2016 Nissan Titan XD: What's It Like to Live With?

What do you want to know about?

• Introduction
• First Day on the Job
• Performance Tested
• The Diesel V8's Fuel Economy So Far
• Monthly Update for October 2016
• Monthly Update for November 2016
• Monthly Update for December 2016
• L.A. to Detroit
• Monthly Update for January 2017
• Detroit to LA
• Monthly Update for February 2017
• Monthly Update for March 2017
• Monthly Update for April 2017
• Monthly Update for May 2017
• Monthly Update for June 2017
• King Banana Hits the Dirt
• Monthly Update for July 2017
• A Titan, a Terrier and a Big Tow
• Wrap-Up

Introduction

What Did We Buy?
Nissan has already tried the full-size truck thing once. The original Nissan Titan debuted way back in 2004 to positive reviews, but it lacked the powertrain options, body configurations and feature flexibility that big-truck buyers expect. Not surprisingly, it remained a bit player in a segment where Detroit's Big Three remain the undisputed champs.

Now it's time for the second-generation 2016 Nissan Titan, which debuts in quasi-HD guise as the Titan XD (a regular half-ton Titan is coming for 2017). Completely redesigned and utilizing beefy components from Nissan's NV commercial vans, the Titan XD splits the difference between a traditional half-ton pickup and a true heavy-duty truck.

The Titan XD also offers a choice of two engines, starting with a 5.6-liter gasoline V8 that makes 390 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque (up 73 hp and 16 lb-ft from the original). Then there's the all-new 5.0-liter, Cummins-built turbodiesel V8 rated at 310 hp and a massive 555 lb-ft of torque. There's a pair of fresh automatic transmissions, too — a seven-speed unit for the gas engine and a six-speed for the diesel.

Naturally, we wanted to try the all-new diesel, so our 2016 Nissan Titan XD is a Cummins-powered example in Pro-4X trim with just about all the extras. It fits in our parking garage — barely — and has already entered service as the resident Edmunds workhorse.

What Options Does It Have?
The 2016 Titan XD Pro-4X is technically the model in the middle, flanked by the value-oriented S and SV on the lower end and the luxe-truck SL and Platinum Reserve trims at the top end. The Pro-4X's claim to fame is its off-road-readiness, highlighted by all-terrain tires, upgraded Bilstein shocks, a lockable rear differential, skid plates and hill descent control.

Additional standard features include automatic LED headlights, foglights, a spray-in bedliner, LED cargo box illumination, a towing package, keyless entry and ignition, unique upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a 7-inch infotainment display with a navigation system and voice controls.

Add the diesel powertrain for an even $5,000, and you're looking at $50,970 to start with the Pro-4X. We like to sample as many doodads as we can, so we grabbed an example with the Utility and Audio package, the Convenience package and the Luxury package, all of which our full review covers in detail. Summing up, we got front and rear parking sensors, Nissan's Around View 360-degree parking camera system, additional LED bed lighting, "Titan Box" removable in-bed storage compartments, a power-sliding rear window, auto-dimming mirrors, a power-adjustable, heated steering wheel, driver memory settings, leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, a 12-speaker Rockford Fosgate audio system and a few other items — all for an extra $5,920. Oh, and premium yellow paint for $395 that inspired photo whiz Kurt Niebuhr to christen the truck "King Banana."

The total MSRP with destination came to $58,480. Expensive for sure, but right in the ballpark with a Ford F-150 Platinum or GMC Sierra Denali.

Why We Bought It
The original Titan wasn't much of a success in terms of sales numbers, but it earned plenty of fans along the way. It also taught Nissan plenty about the full-size truck market, most notably the power of choice when it comes to engines, body styles and features.

This experience led Nissan to expand its offerings this time around, including the creation of the uniquely positioned XD. We want to find out firsthand whether this new strategy makes sense, so our Titan will be tasked with all manner of hauling, towing and general adventuring challenges in the year to come. We'll find out if there's room in the crowded world of big pickups for a tweener truck with uprated capabilities.

Follow the Titan XD's progress on our long-term road test blog for our latest thoughts and impressions.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds with this vehicle for the purpose of evaluation.

First Day on the Job

We'd had our 2016 Nissan Titan XD for less than an hour before I asked keymaster Mike Schmidt if I could take it home. I'm in the process of renovating my house, and new baseboards and door moulding were high on my to-do list. No stranger to baseboards himself, Schmidt agreed to lend me the brand new truck, as long as I didn't damage it in any way. After all, it hadn't even gone on the photo shoot for its Long-Term Introduction.

I'm happy to say I returned it scuff-free a couple days later. Well, mostly scuff-free.

I drove the aptly named Titan to my local lumber supplier to pick up 16-foot lengths of baseboard and 8.5-foot pieces of moulding. I made my selections, paid the bill and was instructed to go into the delivery area for loading. While the delivery area was spacious, I had difficulty navigating around several pallets strewn throughout the lot.

The Titan XD is large. You'll likely see many future posts about its size, as I'm told this is the largest pickup we've ever had in the long-term fleet. I was glad to have the Titan's surround-view camera system, a feature included in the Pro-4X's Luxury package. Without that system's bird's-eye view, the Titan XD would be even more of a handful in tight quarters.

Having made it past the pallets, I loaded my 16-foot baseboards by opening the sliding rear window and shoving them all the way to the windshield. Although I didn't really need the support, I had my passenger wrap her arm around the pile to make sure nothing shifted. Since the door moulding sections were much shorter, I simply rested them on top of the tailgate.

The truck was home and unloaded 15 minutes later. The baseboards and moulding were coated in cheap paint that left flakes in the backseat and bed. The grippy bedliner made it difficult to remove every last flake, but it was nothing a good wash couldn't fix. Like I said, mostly scuff-free.

Performance Tested

Our 2016 Nissan Titan XD has a Cummins diesel 5.0-liter V8 engine, carries up to one ton of payload and has a 12,000-pound towing capacity. A beast like this is naturally out of its element at our test track, but it can still be useful to compare performance numbers between similar trucks.

Let's see how the Titan XD measures up.

Vehicle: 2016

Odometer: 2,927

Date: 8/9/2016

Driver: Jonathan Elfalan

Price: $58,480

Specifications:
Drive Type: Four-Wheel Drive (low range)
Transmission Type: Six-speed automatic 
Engine Type: Turbocharged V8 Diesel
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 5,000/305
Redline (rpm): 4,000 indicated/4,250 actual
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 310 @ 3,200
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 555 @ 1,600
Brake Type (front): One-piece ventilated discs with two-piston sliding calipers
Brake Type (rear): One-piece ventilated discs with two-piston sliding calipers
Suspension Type (front): Double-wishbone with 36 mm stabilizer bar
Suspension Type (rear): Multi-leaf with solid axle, 18 mm stabilizer bar

Tire Size (front): LT275/65R18 123/120R
Tire Size (rear): LT275/65R18 123/120R
Tire Brand: General
Tire Model: Grabber APT
Tire Type: Standard regular all-season
 
Test Results:

Acceleration:
0-30 (sec): 3.4 (w/TC on: 4.5)
0-45 (sec): 6.1 (w/TC on: 7.0)
0-60 (sec): 9.6 (w/TC on: 10.6)
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 9.3 (w/TC on: 10.1) 
0-75 (sec): 14.8 (w/TC on: 15.8) 
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 17.1 @ 80.9 (w/TC on: 17.8 @ 80.8)
 
Braking: 
30-0 mph (ft): 34.6
60-0 mph (ft): 133.7
 
Handling:
Skidpad Lateral Acceleration (g): 0.69 (0.60 w/ESC on)
RPM @ 70 mph: 1,900

Comments:
 
Acceleration comments: 
On the key-up run, the Titan takes a second or two to get going as the turbos spool up and start to motivate this 7000+ pound truck down the runway. Power braking to 1750 RPM with traction control off on the second run yields no wheelspin. And with a little less power braking, or lingering at 1750 rpm, we saw our quickest run, which was still quite a bit slower than other heavy duty trucks. Typical diesel truck engine, lots of good low torque, but slow to rev, and it needs to shift twice before 60 mph. The manual shift mode operated as expected, and is more appropriate for use on grades than trying to extract the quickest accel times. The shifts don't happen immediately when you initiate them. And because we aren't getting any wheelspin running in rear drive, we suspected four-wheel drive would only slow the truck down due to the increased mechanical friction in the drivetrain. And it did.

