Work and Play: Nissan Adds a Brace of Packages to Titan and Titan XD

America loves its pickup trucks, evidenced by a segment that’s increased nearly 5 percent compared to the same time last year.

Sure, many trucks across the nation haul nothing but air in their beds, but more than a few actually work for a living. Nissan is attempting to lure both parties into its showrooms by adding a couple of new option packages to its trucks – one for work and one for play.

In a bid to further play with the Detroit Three heavy duty trucks, the Titan XD is now available with a Snow Plow Prep Package. The package includes high-capacity, heavy-duty front springs which increase gross axle front weight by 575 pounds. That’s enough to handle most plows from major manufacturers like Boss and Fisher. It is also roughly equal to the daily snowfall accumulation on the northeast coast of Newfoundland. Nissan also mentions Meyer, SnowEx, and Western-branded plows as plug-n-play options.

The Snow Plow Prep Package is available on all three Titan XD body configurations with the V8 gas engine – Single Cab, King Cab and Crew Cab – and on S and SV grade levels. The heavier duty springs were also offered last year on 2017 Titan XD models (as the Heavy Duty GAWR Package), making vehicles equipped with that package also snow plow-capable. Changing the name of the package to from “Heavy Duty” to “Snow Plow” is a shrewd marketing move on Nissan’s part. Certain XD customers opting for the plow package may also qualify for a $500 incentive.

Knowing not all hands are using their Titans for work, Nissan has extended its Midnight Edition paint scheme to the Titan and Titan XD. As one can likely extrapolate from its name, the Midnight Edition endows the truck with a dark-trimmed body-color grille, smoked headlights, shady exterior badging and wheels, and charcoal interior trim. Truck trim prices for 2018 aren’t yet announced, but the package costs $1,395 on the Pathfinder and $1,095 on the Rogue.

Tellingly, the Midnight Edition is only available on the high-volume, high-margin Crew Cab models – namely, the ones most likely to be used as family haulers and not work machines. Just about all the full-sized trucks now offer some sort of high-zoot monochrome trim, such as the Special Edition Package on the Ford F-150 that looks especially striking when paired with the Sport Appearance Package in a bold color.

With the Midnight Edition kit, Nissan now has an answer for those shoppers, if they’re interested in a truck painted Black, Gun Metal, or White.

Sneer if you want at what some may call a “paint-n-wallpaper” package, but many buyers slapping in excess of $50,000 down on a truck for daily use want something to match their personality. The aftermarket is rife with blackout trim and wheel options, so it makes sense for Nissan to get in on the action and offer it straight from the factory.

Year-to-date, the Titan line is up. Earlier this year, the big bosses at Nissan expressed their desire to grab a full 5 percent of pickup truck market share in the United States. However, chasing arbitrary targets has now fallen in favor of smart growth. To some, adding these types of packages might seem minor. However, they go a long way in pursuing conquest buyers and proving Nissan is serious about the truck game.

[Image: Nissan]