2016 Nissan Titan XD - Towing With the 5/8-Ton Truck

Japanese car companies have been trying to break into the American full-sized pickup market for decades. Despite Japanese trucks having a sterling reputation for dependability and reliability internationally, ‘Muricans are a different bunch. Not even Ford’s switch to “European-style” twin-turbo engines and aluminum bodies could stop the freight train that is the F-Series sales chart.

On the opposite end of that sales chart is the last-place Titan. Nissan sold just 12,140 Titans last year, 1/10th of Toyota’s own meager volume and 1/65th of Ford’s truck sales.

Rather than picking up its marbles and going home, Nissan thought outside the box and came up with a novel idea. Why not “right-size” a 3/4 ton truck and sell it for a little more than your average 1/2 ton? With the Detroit Three engaged in serious towing and payload wars, the heavy-duty pickup segment looks more like a Freightliner convention.

That’s where the diesel Titan XD comes in.

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Meanwhile, In Flyover Country

What’s the lifted-truck equivalent of a Corvette drag-race calamity? Obviously, it’s the above video. (Warning: LANGUAGE IN VIDEO IS NSFW) But wait, there’s more.

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  • Mgh57 I had to read the article because I had had no idea what the headline meant. I've never seen this in the Northeast. Don't understand the point. Doesn't seen efficient aerodynamically
  • MaintenanceCosts Depends on the record of the company developing them. If it’s got a record of prioritizing safety over years of development, I’ll be fine with it, and I’ll expect it to be less risky than typical idiot human drivers. If it’s a “move fast and break sh!t” outfit like Tesla or Uber, no way.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X No thanks. You'll never convince me that anybody needs this.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X I'd rather do the driving.
  • SCE to AUX EVs are a financial gamble for any mfr, but half-hearted commitment will guarantee losses.BTW, if there were actual, imminent government EV mandates, no mfr could make a statement about "listening to their customers".