[383ss]

I just happened to stumble across a Titan XD Diesel SV sitting at a dealership in Topeka Kansas and couldn't resist taking a look and going for a test drive.

Full disclosure. I had been a GM loyalist for life until I recently purchased a Ram 1500 Big Horn 3.0 Diesel. My ram is decently equipped with the 8.4" nav, programmable dash, tow mirrors. it listed at 50k msrp and I picked it up for 40. the ram had so much more to offer in a 1500 than GM and with a diesel, I couldn't resist. It is a fantastic truck. I will make some comparisons here between the ram and nissan. These are just my opinions.

over the past 6 months, I have driven almost every domestic 4x4 engine configuration available. Silverado/GMC 5.3L, 6.2L with and without the max towing 4.10's, Ram 5.7 with 4.10's and 3.55's, 3.0 Diesel with 4.10, 3.55 and 3.21's. Ford 2.7L Turbo, 3.5L turbo, 5.0L. GMC 2500 6.0L and Duramax, Ram 2500 6.4L and Diesel. I may have a problem lol.

I know it is completely hypocritical, but I did not look at any 'import branded' trucks before I purchased my ram. I know the nissan is designed, tested, manufactured in the USA, probably more so than the trucks I drove, but I just didn't look.

So being a truck test driving addict, I had to take the XD for a spin. My first impression seeing it was quite positive. I thought the outside looked great, except the headlights. I just don't care for the headlights, especially from the side. they aren't aggressive enough and give the truck a soft look. I was pleasantly surprised by the initial impression of the interior. Seats were comfy. back seat room was a little less than the ram/ford/gm, but its not bad at all. Nice center console. This SV model had the convenience and comfort package giving it a ton of features. Nav, heated seats, push button start, rear cam, etc, etc.. very well equipped. the absolute best part of this truck is when you pop the hood!! the cummins looks absolutely spectacular tucked in there! they should have put this in the Ram 1500.

when I looked at the sticker, I was almost in shock. how can a truck with a 5.0L cummins this well equipped be 50k?!?!?!? ****, maybe I shouldn't have bought my Ram, is what I was thinking....

Then I noticed no MPG rating on the sticker... hmm. guess this is a considered a commercial vehicle, not a 1500 truck.

firing it up, it sounded great. The odo read about 110 miles, but disturbingly the service engine light was on. oh well, lets take it out. I sat there fumbling through the gauge cluster info center and found the MPG reset. this was my first negative experience, the steering wheel controls are not super intuitive and the gauge cluster info center is not the best. The three position toggle on the steering wheel with the 'enter' button is confusing. the Enter (center position) is used as an input into the gauge cluster and the up/down toggle is the radio seek. the button below it (left/right) is also used with the gauge cluster. this is poor HMI design. I was constantly trying to navigate the gauge cluster and changing the radio station lol. Also, the trip odometer doesn't even show MPG? what the heck? There is only 1 'master' mpg you can reset. Sorry, but the RAM's optional gauge cluster is vastly superior, but then it is also far better than ford or GMs'. The Nissan is on par with what GM offers (non-denali).

Taking off, the engine felt good. it had good power, but nothing like its big brother in the Ram 2500. It felt about like my 3.0L FIAT diesel with 3.55's. not a bad thing, just how it felt. it had lots of torque, just not a lot of punch. The ride quality is ALL 3/4 ton! this is about when I realized this is not a 1500 truck. this IS A 2500. The RAM 2500 with its 5 link rear has a much better ride quality. The ride quality is on par with a GM 2500. I'm not knocking it, its just how it is for a 2500 with conventional suspension.

driving around I played with the controls a bit, the infotainment system, etc... I must say the biggest negative I experienced was how poor the infotainment system is. it is by far the worst of any of the trucks I have test driven. the AM/FM screen is pathetic. It has 6 presets that don't even show the station that is preset to them, just a number 1-6, with a ton of blank/blue screen. The colors are anemic, its pretty much two tone, unless you are in the nav screen. There is a 'camera' button on the lower left of the screen. you would think this would allow you to view the rear camera while driving, like in a GM. Nope. it takes you to a screen with 1 option to change a camera setting. seemingly a completely worthless button. Maybe it has another use, but I couldn't figure it out. I did like it had a 'map' button that always took you directly to the nav map. nice feature. The stereo seemed good, although I'm not an audiophile. Steering was responsive and felt good. brakes were good. overall the interior was decent, but the Ram has the best on the market and a big part of this is the Ram's 8.4 nav system. it is just stellar. I'm sure that isn't a big of a deal to some people as it is to me. I would say the nissan is the middle of the road for interior. It doesn't feel as 'put together' and seamless as the other brands. It feels a bit more like they just picked stuff out of the parts bin and threw it together. I'm not saying it is terrible, just didn't feel great.

