There are certain expectations when a name is used to describe an item or a person. Take Tiny for instance. You would expect that the person or item would be small, petite even. Again petite conjures yet another image and has often be used to describe my lovely wife.
However when you use a word like Titan you would expect the item in question to be big, maybe bigger than normal.
The title was used was used in the name of a certain infamous ship that celebrated the 100th year of its maiden voyage and the 100th anniversary of its sinking earlier this year.
However the Nissan Titan will not be sailing on water and apart from the odd snowdrift it should be far away from any stray ice bergs.
The Titan is a large vehicle, which goes along with the name, and my son and I have seen several titans over the last few months with lift kits and knobby tires and they look absolutely daunting.
We saw one recently on a trip to Hawaii and although it looked out of place in a beach resort, I did think what fun it would be to let it loose on the sand amongst screaming locals and
visitors alike.
Although it is a big truck both inside and out, the Titan is easy to drive. It doesn't feel like a big machine when getting about town and the room in the cabin allows the driver - and indeed the passengers - to relax and get
comfortable.
The Titan was easy to get into in part because of the running board that spreads the length of both doors on each side. Getting out is also easy as the step down is not as big. This really helps with older folk, kids and those who may have an injury or two.
The Titan came with a big 5.6-litre V8 putting out 317 horsepower and 385 foot pounds of torque, more than enough to get just about any job done, whether it be digging huge holes on a balmy beach while flooring it, pulling paragliders into the wind or just flying between screaming beachgoers and crushing all those pesky sand castles that those kids think they are so clever and creative in building.
At the back of the Titan on the driver's side, there is a lockable storage box. This is where you could store your Speedo swimsuit, towel, sunscreen and beach mat if required. If not you could store a first aid kit, jumper cables, gloves and the like.
The bed of the Titan came with what Nissan calls a Utili-track System with four tie-down cleats. These cleats can be moved to different spots along the bed depending on what you want to secure and where you want to secure it.
The tailgate is something wonderful as it drops slowly of its own power when opened.
Gone is the worry about taking your arms off when you open the tailgate and have the 200 lb drop like someone having a coronary reaction to one too many doughnuts.
Open the tailgate on the Titan, let go and the thing drops slowly and silently into position.
Nice.
The Titan came equipped with a five-speed automatic with tow/haul mode allowing the truck to remain in a lower gear for towing the boat up hills (up to 9,300 lbs), or if you are hauling heavy loads (1,800 lbs) like the
doughnut boy to the hospital.
The wood grain on the dash is a nice touch and all the dials, buttons and handles are large enough to use with gloves on. They also give the Titan a more manly look.
The Titan also came with all the necessary airbags, and they may have to be deployed if you happen to be on the beach and decide to go for a drive in the ocean.
They might help with the floatation.
The Titan also came with all the necessary safety features like antilock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, vehicle dynamic control and traction control making sure you go in the direction you intend to go.
There is also a power window to access the bed of the truck, which is one of the biggest I have seen. This will make it easier to check on Mr. double glazed in the truck bed.
The Titan also came with Bluetooth, satellite radio, navigation, steering wheel audio controls, two memory settings for the driver's seat, lots of leather, dual zone climate control and plenty of power options.
Nissan has taken this truck and designed it to throw some sand in the face of the competition, and it is nice that they provided a spot for the Speedos.
Spec Sheet:
Vehicle
NISSAN TITAN
Vehicle type:
4-door truck
Transmission:
5-speed automatic
Engine:
5.6-litre V8
Horsepower:
317 @ 5,200
Torque:
385 @ 3,400
Mileage:
17.7 l/100 km
16 mpg City
12.1 l/100 km
23 mpg Hwy
Price as tested:
$45,673