Braking comments:
The long, soft brake pedal travels all the way down to the floor, which was unexpected on the very first run. The ABS pulses are relatively slow-paced and mild, mimicking how everything else about this truck moves. The sound is also pretty muffled and undramatic. The Titan feels pretty stable under full braking, but we feel that's a factor of its mass. It's akin to slowing down a cruise ship as you pull into the harbor. Nosedive is pretty mild for a truck this big and there is very little pedal fade and surprisingly no brake odor even after five runs. Now that's pretty amazing. For as heavy as this truck is, 134 ft is a little better than competitors and braking consistency is pretty decent.

Handling comments:
The Titan handles as big as it looks. There's immense understeer going around the skid pad which transitions to oversteer if you have traction control off. The amount of torque that the diesel engine generates is incredible which accounts for the oversteer. With traction control on you can just floor the throttle and the system will limit the amount of engine torque that's produced so you never encounter much under- or oversteer. But this is also the slow way around, because it's overly conservative. In transitional turns the Titan is very slow to shift its weight, and that's expected. There's very little steering feel, if any at all, so you don't really feel when the front tires are scrubbing, but you'll definitely hear them. If you're aggressive with the throttle, it's easy for the rear end to step out, though the computer will shut down a slide after a second or two, because ESC is never fully off. Surprisingly there's no unpleasant chassis flex and oscillation like some other trucks driving around in circles. The chassis feels pretty stiff and rigid. Obviously the tires are not made for cornering and looked pretty worn after a few rounds around the skid pad.

The Diesel V8's Fuel Economy So Far

One of the key attributes of the new 2016 Nissan Titan XD is its available turbocharged 5.0-liter diesel-powered V8 engine. Aimed at shoppers who want more towing power than the typical gas V8 but don't want to pay a fully heavy-duty price, the Titan XD's Cummins diesel produces 310 horsepower and a hearty 555 pound-feet of torque.

This engine certainly adds some character to our Titan XD test truck, but we're particularly interested to see how its real-world fuel economy shapes up. Because of the XD's classification as a heavy-duty truck, the EPA does not provide fuel-economy estimates.

So how's it doing?

Well, we've averaged 14.7 mpg over the course of about 5,700 miles so far. We've yet to tow with our truck, so this number comes from the typical driving and commuting our staff does.

Is this good? Meh? "Unbelievably bad! Terrible!" as Trump might tweet? It's hard to say, because we've never had an EPA-classified HD truck in our long-term program before. We've had other heavies in for short-term road tests, however, and recorded their fuel economy on our 115-mile evaluation loop, which typically yields fuel economy in the vicinity of the EPA Combined figure. We've yet to do the same with our Titan, but here are the numbers for the Big Three diesels on that loop:

2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 diesel: 16.5 mpg
2014 Ram 2500 diesel: 18.2 mpg
2015 Ford F-450: 14.1 mpg

Again, these numbers aren't directly comparable to our Titan's, but they do suggest that the Cummins V8 has underperformed a bit thus far. We'll have to take King Banana out on our evaluation loop and see what's what.

Average Lifetime MPG: 14.7
Best Fill MPG: 17.5
Worst Fill MPG: 11.5
EPA MPG Rating: N/A
Best Range: 383.2 miles
Current Odometer: 5,748

Monthly Update for October 2016

Where Did We Drive It?
We didn't add many miles to the odometer of our 2016 Nissan Titan XD in October. Its considerable dimensions (and associated parking difficulties) limit its daily appeal to many of our editors. But even though it's not very popular during the week, the Titan XD was signed out every weekend to do handy pickup things. Its biggest task this month was towing the 1931 Ford Model A Victoria owned by Mike Schmidt's family, which Mike transported from Temecula to the L.A. area.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We racked up 1,236 miles in October and consumed 85 gallons of diesel, for an average of 14.5 mpg. Our lifetime average of 14.7 mpg was unchanged from September.

Average lifetime mpg: 14.7 mpg
Best-fill mpg: 17.5 mpg
Best range: 383.2 miles
Current odometer: 7,966 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
We added another 2.5-gallon jug of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) in October. Dan Edmunds calculated that we go through one of these jugs every 1,800 miles or so. I don't know how much he paid for it, but Amazon prices his Peak BlueDEF box at a tick under $23.

Logbook Highlights

Interior
"When it comes to trucks, second-row LATCH tether points are usually hard to use. The problem isn't that they aren't easy to find; it's that there is typically such a small space between the child seat and rear wall of the cab that you don't have space to cinch the tether tight. Our Nissan Titan fits this 'normal' criterion. So if you have anything short of Jack Skellington fingers, you'll have a heck of a time tightening the strap." — Mike Schmidt, Senior Manager, Vehicle Testing

Comfort
"The last thing I expected from the high-riding, 4x4 Titan XD was a smooth highway ride. I was completely surprised when it delivered just that. This is one of the smoothest-riding full-size trucks I've driven in a while." — Mike Schmidt, Senior Manager, Vehicle Testing

Monthly Update for November 2016

Where Did We Drive It?
The King Banana of our fleet remains the 2016 Nissan Titan XD. It cruised through the month of November without a ton of activity, though it did spend some time up north in Fresno with Senior Automotive Editor Brent Romans.

As we reported last month, the Titan's size makes it something of a nuisance on surface streets, whether you're trying to get home or run an errand. Stopping for lunch on the drive back from the Los Angeles Auto Show, I persuaded a parking garage attendant to let us drive through the exit side when the truck wouldn't fit through the entrance. We tipped him well.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
The Titan XD saw 1,326 new miles this month and logged its best fill yet: 18.7 mpg, thanks to Romans and his highway-heavy driving regimen. Still, that's well short of the 2014 Ram EcoDiesel we sent off earlier this year. Its lifetime average was 22.9 mpg (towing not included).

Average lifetime mpg: 14.8 mpg
Best fill mpg: 18.7 mpg
Best range: 383.2 miles
Current odometer: 9,292 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
We added 2.5 gallons of diesel exhaust fluid around the middle of the month. The Titan XD will be due for its second oil change at 10,000 miles.

Logbook Highlights

MPG
"More long-haul miles for our Titan today. It's very comfortable — I wouldn't mind driving cross-country in it. A little more range would be nice, though. The most we've ever gotten from a tank is 383 miles." — Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor

Comfort
"Our loaded 2016 Titan XD crew cab might be overkill for work-truck use, but for 2017 Nissan will offer a new regular-cab XD. It's more affordable but still plenty tough." — Brent Romans

"I dig driving our Titan XD. The Cummins diesel sounds cool, the cabin is roomy and comfy, and the 'King Banana' (our name) Pro-4X scheme helps it stand out from the crowd." — Brent Romans

Monthly Update for December 2016

Where Did We Drive It?
In December, we had the opportunity to experience what it's like when a 2016 Nissan Titan XD is your primary mode of transportation but you don't have a lot of truck things to do. That meant some midrange holiday road trips, routine maintenance and a light-duty stop at our local home improvement store.

Editor Ed Hellwig piloted the truck on a 140-mile round trip between Orange and San Bernardino counties to visit family to kick off the month. I grabbed the keys to coordinate the details of the Titan's 10,000-mile service. And then I drove my family to Lake Arrowhead for a weekend of Southern California snow-play, which was mostly of the man-made variety. To top things off, I slid four sheets of plywood 4-by-8s into the bed for a project on the home front.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
We added 1,516 miles to the Nissan in December. The aforementioned road trips garnered 15.0 mpg and 15.5 mpg, respectively. Neither was enough to budge any our long-term stats, as the best range, best fill and lifetime mpg records remain unchanged this month.