now to what a lot of people are asking about. MPG. I reset the gauge doing 65mph on the interstate and drove about 5 miles. it got 18.5. not good. I was expecting low 20's, hoping 23ish. Now it was cold out, about 30* and my ram diesel dropped a few mpgs when the temp dropped, but I was expecting way more. After I got back to the dealer, driving around town a bit and getting on it a few times, the mpg was 14.5. ouch. I couldn't do that poorly with my ram if I beat the crap out of it.

parking it again at the dealer, I looked at it quite a bit. overall, I think it is a **** good truck for the money. i'm not sure what slot it fills though and that has me confused. It has a great price point and is great value for the money. This is a 2500 truck, and if anyone doubts that, the curb weight of this SV is 7152lbs. it IS classified as a 2500, it is NOT a half ton.
If I needed to tow 10-12000 lbs regularly, this would be a great truck. The mpg has me quite confused though. it should be getting far better than 18. maybe it needs broken in, I don't know, but that is a big issue.

it does look like it has some kick ass bed accessories and I'm still in shock you can apparently pick up a '2500' 5.0 cummins for low 40's MSRP. if there are good rebates in a year or two you could get into a 3/4 diesel insanely cheap.


Anyway, not looking for any arguments. just wanted to state my impressions.

 

[nihilus]

Very nice review. Lots of complaints on infotainment. Seems everyone agrees that Ram is still the best here. 18.5 mpg seems consistant with others for highway mpg.

 

[titandan]

I just happened to stumble across a Titan XD Diesel SV sitting at a dealership in Topeka Kansas and couldn't resist taking a look and going for a test drive.

Full disclosure. I had been a GM loyalist for life until I recently purchased a Ram 1500 Big Horn 3.0 Diesel. My ram is decently equipped with the 8.4" nav, programmable dash, tow mirrors. it listed at 50k msrp and I picked it up for 40. the ram had so much more to offer in a 1500 than GM and with a diesel, I couldn't resist. It is a fantastic truck. I will make some comparisons here between the ram and nissan. These are just my opinions.

over the past 6 months, I have driven almost every domestic 4x4 engine configuration available. Silverado/GMC 5.3L, 6.2L with and without the max towing 4.10's, Ram 5.7 with 4.10's and 3.55's, 3.0 Diesel with 4.10, 3.55 and 3.21's. Ford 2.7L Turbo, 3.5L turbo, 5.0L. GMC 2500 6.0L and Duramax, Ram 2500 6.4L and Diesel. I may have a problem lol.

I know it is completely hypocritical, but I did not look at any 'import branded' trucks before I purchased my ram. I know the nissan is designed, tested, manufactured in the USA, probably more so than the trucks I drove, but I just didn't look.

So being a truck test driving addict, I had to take the XD for a spin. My first impression seeing it was quite positive. I thought the outside looked great, except the headlights. I just don't care for the headlights, especially from the side. they aren't aggressive enough and give the truck a soft look. I was pleasantly surprised by the initial impression of the interior. Seats were comfy. back seat room was a little less than the ram/ford/gm, but its not bad at all. Nice center console. This SV model had the convenience and comfort package giving it a ton of features. Nav, heated seats, push button start, rear cam, etc, etc.. very well equipped. the absolute best part of this truck is when you pop the hood!! the cummins looks absolutely spectacular tucked in there! they should have put this in the Ram 1500.

when I looked at the sticker, I was almost in shock. how can a truck with a 5.0L cummins this well equipped be 50k?!?!?!? ****, maybe I shouldn't have bought my Ram, is what I was thinking....

Then I noticed no MPG rating on the sticker... hmm. guess this is a considered a commercial vehicle, not a 1500 truck.

firing it up, it sounded great. The odo read about 110 miles, but disturbingly the service engine light was on. oh well, lets take it out. I sat there fumbling through the gauge cluster info center and found the MPG reset. this was my first negative experience, the steering wheel controls are not super intuitive and the gauge cluster info center is not the best. The three position toggle on the steering wheel with the 'enter' button is confusing. the Enter (center position) is used as an input into the gauge cluster and the up/down toggle is the radio seek. the button below it (left/right) is also used with the gauge cluster. this is poor HMI design. I was constantly trying to navigate the gauge cluster and changing the radio station lol. Also, the trip odometer doesn't even show MPG? what the heck? There is only 1 'master' mpg you can reset. Sorry, but the RAM's optional gauge cluster is vastly superior, but then it is also far better than ford or GMs'. The Nissan is on par with what GM offers (non-denali).

