2006 Nissan Titan – A Class Actby Stuart Simpson

The 2006 Nissan Titan is a world-class truck. This full size pickup is at the top of its class with 379 lb-ft of torque. I had an opportunity to test drive and look at the Titan’s when looking to purchase a full size truck. I looked at the Tundra, too. The Toyota is no slacker by any means, but this Titan is sharp. <BR><BR>Let’s just start with the big silver 5.6 numbers you see on the back of the truck. That means it has the 305 hp V8 engine – strong enough to tow 9500 lbs. It does have a fully boxed frame, so give up on those Ford commercials. Notice they only compare the Ford to the Dodge and Chevrolet pickups? Wonder why? No, I don’t. <BR><BR>Closest comparison I can find to the Titan’s power is the F150 with the larger 5.4-liter engine. It has 300 hp and can tow as much as the Titan. But the tow package on the Titan comes with a lower final gear ratio to act more like a 4 speed automatic instead of a 5 speed. It also has a transmission temperature gauge and trailer brake controller prewired under the dash. <BR><BR>Now if you are more the off-roading type, you’ll like the electronic locking rear differential and the Rancho off-road shocks. It also has fog lights and skid plates which are a must have. <BR><BR>The Titan boasts most modern conveniences as the Tundra like braking distribution and shifting on the fly 4wd. <BR><BR>In my inspection of the 2005 and 2006 models, I did notice a neat feature. The tailgate weighs a ton, but on the 2006 model, it appears weightless. Nissan added gas shocks to aid in lowering and raising the tailgate. Pretty slick. The other really neat feature I found in this truck was the locking outside toolbox. It’s a lockbox under the left rear tire, up under the fender. There’s a door and a locking latch to store other things, like tools and such. It’s pretty cool. That has me on a bias towards the Nissan as if the other features didn’t. <BR><BR>In the bed is a factory sprayed on bed liner and this neat utility track to hold stuff in place. Rather, it allows me to position ropes and tie downs where I need them. But inside, the interior has something to be desired. Looks like a 350Z nightmare. The steering wheel and gauge cluster is nice, but move over to the right of that and, I dunno, just not my taste. <BR><BR>There are 3 trim levels, XE, SE, and LE. The SE seems to be the most common and it’s nice. Not much difference as I can tell between an SE and LE. It is a nice truck and should be considered if you are shopping around as I am and have been.