Average lifetime mpg: 14.8 mpg
Best fill mpg: 18.7 mpg
Best range: 383.2 miles
Current odometer: 10,808 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
At 10,000 miles, we made a 7:15 a.m. appointment at Surf City Nissan in Huntington Beach to address a few items. On our list was the usual list of inspections, an oil and filter change, tire rotation and two recalls. The first Titan recall (PC494) pertained to the fuel-tank breather tube, which may have been installed incorrectly. Ours was fine, it turned out. The second (PC507) was a recall to reflash the transmission control module (TCM).

We arrived on time, and our service adviser processed us in a prompt and courteous manner and then directed us to the waiting area. At 8 a.m., we watched the Titan finally pull out of the service driveway where we left it 45 minutes earlier. Surf City Nissan had just one certified diesel tech, which undoubtedly contributed to the delay. At 10 a.m., our adviser informed us that everything was done except for the TCM reflash, which was in progress. At 10:45, our truck was ready.

Total Cost: 3.5 hours and $101.95

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"I remember hearing our Titan XD start up for the first time. It seemed surprisingly quiet, at least compared to other full-size diesel-powered trucks. After pulling through a drive-thru recently, I was reminded that it is still quite loud. I know Nissan's engineers tried to tone the Titan down in this regard, but there's only so much you can do with a diesel engine of its size. It's a small price to pay for its performance." — Ed Hellwig, Executive Editor

Comfort
"Made a trip out to visit my parents this weekend in the Titan. It's about a 90-minute drive each way, and I never thought of the seats once. This is a good thing. It means that I never got so uncomfortable that I began squirming around. Usually if a seat bothers me, it starts to set in after about an hour. Never felt the need to shift around on either leg of the trip. Makes me think our Titan would be a great road-trip vehicle." — Ed Hellwig

Cargo Space
"I slid four standard 4-foot-by-8-foot sheets of plywood in the bed of the Titan. It was a snug fit between the wheelwell storage bins. And they stuck out onto the lowered tailgate about a foot. I recommend a pair of heavy gloves to extract them or you'll be picking at splinters for days. Ask how I know." — Mike Schmidt, Senior Manager, Vehicle Testing

Miscellaneous
"After hoisting himself into the cab of the Titan, my 5-year-old said: 'Daddy, this truck looks like a taxi that loves vegetables. It ate all of its vegetables so it grew a lot bigger.' Kids are weird. When I told him we affectionately call the truck King Banana, he told me that didn't make sense and suggested King Taxi was a better name." — Mike Schmidt

L.A. to Detroit

Every year, we send a team to cover the Detroit Auto Show, but instead of sending everyone out on a plane, we've cultivated an annual tradition of sending at least one editor behind the wheel of a long-term test car. Driving from Los Angeles to Detroit is certainly less practical, it takes up quite a bit of time, and it requires navigating around weather for several days in both directions, but we absolutely love it (or at least I do).

The basic structure is that one editor drives to Detroit and then, after the show, flies home. Another editor flies there, picks up the car and drives it back to L.A. Routes and stops vary, but the idea is the same: Get the car out of California where the weather is good and the going is easy. Put it to the test with freezing temperatures and see what it's like on the open highway for a few weeks.

The first step to the trip was to find a couple volunteers. Photo Editor Kurt Niebuhr and I raised our hands first, so we got the nod. The second step was picking a long-term car from the fleet that could survive the journey. And this year we went with King Banana, our long-term 2016 Nissan Titan XD.

On the city streets of Los Angeles, this bigger-than-full-size truck hasn't made much sense during our test so far. It's hard to live with in the city because of its sheer size, so the open road meant it had a chance for redemption. Plus, four-wheel drive and all-season tires meant it was less likely to get stranded somewhere in the Snowbelt. All of this made it the clear choice for the trip, and heated seats were just icing on the cake.

Picking the Route
Being responsible for the first leg of the journey, I wanted to avoid the flat, boring stretches of road that make up most of Interstate 40. What's more, 10-hour driving days seem even longer when you're only using straight two-lane freeways. To make things interesting, I planned my route along Interstate 70 most of the way. That lead me through Bryce Canyon in Utah, Denver, Kansas City and Indianapolis until I diverted even farther east to see Niagara Falls, then finally I doubled back to Detroit through Canada.

Comfy Seats, Bumpy Ride
One of the first things I noted while driving the Titan on the open road was how hyper-comfortable the seats were. I didn't have to shuffle or adjust for comfort for nearly a week behind the wheel. Ride comfort, however, was a different story. The stiff, off-road suspension is not forgiving on the open highway, regardless of road quality. Only the smoothest surfaces meant a smooth ride. Everywhere else, the slightest bumps made their way into the cabin.

Blowing Out the Stereo
Once I got used to the ride quality of the truck, it was time to test out the stereo by playing music at full volume. I didn't intend it to be a test-to-failure of the Rockford Fosgate system. I just wanted my music to be loud enough to drown out my singing voice, and a Bluetooth or USB connection usually means you have to max out a car's volume. As a result, the stereo quit on me at least four times. After about 30 minutes of max-volume performance, sound cut out entirely.

When it first happened, I was confused, left singing to an empty cabin. I wondered if my phone had stopped working or if I had accidently hit some sort of mute button while drumming on the dashboard. I switched sources, looking for sound on FM, XM and even via the CD player. Nothing happened.

Then, the same thing happened while I was listening to satellite radio and again when my phone was connected via USB. Pretty much every time I listened to music at full volume for extended periods of time, all sound eventually cut out. My best guess is that one of the sound system components overheated, and to avoid blowing, it shut down. Each time the sound cut out, a minute or two later it would come back and full volume was readily available.

One other small tech annoyance was the haywire parking-sensor system. When covered in snow or ice, the parking cameras and sensors freak out a bit. They beep and chime at you as if you're about to hit an obstacle and they have to be turned off every time you start the truck. When they're clean, though, the parking cameras do an excellent job of giving you a 360-degree bird's-eye view around this massive truck. It's certainly a must-have option if you plan on parking it anywhere crowded.

Cold Truck, Warm Truck
On the flip side, the heated seats, heated steering wheel and remote start all worked flawlessly. In temps as low as 4 degrees, it was practically a necessity to have these extra features and they all worked quickly. The remote start cuts out after 10 minutes of operation, but you can start the truck a second time if that's not enough time to get things warm (I did this pretty much every day).

The tire-pressure monitoring system also did a good job of warning me when tire pressure got too low. When the temperature dropped from 65 degrees in Los Angeles to 15 degrees in Denver, the tire pressures dropped as well. Per the recommendation on the doorjamb, the tires were filled to 61 psi (cold) before I left L.A. and they had all dropped by at least 20 psi in the first 48 hours of the trip. I filled them up to 61 psi (cold) before I left Denver and that pressure held all the way to Detroit.

Fuel Economy
Since there aren't official EPA estimates for the Titan, it's hard to say whether the fuel economy we're getting is any good or not. What I do know is that the Titan's lifetime average after my leg of the trip was 15.1 miles per gallon. On my almost-all-highway, 3,100-mile journey, I got 16.2 mpg.

Fun fact: That's less efficient than our long-term 2014 Ram 1500 while towing 5,000 pounds for 5,000 miles. Sure, the Titan XD can tow about 5,000 pounds more than the Ram EcoDiesel and technically the Titan doesn't have to meet any of the same EPA standards, but if you aren't getting close to the XD's theoretical towing limit, then you should stick to the 1500 series trucks. (As a side note, I realize the Ram-Titan XD comparison is a bit of a moot point until Ram gets its diesel EPA issues worked out, but in my book, that's still a point against the Titan XD.)

From Los Angeles to Detroit, I filled the tank on the Titan XD 10 times. I set a new best range, making it 421 miles between fill-ups, but that definitely wasn't typical. It took low speed limits, lots of flat open highway and zero crosswind. Most tanks were in the 300-plus-mile range and fill-ups took about 20 gallons of diesel. This thing definitely needs a bigger tank.

Here are the fuel economy numbers for the first leg of the trip from L.A. to Detroit and the lifetime fuel economy of the Titan including the road trip. Expect these numbers to change a bit once Kurt adds his return trip to the books. 

