My purpose of posting this is to tell my experience with the gas Titan XD. (2016-2019 share the same power train). About 9 months ago I purchased a used 2018 Nissan Titan XD SV 4x4 crew cab. I previously had a '16 F150 super crew 5.0. My rationale for buying it was the following;
1. The max I would be towing is 10K so as the truck is marketed, I thought, perfect fit for me. The truck would be more stable pulling our camper and cargo trailer. It's a "5/8" ton truck.
2. The 1/2 ton version is rated at 21 MPG. My thought was ok, as it's smaller than a 3/4 ton it should get better MPG on the highway and similar or better MPG while towing. (Wasn't expecting 21 MPG highway, but was expecting at least 17 for range).
3. I know several people who have owned older Titans and they swear by their reliability.
4. What separates the normal Titan from the XD is a beefed up frame, larger breaks, longer wheelbase, enhanced engine cooling properties. Rear axle is 3.36 vs the normal Titan 2.93 (thought great, better MPG vs a 3/4 ton.)
The truck drives nice and towed my boat (total boat and trailer around 3500 lbs) with no issues. Started noticing annoying transmission habits. Truck would stay at 2-2200 rpm driving 35-40, tach would "flutter" frequently. When cold and for about 10 mins of driving transmission shifts pretty high, I drive my trucks easy, would shift around 2500 rpm no load just cruising.
Went to 3 different Nissan dealerships, showed them video of what it does- all three took the truck for the day, drove it- reported no issues at all and said it's acting normal, no updates, reprograms, or service bulletins regarding the transmission. Ok, accept that's the way the truck operates.
Tow my empty 24' V nose enclosed cargo trailer (dry weight 3300lbs) from South Georgia (Mild rolling hills) to Central Florida. This is what made me get rid of the truck. I only towed our camper weighing in at 7K loaded about 5 miles twice as we were busy last couple months. The way the truck handles very mild hills and flat Florida was not for me. The truck just couldn't decide what gear to go into. Would rev up to 3500-4k on any overpass and remain at that for about 2 minutes. Would shift everywhere on flats about every minute up shift, down shift, constantly. We're moving to the foothills of the Appalachians, I don't want to deal with this.
What I wish I knew about the truck;
1. 26 gallon fuel tank- this meant while towing the empty cargo trailer a whopping range of 180 miles as I was getting 7 MPG at a max speed of 65 mph.
2. The identical transmission is used as the 1/2 ton Titan, Armada, etc.
3. Semi floating rear axle- it's slightly larger than the normal Titan, but this is no HD axle. Has 6 lug axles, good luck finding any wheels that are rated more than 2200 lbs with 6 lugs.
4. My highway unloaded MPG going 70 mph was 14-14.5 mpg, that's hand calculated and I found the computer to be very close to hand calculations.
5. The back up camera is horrendous on the SV. No moving guides, horrible resolution, night quality is near zero. The '19s got an upgrade so cant speak for those.
6. The rear doors don't open to 90*, more like 60*, kind of a pain with 3 kids.
7. The radio is the worst thing I've ever heard, along with the integration to the phone. Could never get bluetooth to download contacts, you can't just click the phone and say call so and so like every other bluetooth stereo in the last 10 years.
Traded for a used 2019 Ram 2500 6.4 gas 8 speed Big Horn, which the Tradesman is bare base, Big Horn is next step up, equivalent to my Titan SV, which was second step up from an S.
True 3/4 ton truck. Titan XD payload was 2150lbs, Ram is 3150 lbs, exactly 1000 lbs increase in Payload, 2300 increase in towing capacity.
The ram drives much nicer, the coil rear springs are up to the hype.
So far getting 17-18 mpg on highway at 70 MPH, however, this is only 200 miles on flat highway use. Will have to see what it does on a long trip hand calculated.
Cab has more room overall, rear doors open all the way.
Back up camera is very clear with guides, stereo sounds great.
Driveshaft, rear and front axle is massive compared to the Titan XD.
Oil changes are much more easier than the XD, no air damn to remove, no extra plastic skid guard to remove.
The 6.4 Hemi was designed specifically for HD trucks and for longevity. However I'm sure a well cared 5.6 will run just as long. The 8 speed ZF transmission was specifically designed for LCV (light commercial vehicle).
31 gallon fuel tank, not a huge upgrade, but anything beats a 26 gallon tank.
Towed my loaded 24' V nose, this transmission is super confident and slick. No gear hunting and towed the loaded trailer better than the empty trailer with the XD and the Ram is much quieter when it's at 3000+ RPM vs the XD.
Cons so far with the Ram- 1. Big one for me- Made in Mexico. (The XD's engine is made in TN, I believe the truck is made in Mississippi or Missouri?). With that said Nissan is a French/Japan company so not sure who's the winner there.
2. No sliding rear window in the Ram.
3. The front middle seat only has a lap belt, no shoulder belt like the F150 and XD.
To make this whole comparison even more mind boggling- The Ram 4x4 Crew Big Horn MSRP is lower than the Titan XD 4x4 Crew SV. I'm getting better MPG and a true HD truck.
Before buying an XD, I'm sure the the diesel is a cool concept, but, it's discontinued. The gas, unless the 20+ model year with the bump in power and 9 speed transmission are a significant improvement, I would think twice before paying more for a less capable truck. I would really be shocked if the Titan XD is still in production 3+ years from now.
