LOOKS

The Titan I tested was about as no-frills of a vehicle as I’ve tested in a long time. The interior featured a cloth bench seat that was far from fancy.
You can get it with or without rear seats, and the vehicle I tested had no rear seats, just some storage space behind the front seats.
There was also an easy-clean vinyl floor (since people who drive trucks for work purposes are known to get a little dirty).
It featured a removable locking tailgate; cab-mounted LED cargo bed lamp;  and variable intermittent wipers, plus 18-inch tires and power windows and locks.

ENGINE, HORSEPOWER

Unlike trucks from the Detroit Big 3, all Titan trucks come with a 5.6-liter, V8 engine; paired with a 7-speed automatic transmission. Total output on the vehicle is 390 horsepower, plus 394 lb.-ft. of torque.

If you’re looking to do heavy towing, the max capacity of the Titan is 9,740 pounds. This is less than the domestic competitors, but still a capable number.

The payload numbers max out at 1,940 pounds.

These aren’t all class-leading numbers, but they don’t disappoint either.

And when price is taken into account compared to what competitors offer at various trim levels, the Titan starts to look pretty good.

So how’s the ride? Well, it drives like a truck, so it’s hardly graceful, but at the same time the ride is better than much of its competition in terms of overall experience.

And one undeniable fact is that there’s no denying the success of the powerful engine, as this beast can get moving as well as any truck you’ll find, and also stop reasonably well too.

TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY

The Titan I tested was toward the lower end of the pricing scale, but still offered some basic safety features: Front and side air bags for driver and passenger; anti-lock brakes; vehicle dynamic control; electronic brake force distribution; tire pressure monitoring system; Nissan vehicle immobilizer system and a security system.

There was also remote Keyless entry and push button start, plus a 6-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system and the NissanConnect system (which featured a 5-inch color display with rear view monitor; this screen grows to 7 inches on higher trim levels), USB connection, and Bluetooth connectivity for phone calls and streaming audio.

Overall, I’d say this is one area where the competition has the Titan beat, as their tech and safety features tend to outshine what the Titan has to offer.

MPG
Official fuel mileage numbers on the Titan I tested are 15 city/21 highway/18 combined.

Compared to other V8 full-sized trucks from the top brands, these numbers hold up very well.

PRICE  
The Nissan Titan V8 4x4 that I tested came in at $36,695, and the Titan’s base price comes in at $30,030. In the full-size truck ranks, this is competitive pricing and may draw in some buyers who are on the fence about which truck to buy.

The Titan looks especially enticing when you consider its 5-year/100K bumper to bumper warranty, which is best in segment.

As with its competitors, you can really deck out the Titan to almost luxury levels, and push it close to the $60K range. But if you’re one of the working stiffs who just needs a tough truck to get your work done and don’t need any bells and whistles, Nissan has you covered with the base version of the Titan for about half that amount.

BOTTOM LINE

If you’re not concerned with brand names or already committed to any manufacturer, it’s wise to keep your options open when truck shopping. The good news for anyone meeting this description is that even at its most base trims,The 2018 Nissan Titan is a good old-fashioned, affordable, full-size work truck that will get the job done.

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Matt Myftiu can be reached via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Matt Myftiu can be found on Twitter @MattMyftiu.