L.A. to Detroit
Average mpg: 16.2 mpg
Best fill mpg: 17.8 mpg
Best range: 421.1 miles

Overall
Average lifetime mpg: 15.1 mpg
Best fill mpg: 18.7 mpg
Best range: 421.1 miles

Current odometer: 14,100 miles

Other Stuff
The bed box is a useful option. I'd definitely get it if I owned this truck. We had a tow hitch, lots of water bottles and all sorts of extra items stowed back there, locked up and away from the elements. It's also a great place for trash, ice scrapers and whatever else you need along the way.

Final Thoughts
All said, I put in about 3,100 miles in the Titan XD by the end of the trip. Going over the Vail Pass in Colorado, driving out of snow-covered Kansas City and navigating the pitch-black highways south of Erie, Pennsylvania, all felt like monumental tasks, but the Titan made it through just fine.

Going from two- to four-wheel drive took a simple flip of a switch and it got me out of several slippery scenarios. The infotainment controls were easy to use, visibility was great and the bright-yellow paint made it easy to spot in a parking lot. After it was all said and done, though, I was happy to settle down in a hotel and hand the keys off to Kurt.

Much like my trip last year in our long-term Jeep Renegade, I wasn't in love with the Titan when I got out of it. Sure, it's better on the open road than it is in the city. It feels right at home in the center of this big country alongside all its pickup-truck brethren, but I never felt quite at home in the cabin. Maybe Kurt will feel differently.

Tune in for all the info from Kurt's return journey, including how he got the truck even dirtier and how he beat pretty much all of my records.

Monthly Update for January 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
In January we lost our marbles. Somebody thought it was a good idea to drive our 2016 Nissan Titan XD from our offices in Santa Monica, California, to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. So we did. And then we drove it back. The 13-day road trip accounted for 6,083 of the 6,800 miles that the truck covered last month.

After miles of ice and snow, we put the Titan back to work in suburbia. We shuttled supplies for household projects. We hustled the kids to and from school. We commuted to and from the office. At the end of the month, we'd gotten to know our Nissan even better.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
In addition to nearly 6,800 miles, we added 425 gallons of diesel and 2.5 gallons of DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) in January. The big road trip increased our lifetime average 0.5 mpg, to 15.3 mpg. On the return leg we recorded our longest range of 434 miles, besting the existing record by 51 miles.

Average lifetime mpg: 15.3
Best fill mpg: 18.7
Best range: 434.3 miles
Current odometer: 17,608 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Comfort
"One of the first things I noted while driving the Titan on the open road was how hyper-comfortable the seats were. I didn't have to shuffle or adjust for comfort for nearly a week behind the wheel." — Travis Langness, Automotive Editor

Interior
"As big and brash as the Titan is on the outside, much of the interior looks to be lifted straight from a crossover. The only signs of ruggedness are the huge headlight switch and the slotted column shifter handle. All trucks need column shifters (or a manual) — rotary knobs are for volume and climate control. The rest of the interior is very Murano and downright friendly." — Kurt Niebuhr, Photo Editor

Technology-Audio
"Once I got used to the ride quality of the truck, it was time to test out the stereo by playing music at full volume. I didn't intend it to be a test-to-failure of the Rockford Fosgate system. The stereo quit on me at least four times. After about 30 minutes of max-volume performance, the sound cut out entirely." — Travis Langness

Cargo Space
"I toggled the cargo light switch to help while I unloaded supplies from the bed last night. But after a few minutes it timed out. I opened the drive door to confirm the switch was still on. It was. And when I closed the driver door, the cargo light turned back on again. That's odd." — Mike Schmidt, Senior Manager, Vehicle Testing

Miscellaneous
"To make things interesting, I planned my route along Interstate 70 most of the way. That led me through Bryce Canyon in Utah, Denver, Kansas City and Indianapolis until I diverted even farther east to see Niagara Falls, then finally doubled back to Detroit through Canada." — Travis Langness

"The rest of America might be more ready for this truck than I am. Everywhere I stopped, there was someone waiting with a compliment as I dropped out of the truck. That was unexpected." — Kurt Niebuhr

Detroit to LA

Originally, the 2016 Nissan Titan XD in this production was going to be our 2016 Tesla Model X. But having already crossed the country, twice, in our 2013 Tesla Model S, and also finding the looks, ride and paltry range of the X disagreeable, I buried an ax in the head of that idea as swiftly as I could.

I liked the road-trip part, though. Like Magrath, I'm a sucker for a good one. So once the Model X gave way to #kingbanana, I was eager to finish what Travis started. When you get a chance to see your country, take it.

Fast-forward to a January morning in Detroit. We'd wrapped up our auto show coverage the day before. There's valet parking directly outside the hotel, but for some reason the valet had stashed the Titan in a garage across the street, so it was out of sight and out of mind the whole time. I didn't start thinking about my route back until the unmistakable rattle of that Cummins engine was brought to the door, accentuated by that unmistakable yellow paint.

I wasn't in a particular hurry, but I didn't want this trip to take five days either. Complicating matters, Winter Storm Jupiter had already thrashed parts of the West Coast and was headed for the Plains. Cold air? No problem. Snow? People can deal. Ice? Not a chance. So I charted a northerly course, above the storm and into clearer weather, incidentally bypassing the Rockies and their ski-resort nonsense.

It felt like a bold move. Hopefully it would pay off.

What Do We Have Here?
Freezing mist is never a good way to begin your trip, but I had 4WD, road-crushing weight and a long wheelbase at my disposal. I eased out of the icy hotel parking lot without issue and was on my way. Some quirks were already apparent, like how the heated steering wheel is really only heated around the outer edge. This leaves the stitching on the inside as cold as the outside of the truck, which on this day was coated with a thin layer of ice. The seat heaters were also not the roaring fire I had anticipated,  but more about those later.

As big and brash as the Titan is on the outside, much of its interior looks to be lifted straight from a crossover SUV. The only signs of ruggedness are the huge headlight switch and the column shifter's slotted handle. The shift lever itself is a relief — rotary knobs in a truck should be used for audio and climate adjustments, not gear selection. But the rest of the interior is very Murano and downright friendly. Those carpeted floor mats though!

Getting Out
Western Michigan is pretty. Gary, Indiana, looks like the underside of an old car. The roads were sloppy but fine, and the Titan continued to seem like massive yellow overkill as I bombed through the middle of the country. A stop for lunch and diesel in Iowa City, which is even more remote than I remembered it from my first stint in college, told me that the rest of America might be more ready for this truck than I am. Fellow drivers were waiting with compliments as I dropped out of the truck. It became a pattern as the trip went on.

While in town, I paid a visit to the Record Collector, the store where I bought all my music and posters. It's still around. I replaced my long-lost copy of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and moved on.

My next hotel was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but I had to stop to diesel again before I got there. I wouldn't say I was annoyed, but I was starting to wonder what I'd have to do to break 400 miles on a tank. It was legitimately cold — minus 1 Fahrenheit, to be exact — and the window-washer squeegee broke off in the bucket. So much for cleaning the headlights.

I pressed on to Sioux Falls and called it a night.

A Dakota, Some Snow and No Range
It was still really cold when I woke up. The water park attached to the hotel continued to amuse me. The Cummins fired up into a high idle as I loaded my bags and sat in the cabin to warm up with the truck. I'd say the seat heaters are California-spec. They provide a nice, gentle warmth through a single layer, but they couldn't penetrate my modest coat-and-sweatshirt getup.

That said, the cabin is apparently very well-insulated. The three-quarters-empty bottle of water that I'd left in the cab overnight wasn't even chilly.

Back on the highway, South Dakota looked like it was covered with one of those fake snow blankets you put under a Christmas tree. Everything was smooth and it shimmered in the sun. The road was clear and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so it was an easy decision to drop the hammer and do the posted 80-mph speed limit.

The question, again, was how long I could keep that up before the relatively modest fuel tank would ask for more.