Taking off, the engine felt good. it had good power, but nothing like its big brother in the Ram 2500. It felt about like my 3.0L FIAT diesel with 3.55's. not a bad thing, just how it felt. it had lots of torque, just not a lot of punch. The ride quality is ALL 3/4 ton! this is about when I realized this is not a 1500 truck. this IS A 2500. The RAM 2500 with its 5 link rear has a much better ride quality. The ride quality is on par with a GM 2500. I'm not knocking it, its just how it is for a 2500 with conventional suspension.

driving around I played with the controls a bit, the infotainment system, etc... I must say the biggest negative I experienced was how poor the infotainment system is. it is by far the worst of any of the trucks I have test driven. the AM/FM screen is pathetic. It has 6 presets that don't even show the station that is preset to them, just a number 1-6, with a ton of blank/blue screen. The colors are anemic, its pretty much two tone, unless you are in the nav screen. There is a 'camera' button on the lower left of the screen. you would think this would allow you to view the rear camera while driving, like in a GM. Nope. it takes you to a screen with 1 option to change a camera setting. seemingly a completely worthless button. Maybe it has another use, but I couldn't figure it out. I did like it had a 'map' button that always took you directly to the nav map. nice feature. The stereo seemed good, although I'm not an audiophile. Steering was responsive and felt good. brakes were good. overall the interior was decent, but the Ram has the best on the market and a big part of this is the Ram's 8.4 nav system. it is just stellar. I'm sure that isn't a big of a deal to some people as it is to me. I would say the nissan is the middle of the road for interior. It doesn't feel as 'put together' and seamless as the other brands. It feels a bit more like they just picked stuff out of the parts bin and threw it together. I'm not saying it is terrible, just didn't feel great.

now to what a lot of people are asking about. MPG. I reset the gauge doing 65mph on the interstate and drove about 5 miles. it got 18.5. not good. I was expecting low 20's, hoping 23ish. Now it was cold out, about 30* and my ram diesel dropped a few mpgs when the temp dropped, but I was expecting way more. After I got back to the dealer, driving around town a bit and getting on it a few times, the mpg was 14.5. ouch. I couldn't do that poorly with my ram if I beat the crap out of it.

parking it again at the dealer, I looked at it quite a bit. overall, I think it is a **** good truck for the money. i'm not sure what slot it fills though and that has me confused. It has a great price point and is great value for the money. This is a 2500 truck, and if anyone doubts that, the curb weight of this SV is 7152lbs. it IS classified as a 2500, it is NOT a half ton.
If I needed to tow 10-12000 lbs regularly, this would be a great truck. The mpg has me quite confused though. it should be getting far better than 18. maybe it needs broken in, I don't know, but that is a big issue.

it does look like it has some kick ass bed accessories and I'm still in shock you can apparently pick up a '2500' 5.0 cummins for low 40's MSRP. if there are good rebates in a year or two you could get into a 3/4 diesel insanely cheap.


Anyway, not looking for any arguments. just wanted to state my impressions.

Thank you for the honest write up. I considered the Ram 2500 also but to get one as loaded like I want (Platinum Reserve) it would be way up there in price. If you stay around the SV level truck its a hard decision the 2500 starts looking better. One topic that keeps staying all over the board is the ride. Some like myself loved it and some like you said it rode like a 3/4 ton and not like a 1/2. Its interesting people's experience on the ride.

 

[dragon4x4]

I agree its interesting to see what people say about the ride and I think its Very Very nice compared to the ram 2500... and the ram 3500 I just traded in doesnt even come close lol. It truly feels like a gm 2500 but a touch softer and a lot more refined

 

[Frost]

Nice. It's great to start hearing these unbiased, independent reviews!

 

[honda250xtitan]

the infotainment system was getting bashed before they released the truck....not sure why they don't get a better one.

 

[Sellitwv]

I feel that the infotainment system is way easier to use than our hyundai tucson. Also forgot to mention that the dealer in ohio had another xd pro4x that I drove and the Rockford fosgate stereo system is amazing with bass and sound quality. I didn't buy this one because it wasn't the color I was looking for but not would reommend the Rockford system. It was stellar

 

[Jeremywwallace]

When I test drove it I liked it all nut I was going from a 2008 suburban to a Titan XD platinum reserve and love it Rockfords are BA as well

 

[TurboDiesel]

the infotainment system was getting bashed before they released the truck....not sure why they don't get a better one.

Might have to do with them pulling from the parts bin for now before bringing out something new. So maybe in some model year not long from now we might see some big change in that area.

 

[merlin]

I was impressed with the XD when I first saw a Platinum Reserve sitting on a local dealer's lot. I had been anxiously waiting for the XD to arrive. I had been researching all of the reviews on line and had basically sold my wife on the truck before either of us saw it on the lot. In short, I was ready to buy the truck if it was everything that Nissan had said that it was from their advertising. I tow as travel trailer and a typical half ton does not have the cargo capacity that I need, so I drive a 2014 F250 Gasser.

