ArcaMax

Big V8 has big thirst.

Under The Hood

Every Titan comes with the same 5.6-liter, 400 horsepower V8. It is the biggest -- and strongest -- standard engine in the half-ton class, and not by a little bit. Rivals like the Ram 1500, Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado all come standard with V6 engines, and the strongest of them -- the 3.6-liter V6 that is standard equipment in the Ram -- only makes 305 horsepower.

And nowhere near the Nissan V8's 413 foot-pounds of torque.

This is why the Titan has the highest standard tow rating in the class -- 9,050 pounds -- and the quickest standard 0-60 time (7.2 seconds).

On The Road

The Titan feels like the truck it is from the moment you light up the big V8, which emits a healthy bark through the twin pipes out back. As you drive, there is that comforting down-low bass vibrato that only a big V8 makes.

It is a heavy thing -- another good thing for a truck. Body on frame and steel (not aluminum) body equals 5,594 pounds for the base King Cab 4x2. With 4x4, the curb weight rises to 5,711 pounds. This is several hundred pounds heavier than some of the alloy-bodied competition; a Ford F-150 regular cab 4x2 weighs just over 4,000 pounds. It gives the Titan a heft that is lacking elsewhere.

Also, confidence, because you know that if a deer bounds out of the brush, it's not going to crumple most of the front end. That matters on the job site and off-road, too. Back into or bump into something with an aluminum-bodied truck and the results will be expensive. In a steel-bodied truck, it'd be less so, as well as the damage because steel is harder to bend than aluminum.

At The Curb

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