Although King Banana is shaped like the broadside of a barn, its stability in crosswinds is commendable. But it's roughly the size of a barn, too, which makes its mandatory 26-gallon fuel tank a bit puzzling. I've got to believe there's room for a bigger one. As things stand, the truck generally struggles to clear 375 miles between fills. Sure, I'd like to see better fuel economy from the Cummins V8, but I wouldn't mind that so much if I could carry enough fuel to make up for it.

It's as if Nissan thought this truck would be more fuel-efficient than it is. Otherwise, why skimp on the size of the tank?

In happier news, I dig the M+S tires that come with the Pro-4X package. They gave me the confidence to pull off the interstate and slither along some unplowed backcountry roads. I found some small towns, ate at some diners and discovered some bars that I wish I had time to visit. I don't think the all-seasons that come standard on the similarly equipped Platinum trim level would have allowed me the same freedom in these conditions.

Planet Montana
I used Highway 212 to bridge the gap between South Dakota and Montana. It looked more direct and easier on fuel, but I wasn't prepared for how it would look. As dusk approached, the landscape that had been a bright crystalline shimmer suddenly became otherworldly. Sometimes the scenery runs together on a long trip. This stretch was distinctly unforgettable.

Driving through the Northern Cheyenne and Crow reservations, death was cheated and time was made. The headlights are commendable for their spread, and even though the high beams could be a little bit brighter, I never found myself unable to see, unlike in our old Jaguar XF on similarly desolate roads. The truck said was minus 6 degrees outside, and I believed it when I got out at one point to add 2.5 gallons of DEF. Dinner was in Billings, bed in Big Timber.

The light of day brought the shock of beauty that is Montana. It's rugged, serene, and I'm coming back for seconds someday. But I wouldn't mind a little salt on the pavement at this time of year. I'm guessing that since nearly everyone has 4WD/AWD and experience with these conditions, it'd simply be a waste of time to salt and plow everything, but I lost track of how many times I nearly broke myself walking to and from the truck. Also, every on/off-ramp was taken in 4WD High. I can't imagine life in these parts without switch-on-the-fly 4WD.

Idaho and Beyond
Idaho Falls was where I finally turned south. Having cleared nearly every chance for bad weather, I reflected on what I'd learned about the Titan's capabilities. With its long wheelbase, Pro-4X package and Cummins diesel, it had come to remind me of the Dodge Power Wagon. I trusted it. And when I was pushing subzero air for hours at a time, driving over compacted snow and flirting with icy shoulders, I trusted it with my life.

On a not-so-serious note, I understand that you can drift a Titan through a remote and icy rest-stop parking lot like a champ. 2WD + ESC off = winter hero mode.

I've got road-trip history in Idaho, so I took some time to retrace my steps. From the Jaglaska drive, I found Beef Trail Road. And in a nod to the Yugo drive, I went through Twin Falls before staying the night in Ely, Nevada. Idaho — The Nexus of Adventure. That should be on the license plate, not The Gem State. C'mon.

Lund
I just made it to the free continental breakfast in Ely, though I would later wish I hadn't. The descent from there marked the end of the snowy part of this journey. As the altitude dropped, water bottles crushed and bare ground faded in. Thankfully, the speed limits stayed high, but the limited range of the Titan and the remoteness of the region were giving me a bit of anxiety. So I stopped for diesel in Lund, Nevada.

I hate Lund, Nevada.

North of Lund (that needs to be a book title), there's a "service center." It's got an island of pumps, a motel and what appears to be a coffee shop. Nothing in the complex is branded, so I kept going, but after puttering through the speed trap that is the town center and finding no other services, I grudgingly turned around and went back.

There should be a sign above these pumps that reads: "WORLD'S SLOWEST PUMPS!" Because 18-and-something gallons later, over 30 minutes had passed. And then I had to drive back through Lund. Thanks, Lund.

Nevada and the Rest of It
In search of my sanity and a bit of fun, I detoured onto a muddy campground access road and promptly added about 90 pounds of dirt and muck to the Titan. In 4WD High, with the stability control still on, the Titan muscled its way through slop that recalled the regrettable oatmeal I'd had for breakfast. The stability control was just about right in this mess — it gave me enough wheelspin to have fun and only stepped in a few times.

Seriously, if you've got a truck, some time and some space ... make the most of it.

Hours later Las Vegas appeared, and as far as I was concerned, the adventure was done. Coming from three days of open highways and beautiful scenery into this glitter hole was depressing. Traffic, bad drivers and terrible architecture encroached from all sides. And L.A., the mecca of such things, was still four hours away. Did I already say depressing? It was depressing.

My last fill-up was just east of San Bernardino, California, on the fringe of L.A.'s inland sprawl. I lost the rural speed limits and about 5,000 feet of elevation on that tank, so it's no wonder I got the best range and fuel economy of the trip: 434.3 miles and 18.3 mpg.

Back in the city, the still-muddy Titan spent the night outside of my house. It was the truck's first night above freezing in nearly two weeks.

Cleaning Up
The thing looked like a monument to the open road in all its filthy yellow glory, but work rules (and mechanical sympathy) required that I clean it up. Forty minutes at a nearby pay-'n-spray and the Titan was ready to resume its urban routine of taking up two parking spots at strip malls.

But we all like conclusions, so here are some of mine.

This is a viable option if you're in the market for full-sizey truck. It's real. It's capable. I do wish it had a bigger fuel tank, and I think it's going to need one in order to find its place in the market. But the interior works, mostly. There's storage where you want it and room for you and your winter coat when you need it, which is something us LAliens don't get straightaway.

Nissan's got to get cracking on a next-gen multimedia interface, though. This one is too small and too old for a Versa Note, let alone a brand-new truck that costs about 3.5 Versa Notes. Oh yeah, and I had the audio system "overheat" on me just like Travis did. For 30 seconds it's a minor inconvenience, but it clearly shouldn't be happening at all.

As for the ride, I was pretty amazed by how well the Titan handled the highway. It's stiffly sprung, for sure, but I found this to be a nonissue for 90 percent of the drive. Add the fact that you can power through mud and snow with some abandon, not to mention tow and haul a lot of poundage, and it ends up feeling like a nice balance for such a versatile rig. Good job, Nissan.

I got to see some of the greatest scenery in the United States from behind King Banana's wheel. What has been seen cannot be unseen, et cetera. I also had the fortune to bond with another vehicle. For people like us, that matters. I need to do it again. Soon.

Any ideas?

Road-Trip Fuel Log (L.A. to Detroit and back)
Total miles driven: 6,172
Fuel used: 388.6 gallons
Average mpg: 15.9
Best mpg: 18.3 (me)
Worst mpg: 13.5 (Travis)
Best range: 434.5 miles (me)
DEF used: approximately 7 gallons

Overall Fuel Log
Average lifetime mpg: 15.3 mpg
Best fill mpg: 18.7 mpg
Best range: 434.5 miles
Current odometer: 17,156 miles

Monthly Update for February 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
After its 6,172-mile round trip in January from Los Angeles to Detroit for the North American International Auto Show (specific writeups here and here), our 2016 Nissan Titan XD took a breather for February. We stayed local, using the Titan for weekday commuting and various home improvement jobs on the weekends. Overall, the last two months could be viewed as proof that the Titan XD can serve well as a do-it-all truck.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
There's not much to report here. Our Titan is holding steady at an underwhelming 15.3 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 15.3
Best fill mpg: 18.7
Best range: 434.3 miles
Current odometer: 18,551 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
I added a gallon of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) this month (see more details below on why I didn't add more). That set us back $7. Looking back at our earlier coverage, our XD has been impressively trouble-free. All we've had to do is put gas and DEF in it and take it in for a few routine services.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"Hitching up a 5-by-9-foot trailer didn't faze our Titan XD one bit. Yeah, you've got to pay attention more with a trailer attached. But performance-wise, our Titan drove like the trailer wasn't even there. Tossing a briefcase in a Miata has about the same impact." — Mark Takahashi, Automotive Editor

