CAR GAZING
Nissan Titan in a buyer's market
Japanese truck offers V8 power for value shoppers
By Derek Price
If you're not in the business of selling pickup trucks right now, thank God.
The past year has seen one catastrophe after another in the truck world. First, the real estate market collapsed so people could no longer use their house like their own personal money mint for down payments. Then came a spike in gas prices that made people take out a loan every time they went to the pump.
The gas prices started to subside just in time for a stock market crash, when the normally cool heads on CNBC started talking like America was headed for a relapse of the dark ages. And, after seeing visions of bread lines and dust bowls, lenders stopped handing out money for people to buy things like – you guessed it – pickup trucks.
And worst of all? There's that whole competition thing.
America has held a virtual monopoly on pickup sales over the last century, with Ford, Chevy and Dodge enjoying this high-profit niche all to themselves. But now the Japanese have joined the party with the Nissan Titan and Toyota Tundra, and Ford has just released its all-new king of trucks, the F-150, making this the most competitive truck market ever.
All things combined, this is a Category 5 perfect storm for pickup sellers.
That also means pickup buyers are in heaven. They can find big discounts, lots of inventory, and a better choice of trucks than ever before.
One truck they ought to take a look at is the Nissan Titan. While it's in its fifth year of production – yes, it's really been that long – the Titan is a tough, versatile, handsome truck that still feels surprisingly fresh.
Other than its drivetrain, the Titan can be configured in plenty of different ways. It's available with two- or four-wheel drive, king cab or crew cab, two different wheelbases and four different bed lengths.
It's only available with one engine/transmission combination, though, a 5.6-liter V8 that makes 317 horsepower and 385 foot-pounds of torque, coupled to a 5-speed automatic tranny. That's not nearly as customizable as the buffet-style engine choices you'll find in domestic pickups, which offer everything from V6s to massive diesel V8s, but most buyers will be happy with the Nissan's ample muscle.
It's also a good value, starting at $26,150 for the basic truck and topping out under $37,000, sans options, for the top-of-the-line model.
The Titan has some special features to make the bed more usable, like a spray-on bedliner and the Utili-Track tie-down system that makes it easier to secure cargo. It also has a storage compartment built into the bed, a spacious cabin with rear doors that swing almost 180 degrees for ease of entry, and a modern-looking body that seems stylish and tough at the same time.
Will that be enough to win over picky buyers? I don't know. But with the truck market in such bad shape, it's a great time to shop around.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.)
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