Nissan Titan XD: 2017 Motor Trend Truck of the Year Contender

We Like: The premise of a three-quarter-ton truck for a half-ton price.

We Don’t Like: That it doesn’t meet its premise.

New engines are a big deal in Truckland, which is why the Titan XD returns to TOTY this year—this time with Nissan’s familiar 5.6-liter gas V-8. But the new offering simply did not impress, and it seriously underperformed in a couple crucial tests.

“On-road performance feels just about adequate,” Benson Kong said. “The fuel economy is not great for a tweener class truck.”

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2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 front three quarters in motion 02

2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 front three quarter 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 rear three quarter 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 side 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 rear three quarters in motion

Also, the performance gap with the light-duty Titans with the same engine made the XD feel “stunted,” Kong added. The V-8 has a loud, proud engine note at wide-open throttle, but a lot of time is spent there, particularly when towing, and power delivery often fell short.

“Both Titans struggled to reach 55 mph up the grade,” Scott Evans said. Not only did the XD perform poorly on its way up, but its cruise control also couldn’t hold speed downhill.

That said, if you tow or haul regularly, the Titan XD is the way to go with its extra capability.

The XD’s exterior design was largely given the thumbs up. But the interior was a less compelling array of the familiar, routine Nissan knobs, buttons, and switches—not to mention the low-res screen and glitchy infotainment system.

2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 front interior seats 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 cockpit 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 center stack 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 drive mode 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 engine 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 rear interior seats 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 rear interior seats fold up 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 rear floormats

Our judges split on ride comfort, with Mark Rechtin and Kim Reynolds preferring the Titan XD’s ride over the either Ford’s for bumpy surfaces, although Rechtin noted the XD’s suspension became distressed more quickly when road quality deteriorated.

“Unless you absolutely won’t buy domestic, there’s no compelling case for this truck,” Evans said in summing up the XD’s OTY fate. “It’s not that it’s bad. It’s that the competition is better.”

2016 Nissan Titan XD 4×4 Platinum Reserve V8
POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, 4WD
ENGINE TYPE 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads
VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT 338.8 cu in/5,552 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO 11.2:1
POWER (SAE NET) 390 hp @ 5,800 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET) 401 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
REDLINE 6,300 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER 17.5 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION 7-speed automatic
AXLE/FINAL/LOW-DRIVE RATIO 3.36:1/2.60:1/2.72:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar; live axle, leaf springs, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO 19.0:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 3.8
BRAKES, F; R 14.2-in vented disc; 14.4-in vented disc, ABS
WHEELS, F;R 7.5 x 20-in cast aluminum
TIRES, F;R LT265/60R20 121/118R (M+S) General Grabber HTS
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE 151.6 in
TRACK, F/R 68.6/68.6 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 242.7 x 80.7 x 78.8 in
TURNING CIRCLE 53.8 ft
CURB WEIGHT 6,840 lb
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 56/44%
SEATING CAPACITY 5
HEADROOM, F/R 41.0/40.4 in
LEGROOM, F/R 41.8/38.5 in
SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 63.3/63.6 in
PICKUP BOX VOLUME 57.8 cu ft
PICKUP BOX L x W x H 77.8 x 61.7 x 20.8 in
WIDTH BET WHEELHOUSES 50.0 in
PAYLOAD CAPACITY 1,810 lb
TOWING CAPACITY 11,000 lb
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH Unladen / towing 7,000 lb
0-30 2.4 / 4.6 sec
0-40 3.8 / 7.2
0-50 5.3 / 10.2
0-60 7.4 / 15.1
0-70 9.7 / 20.7
0-80 12.4 / 28.1
0-90 16.8 / —
0-100 21.6 / —
PASSING, 45-65 MPH 4.1 / 9.2
QUARTER MILE 15.7 sec @ 87.5 mph / 20.1 @ 68.9 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 124 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.75 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT 28.2 sec @ 0.60 g (avg)
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,700 rpm
CONSUMER INFO
BASE PRICE $56,715
PRICE AS TESTED $57,110
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes
AIRBAGS Dual front, front side, f/r curtain
BASIC WARRANTY 5 yrs/100,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 yrs/100,000 miles
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 3 yrs/36,000 miles
FUEL CAPACITY 26.0 gal
REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB 11.6/16.0/13.2 mpg
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON Not rated
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY Not rated
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB Not rated
RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded regular
2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 wheels 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 headlamp 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 grille 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 rear badge 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 front three quarter tow 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 rear three quarter tow 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 front end in motion 2016 Nissan Titan XD 4x4 Platinum Reserve V8 front three quarters in motion 03

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