"Our Titan XD's 555 pound-feet of torque pays dividends on hilly terrain. At highway speeds, the truck just motors up grades and stays in sixth gear. No shifting, no drama. Granted, I haven't been towing with our Titan. But the diesel-fueled thrust bodes well for stress-free towing and hauling." — Brent Romans, Senior Editor

"Using 4WD High in our Titan is easy enough. There's a big knob to the right of the steering wheel. Just switch from RWD to 4WD High, and it quickly and quietly engages. An icon in the gauge cluster indicates that you've got 4WD engaged. As in other trucks, though, 4-Hi is just meant for driving on low-traction surfaces (like dirt or snow) and only at speeds below 60 mph or so." — Brent Romans

Comfort
"My commute has a pretty wide range of surfaces along the way. From the cracked concrete of the 405 freeway to the side streets of Marina del Rey, there are plenty of places where a big truck like the Titan could feel uncomfortable. Yet it doesn't. Instead, it's very well-controlled and has just the right amount of give in the suspension. There's a series of speed bumps on one street that I drive through and even those don't send shudders through the cabin. It's a nice setup for those who need the Titan XD's capability on occasion but run it empty the rest of the time." — Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor

Technology-Audio
"Our long-term Titan XD has the upgraded infotainment interface. I love the top-down parking camera system shown in the photo below. But otherwise I find this 7-inch touchscreen to be mediocre. Here are my top five issues with it: 1) The graphics and fonts are dated; 2) some virtual buttons are small and hard to press; 3) the maps lack useful detail; 4) the screen often washes out in sunlight; and 5) it lacks the latest smartphone app integration systems (e.g. Apple CarPlay)." — Brent Romans

Maintenance
"The Titan XD has been warning me about low DEF for the past few days. Originally, the gauge cluster display said our truck had 25 percent DEF left. After I took the Titan on a 250-mile highway road trip, it dropped to 15 percent. So I bought a gallon jug of DEF and poured it in. This was my first time refilling the DEF fluid, though. In hindsight, I should have bought a bigger 2.5-gallon box jug, too. Two reasons: 1) The Titan's tank holds up to 4.5 gallons of DEF, and 2) those box jugs come with a filler funnel. The 1-gallon jug I bought didn't. There's no way to pour it in without one, so I had to jury-rig a suitable filler from a funnel and tubing I had in my garage. Oh, and it's cheaper to buy the big-box jugs, too." — Brent Romans

Cargo Space
"Each time I drive the Titan, I think of another home improvement project that I need to do. The utility of having a truck available just makes everything easier." — Mike Schmidt, Senior Manager, Vehicle Testing

Miscellaneous
"I found something that I don't like about the Titan: It rides so high that I can't reach my cash at the drive-up ATM." — Mike Schmidt

"I enjoy driving our Titan XD. I like the distinctive-sounding diesel-powered V8, the off-road stance and wheels, the chunky feel of the column shifter, and the solid feel of the steering. All make our Titan seem rugged and ready to rumble. I'll also admit that it makes me feel a bit more rugged, too. Hey, those worker dudes headed out to fix stuff in the middle of the night and/or rope a steer in the Titan XD TV commercial? That could be me! Never mind that I'm still the same domesticated, middle-aged guy with two kids." — Brent Romans

Monthly Update for March 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
Our long-term 2016 Nissan Titan XD was made to tow, yet up until March we hadn't lashed anything behind it. So it was that the Titan was tasked for duty in transporting a particularly crappy Miata to a race for a certain citrus-themed endurance racing series at Sonoma Raceway. The Titan towed this craptacular roadster for a hair more than 1,000 miles. Earlier in the month it did some off-roading.

Certainly, a lightweight car on a lightweight formula-car trailer poses little burden for such a burly truck. I won't dispute that. If anyone wants to donate their significantly heavier enclosed trailer with, say, loaded Lista tool cabinets and a race-prepped 911, I'll be happy to facilitate a stouter challenge for our truck to tow. No guarantees you'll get it back.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
While towing, the Titan returned 16.1 mpg. Compare this result to its running average and you might be surprised. Still, this showing wasn't enough to propel the Titan's monthly average fuel economy above its lifetime running average. Its off-roading voyage doubtlessly didn't do it any favors in the fuel economy department.

Average lifetime mpg: 15.5
EPA mpg rating: N/A
Best fill mpg: 18.7
Best range: 434.3 miles
Current odometer: 20,375 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
The Titan was brought to the dealer for its 20,000-mile service and to address a check engine light. Two codes were returned; one for low diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and the other that was apparently the result of mud on DEF lines. The technician topped up the DEF, removed "3 inches of mud" caked on the lines and cleared the codes. Its engine oil and filter were changed, and the fuel-water separator drained.

Logbook Highlights
Performance
"This thing doesn't even know I'm towing a Miata with it. My light load is way overmatched. In fact, it might be too much truck for this job; I could do the same job more comfortably in a half-ton pickup." — Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor

Comfort
"The Titan bounces and undulates more than almost anything I've ever driven. The 60 psi rating for the tires notwithstanding (I lowered the pressure for off-roading), this thing is stiff and big, making for large movements during off-roading. It is also incredibly long, which makes it feel even bigger than the large footprint already does. Even on fire roads, I feel wary of beaching this big, yellow whale." — Travis Langness, Automotive Editor

Cargo Space
"This truck lacks some of the user-friendly features that other trucks have. It's crazy-tall, and would really benefit from something like the 'corner step' rear bumper found on the GM trucks. Also, take a look at the bed storage bins. These are simply poorly designed. Being in the bed, they are awkward to access (unlike the RamBox system) and since the bins' doors open inward, they interfere with anything in the bed. Arrggh!" — Jason Kavanagh

MPG
"The fuel economy average for my towing trip of 1,000 miles worked out to 16.1 mpg. This is slightly higher than the Titan's lifetime average of 15.5 mpg. Considering that the vast majority of this truck's miles have been spent without a trailer behind it, that's an unexpected result!" — Jason Kavanagh

Maintenance
"Our Nissan Titan's check engine light came on and using our OBD II scanner we pulled a code P1C54. According to the dealer, the code is related to the diesel exhaust fluid lines. The service adviser, Chris, asked that we give him two hours to figure out what was going on. He estimated the time almost exactly. I dropped the truck off at 9 a.m., and he was calling me at 10:59 a.m. saying they solved the problem. According to Chris and our technician Fernando, the 'DEF lines were covered in 3 inches of mud.' Chris and I speculated that if this solves the problem, it signals that there is a possible design issue with the DEF lines. It's a truck, and trucks get muddy. How much mud is allowed in a Pro-4X before you have this issue? An interesting visit to Valencia Nissan to say the least, albeit courteous and helpful." — Michael Massey, Vehicle Testing Assistant

Monthly Update for April 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
It's fair to say our 2016 Nissan Titan XD had a pretty quiet month and if I'm honest, I'm going to say that's not much of a surprise. The #kingbanana is big for the roads, big for the trails and big for the parking lots. It's also eye-wateringly yellow. So yeah, it sat around and contemplated its own existence a lot.

Perhaps the Titan can take some solace in its yellowness. After all, as Van Gogh mentioned in a letter to his brother, "How beautiful yellow is!"

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Because it sat quietly on its General Grabbers much of the month, we only managed to run one tank of diesel through it, as well as top off the DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) tank with another 2.5 gallons. That said, the 15.7 mpg did its part to raise the Titan's lifetime average. Oh, and I still hold the best range number, so there.

Average lifetime mpg: 15.5
EPA mpg rating: N/A
Best fill mpg: 18.7
Best range: 434.3 miles
Current odometer: 20,754 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Cargo Space
"I made some use of our giant yellow Nissan Titan over a weekend so I could move some furniture. The Titan hauled a couch, four chairs and two lamps. It only asked for a refill of diesel exhaust fluid in return. There's nothing like having a big truck around to facilitate movement of larger items." — Michael Massey, vehicle testing assistant

Performance
"The Titan bounces and undulates more than almost anything I've ever driven. The 60 psi rating for the tires notwithstanding (I lowered the psi for off-roading), this thing is stiff and big, making for large movements during off-roading. It is also incredibly long, which makes it feel even bigger than the large footprint already does. Even on fire roads, I feel wary of beaching this big, yellow whale." — Travis Langness, automotive editor

Monthly Update for May 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
There's not much to talk about when it comes to the month of May and how it relates to our 2016 Nissan Titan XD. Well, that's not entirely true. In fact there's a lot to talk about, but we've decided to withhold that information because it is part of a larger feature story and video we're cooking up.

