like Christmas.
For good reason that combination is as solid as the granite you can haul with this thing. The Cummins 5.0 turbo diesel puts out 310 horsepower and a wonderful 555 ft/lbs of torque. It’s an extremely refined engine that exhibits almost none of the diesel clatter and is almost silent at speed. The transmission is a bit jerky when shifting but it’s made to haul your horse not chauffeur royalty. It’s fuel efficient as well, as we got 13 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway!
The recirculating ball steering did take a bit getting used to but it was direct and never unwavering. The brakes delivered reassuringly strong feedback and pressure throughout the pedal range and exhibited none of the slop associated with other trucks. The ride quality of the Titan XD was nothing short of outstanding. It swallowed bumps along with road imperfections perfectly and glided down the highway like a cruise ship. It did have a bit of turbo lag when accelerating from a stop but once you got going it pulled strong straight into red-line.
Up close and personal the truck has almost an intimidating demeanor to it. Everything on the exterior is large and imposing. The second you jump in it though is a different story. Our mid-range SL model was wonderfully appointed with a rich leather interior with stitched leather dash, extremely comfortable seats front and rear, beautiful instrumentation and space enough for 5 extremely large humans. The glass is acoustic lined and with the combination of the smooth engine made for a cabin that was absurdly quiet.
Our as tested model was $57,000 which is about the same price as an upper-ish end gas powered domestic. But instead of getting some wimpy gas powered motor you get a 5.0 Cummins V8 with 555 ft/lbs of torque that can tow 12,000 pounds and a sumptuous interior. So what are you waiting for?