I took my wife with me to inspect the XD Platinum Reserve on the local dealer's lot. She instantly fell in love with the truck and was ready to take the truck home. After starting a critical inspection of the truck, the first thing I noticed was the passenger car tires on the truck. This brought back memories of looking at a Toyota Tundra a few years ago that had passenger car tires on it that had a cargo capacity of 1450 pounds or so. I have to admit that at this point, I was more concerned about the Titan Cargo boxes being installed in the bed than the tires. But, my concerns about the boxes was somewhat lessened by finding out that the boxes were removable. After doing several rounds of the truck, I looked under the hood. I continued to be impressed.

As I moved to the cab, I was still ready to take the truck home. That is until I looked at the Cargo Carrying Capacity of the XD Platinum Reserve. The passenger car tires on the vehicle caused the XD to have a cargo capacity of 1455 pounds. Hardly near the heavy half ton capacity that Nissan had been touting for the XD. After getting a "We will change out the tires" from the dealer, I decided that I needed to do more research on the XD before I could feel comfortable with the cargo capacity of the truck.

I went to the Nissan Website and looked over all of the ratings listed on the website and I also downloaded the XD owners manual and Diesel Supplement. What I found was that the curb weight of the truck for 2 wheel driver was 7200 odd pounds and 7300 odd pounds for the 4x4. If you take the GVW of 8900 that Nissan advertises and subtract the empty curb weight of 7200 or 7300 pounds from 8900 pounds, the best cargo capacity you can get is 1700 odd pounds on the 4x2 or 1600 odd pounds on the 4x4. Since the empty weight is what it is and the GVW cannot be exceeded, this truck is far from even a decent half ton truck. Granted, the truck is well constructed and has heavy duty parts under neath, but none of that counts if you overload the truck and have an accident. Insurance companies look for reasons not to pay or a way to reduce the amounts they pay out on claims. A person drives an overloaded truck at their own peril.

Needless to say that even though I liked the looks of the truck and I had my wife's approval to buy the truck, I was forced to walk away from the deal because the truck is simply not capable of hauling 2000+ pounds of cargo. The numbers simply do not add up.

 

[Frost]

That's the big XD mystery.

 

[dragon4x4]

Its not really a mystry, pretty self explanatory read the ratings, if they dont mesh for you dont buy it... everyone seems to think that the numbers are no good, but this truck in making the market retard proof. How man times do you see morons in a f150s towing 11K and all over the road, cant stop it or controle it. This truck will tow 11K safely and with out puting stress on the major componants and that is the smartest thing that could have done. They could have gone stupid with there ratings like Ford and say " Our XD can tow 15,000 LBS" but it might not be that safe.
Just my opinion but I think these numbers are solid its the Fords that are very scary and put alot of people in harms way on the roads because people just dont get it.

 

[Frost]

Its not really a mystry, pretty self explanatory read the ratings, if they dont mesh for you dont buy it... everyone seems to think that the numbers are no good, but this truck in making the market retard proof. How man times do you see morons in a f150s towing 11K and all over the road, cant stop it or controle it. This truck will tow 11K safely and with out puting stress on the major componants and that is the smartest thing that could have done. They could have gone stupid with there ratings like Ford and say " Our XD can tow 15,000 LBS" but it might not be that safe.
Just my opinion but I think these numbers are solid its the Fords that are very scary and put alot of people in harms way on the roads because people just dont get it.

I get that you don't like anyone saying anything bad about it but that's not the way user forums work. We all make our own decisions without anyone deciding for us. Since you seemingly didn't get it, my response was to someone that was underwhelmed with the XD after a detailed review and test drive. Nissan's data speaks for itself without any spin or color. So far it doesn't add up as many have already stated.

I agree with your moron discussion but they aren't unique to Ford. Unfortunately, the XD does nothing to solve it as morons will always tow beyond ratings and it arguably gets easier when Nissan over promises and under delivers.

Just FYI, Ford's F150 specs meet SAE J2807 tow standards for the last couple of years.

 

[Old Ag]

I, for one, would be more convinced if they came up with an uprated payload option. Right now GW for a Pro4x Crew Cab 4x4 is at 8990.

If they provide the option of raising it to 9900, then payload would go from 1733 to 2733. This would allow for a bumper pull trailer at the current maximum of 11,784#, 10% of that on the tongue (1,178) with 1,550# left over for passengers and cargo.

More importantly, if you decided to use the currently decorative gooseneck hitch, you could pull a trailer weight of 11,784#, 20% of that on the pin (2356#) and have just enough left for a not to overly heavy driver and passenger (376#).

The trade off is a likely less comfortable and compliant ride, and you have now become the least powerful truck in the 2500 class.

But at least you could have the option.

Old Ag

 

[nihilus]

Trucks don't kill people. I kill people.