Trust me, you'll love it. And after that drops, come back here for a detailed update that'll tell the story from the Titan's point of view.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Even though we're not quite ready to say how and where we drove during the mysterious period than spanned from May 2 to May 31, we did indeed drive the Titan quite a bit. Our illustrious team added a full 1,390.1 miles this month, burning 92.5 gallons of diesel #2 in the process.

That works out to an average of 15 mpg, which is little different from the XD's lifetime average of 15.2 mpg.

Average lifetime mpg: 15.2 (unchanged)
EPA mpg rating: N/A (HD trucks are exempt from testing and labeling)
Best fill mpg: 18.7
Best range: 434.3 miles
Current odometer: 21,771 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
We didn't add any diesel exhaust fluid this month, but we did take the Titan in to Gardena Nissan for an oil change and a new air filter. The total cost was $117.24. That breaks down to: $66.15 for 3 GALLONS of oil, a new oil filter, the labor to change it and oil disposal fees; $43.75 for a new air filter and the labor associated with making that swap; and $7.34 in sales tax.

Logbook Highlights
This is where I clam up again. There were highlights, but we're deliberately saving them for the feature and the related updates that will follow.

Monthly Update for June 2017

Where Did We Drive It?

With our long-term 2016 Nissan Titan XD's tenure tenuously teetering on its terminus, mileage has not accrued as quickly as it once did. And most of the driving that we did do took place within the confines of the west side of Los Angeles, an area that large trucks do not enjoy.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
With all the city driving, it's not surprising that the Titan XD hasn't lived up to its mileage potential. When you have a lot of torque, every opening in traffic looks like it can be filled by the Titan's prodigious yellow body. More sedate country and highway driving typically nets better results. For the month of June, we achieved between 12.1 and 13.1 mpg, and went through another 2.5 gallons of diesel exhaust fluid.

Average lifetime mpg: 15.2
EPA mpg rating: N/A
Best fill mpg: 18.7
Best range: 434.3 miles
Current odometer: 22,321 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
None.

Logbook Highlights

Performance
"I keep experiencing a delay in acceleration at low speeds. It's most evident at intersections where you're turning right. You creep up to check if the coast is clear. After applying the throttle to merge with traffic, the Titan repeatedly exhibits a sizable delay between my request for acceleration and actual acceleration. It's enough to make me think twice about merging into fast-moving traffic, and it also lends to a general lack of refinement for this drivetrain." — Carlos Lago, senior writer

Technology-Audio
"The challenge with having a vehicle the size of our Titan XD in Los Angeles has less to do with driving it and more to do with finding a place to park it. I opted for the challenge this weekend and was pleasantly surprised to find it easy to maneuver and park. I faced plenty of challenges, from navigating and parallel parking on narrow and busy streets in Santa Monica and Newport Beach. The Titan's visibility, both from inside the cab and its safety-vest yellow paint job, means you can always see where the truck is in the lane and everyone around you knows to keep clear. The top-down around-view camera is a lifesaver. It removes much of the guesswork when parking this Tonka Truck, giving a clear (albeit somewhat low-res) view of your proximity to the curb and other vehicles." — Carlos Lago

King Banana Hits the Dirt

I guess I was due for another adventure.

Our 2016 Nissan Titan XD wasn't supposed to be the star of this desert adventure. From the outset, its role was as a support truck. And as such, the bed was packed with camping gear, tools and supplies, while the cab carried the electronics, cameras and everything that doesn't play nice with sun and dirt.

I shot the last few photos of our Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tacoma as they headed down the dusty road before walking back to the Titan. I wasn't in a particular hurry as I figured the Ridgeline would hold up the proceedings a bit and I, in the rugged Pro-4X packaged Titan, would reel in the pair soon enough.

Things didn't turn out the way I expected.

All of the cargo in the bed was under a big net, a wise choice as this Death Valley washboard road was tossing the truck around pretty badly. Mind you, I was only going about 20 miles an hour, but I still eyed the bed periodically to make sure nothing made a break for it. So it was with some surprise when, at the moment I glanced into the rearview mirror, the tailgate trim popped off and fluttered into the desert.

A few profanities later, I had the trim piece in hand and was smacking it back in place with my hand. It's always the cheap stuff that breaks, right? While I was out, I caught a whiff of something that smelled a lot like burning, but a cursory inspection didn't reveal anything leaking so I figured a bit of scrub brush was lodged up near the exhaust. Back to it, then.

About a half-mile later, the trim piece was gone again. I also didn't see the tailgate. Many more profanities later, I was inspecting the downed tailgate for some sign of failure, but found none. The tailgate shut, reopened and shut again without issue so I slammed it shut once more, locked it and headed out, again, to catch the Ridgeline and the Taco. And there was still that smell. ...

By now I was going under 15 miles an hour as the Titan felt like it was going to shake itself apart. The passenger seat, always prone to shaking a bit on rough highways, was now undergoing some demonic possession and I had legitimate concerns I might lose a headlight, a taillight or both. Or more. Off-road package, you say?

My pace was slow enough to worry Dan Edmunds, road trip companion and our resident truck and suspension guru, and he had decided to head back down the road and start looking for me. But he didn't have to go more than a minute or so before I came vibrating into view. He turned around and we both met up with the Ridgeline where we all had a bit of a post-mortem, 30 minutes into the daylong trip.

The busted tailgate trim piece and dropped tailgate were just sprinkles and nuts on this failure sundae (I hate nuts on my sundae) as a closer inspection revealed that both rear shocks, the special Bilsteins that come with the Pro-4X package, were done. They looked to have been held over a fire, their blue dust boots melted like decorative ashtrays and the bodies visibly charred. The right rear overheated so badly that it lost its internal seals and had sprayed burned shock oil everywhere. Remember the smell? It was shock oil. Take note, shock oil smells like burned peanuts.

Skipping ahead, the Tacoma, the Titan and the Ridgeline (in that order) were back on the highway and nearly to camp when the Taco bounced through a depression on the highway. The loaded Titan quickly followed suit and that's when the left rear shock gave up the ghost and absolutely coated the trailing Ridgeline in shock sauce. For the remainder of the trip the ride was ... compromised.

In the interim, we found that the left side bed box was jammed shut and that a rock guard forward of the left rear wheel had been cracked. Those items were summarily added to the list of casualties to be addressed by the dealer once we returned to civilization.

My first stop was for service was at Gardena Nissan. The service adviser listened to my notes and casually inspected the truck before writing up a ticket, securing a shuttle ride for me and saying he'd follow up in a couple of days.

We had plenty to talk about when he followed up. First up was the matter of the rear shocks. The service writer claimed that Nissan wanted photos of the shocks, and possibly the shocks themselves, to determine the cause of the failure. That was expected. Secondly, the tailgate failure, according to the service writer, was due to a misalignment of the tailgate with respect to the right side of the bed. The latch was clearly bent, and there was a visible crack on the inside of the bed where the latch hits the striker. I was surprised when he informed me that, though Nissan does warranty misalignments, our truck was over the mileage on that particular warranty and if I wanted it fixed I'd have to make an insurance claim and take it to a body shop.

Then he really threw me by telling me that the dealer would not warranty the tailgate trim piece. The reasoning was that the trim piece's clips looked to have been damaged, the insinuation being that I had damaged the piece before it came adrift. He couldn't quote me a price on a replacement piece.

Finally, there was the issue of the left side bed box. The service adviser sheepishly informed me that the box would not be covered under warranty. I was told that Nissan considered the bed box to be an accessory, therefore not covered under warranty. This seemed odd since it's part of the Pro-4X Luxury package. Then he told me that the company that built (note the past tense) the boxes had gone out of business and taken the patents and the plans for the boxes with it, so there were no more boxes. None. The adviser did seem genuinely embarrassed about this and stated that he didn't know what the dealer was going to do since most of the Titans it moves have the boxes. I would later learn that this was all untrue.

A few days later, Dan got behind the wheel to assess the state of our Titan. He didn't need to go more than a half a mile before he realized the front shocks were blown, too. It's nearly impossible to see most of the front shock bodies unless you take the wheels off and stick your head in the fender well, you know, like a tech at a dealer might do when a truck comes in with melted rear shocks.

Dan was aghast and drove the Titan straight to Stadium Nissan in Orange, where he went through the same explanatory process I did at Gardena Nissan only to have it all work out quite a bit differently. The front shocks were replaced and sent to Nissan for examination. The tailgate trim piece was replaced without issue. And the bed box? Upon inspection by the tech, a new latch (it's visually heavier-duty than the stock latch, so we think Nissan's had this happen a few times) was ordered, the rivets on the side of the box were drilled out, the latch was replaced, unlocked and the rivets all replaced. At no time during the second service trip did the service adviser mention anything about the boxes going out of production or not being covered under warranty.

We decided to leave the issue of the cracked bed/fender for another date. It's disappointing, but since the latch still closes, the tailgate still locks and no one on staff could tell if the crack even goes through the paint to the metal, we decided to table it.

More than anything, this incident has made me question the effectiveness and value of a factory off-road package. The road we drove on was not highly technical in any way, so the Titan's ground clearance, four-wheel drive or knobby tires certainly weren't taxed. The shocks took the brunt of the washboard surface, and in the end they simply couldn't keep up. Granted, this was a worst-case scenario for a shock absorber, but if you paid nearly $60K for a truck with an off-road package, you would be disappointed. The shocks failed, pieces on the truck failed and part of the dealer support network failed. If this were my truck, I'd be pissed.

Monthly Update for July 2017

Where Did We Drive It?
Repairs from a recent drive in Death Valley sidelined our 2016 Nissan Titan XD toward the end of last month. Then, to add insult to injury, our mirror got smacked, necessitating replacement. Thankfully, we got the #kingbanana all buttoned up for a few long highway drives, and enjoyed the rhythms of its turbodiesel engine along the way.

What Kind of Fuel Economy Did It Get?
Most of the miles in July were accrued on long highway trips, which resulted in a monthly high of 18.7 mpg. Then we towed a boat while packed with cargo and netted just 11.3 mpg, an all-new record low. Our monthly average came out to 14.7 mpg over slightly more than 1,300 miles, far better than last month.

Average lifetime mpg: 15.1
EPA mpg rating: N/A
Best fill mpg: 18.7
Best range: 434.3 miles
Current odometer: 23,759 miles

Maintenance and Upkeep
Aside from the damage wrought by washboard roads, we also replaced a side-view mirror that was damaged by a fellow motorist. No other maintenance was needed in the month of July.

Logbook Highlights
Performance
"With the Titan's departure date looming, the stars aligned for our only tow test (of sorts) as I drafted the big banana into toy-hauling mode for a long drive to Lake Powell, Utah. Laden with a ski boat, trailer, a bed stacked high with provisions to cover three families for a week of houseboating, and four passengers in the cab, the Titan was at or near its payload limit and at about half of its towing capacity.

"More detailed impressions will follow in dedicated posts about the long, loaded trip, but in a word the Titan XD was unflappable. My brother, a longshoreman who has pulled boats behind dozens of trucks, wagons, SUVs, old V8s — you name it — repeated over and over, like a mantra, 'This is a great truck.'" — Dan Frio, automotive editor

Maintenance
"The passenger side mirror got damaged during an incident in which the turn signal and the mirror cover got ripped off. While the mirror itself worked, we wanted to make sure the turn signal was replaced so we could get the Titan fixed and back into our fleet. The XD has the extended-length towing mirrors, so they stick out quite a bit. It makes me uncomfortable just looking at them — I always feel like they're going to clothesline a biker à la WWE wrestling.

"I reached out to a friend at Nissan of Duarte who put me in touch with service writer Bryan Hernandez. We quickly figured out the parts that were necessary and ordered them immediately. He indicated that no one had the actual mirror in stock, and it would take about five business days to deliver, but thankfully the mirror cover was available locally. Cost of the mirror cover: $31.64. Cost of the mirror itself: $744.55. Total cost: $847.99 (including tax). I told Mike Schmidt, senior manager of vehicle testing, that at some point I would like to take apart the old mirror to see why it costs so much. Keep your eyes open for that update.

"Once I got to the dealership, Bryan greeted me and took the keys to get the truck repairs started. About 30 minutes later, he came up to me apologetically to inform me that there was a 'one-time use adhesive part' that no one knew was needed until they took apart the mirror. He said that the part should be in stock and would only take a day to obtain.

"The following day, I called early to check to see if the part came in, and Bryan said it's already there and I could come by and get it taken care of. I drove down and then about an hour later, the new mirror and mirror cap were installed and repairs completed. The Titan looked good as new. The adhesive part cost $13.62 and the labor came out to $190. Total for repairs: $204.88 (including tax)." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres, vehicle testing technician

Comfort
"I am not a truck guy, so it was with great trepidation that I signed up for a long weekend with the Titan. You see, I live near downtown Los Angeles and have a tiny apartment parking spot and street parking to contend with. The truck's camera system, while not in high-definition, is a lifesaver. I found the suspension to be stiff on the highway, but that's to be expected with an unladen heavy-duty truck. I was surprised, though, at how well it handled the pockmark-riddled roads of downtown. Interior accoutrements are outdated, especially compared to the state-of-the-art connectivity that domestic brands provide. It's easy to use, however. I was able to engage 4-Lo lock differentials and use the cool backseat cargo platform during an off-road trip to the Los Padres National Forest without cracking open a manual or searching the internet." — Calvin Kim, road test editor

MPG
"Seeing how atrocious some of the city mileage was, I wanted to see just what the Titan could do out on the open road. On my way out and back from the Los Padres National Forest, I drove as smoothly and deliberately as possible to be most efficient. From my off-the-cuff tests, I found the biggest diesel-suck to come from the sluggish shifts of the transmission. In order to keep average mileage in the high-teens arena (that is, above 15.5), I did my best to minimize downshifts and to get it into top gear as quickly as possible. With just a little throttle restraint, I achieved over 18 mpg through two tanks of gas." — Calvin Kim

A Titan, a Terrier and a Big Tow

We were nearing the end of our term with the 2016 Nissan Titan XD and I hadn't driven it once. That's almost like a dereliction of duty. After all, we're supposed to drive these vehicles, form impressions and share them with you, the reader.

But this truck was big, and I didn't relish the idea of squeezing it into my small driveway. I didn't have any home improvement projects going on. Plenty of others had driven it and it didn't lack for miles, thanks to Travis' and Kurt's respective drives to and from the Detroit Auto Show in January. I didn't worry about what I might be missing.

Then a family vacation loomed on the horizon, a houseboat trip to Lake Powell, Utah, that required a ski boat. Suddenly, I had a great reason to try out the Titan XD.

My brother volunteered his boat and even his GMC Sierra 1500 to tow it. But with four occupants, a load of supplies that we'd agreed to drive out for our other boatmates, plus our own gear and a Jack Russell terrier, the Sierra started looking a little tight and overmatched. Our Plan B was to rent a heavy-duty or dually pickup. Then I remembered the Titan XD and its unique proposition as a middle ground between light- and heavy-duty pickups.

Max Payload but Towing to Spare
With around 1,700 pounds of payload capacity, an 11,800-pound towing capacity and, most importantly, a roomy crew cab, the Titan XD looked like the perfect truck for the job and the perfect reason for me to finally take the Banana's wheel.

I'll share more observations in subsequent posts, but here are a few of the highlights.

We drove the Titan a total of 1,250 miles, most of those towing. Some miles were accrued in transit before and after hitching the boat and cargo, but for the most part these are towing miles. My brother actually weighed all of our cargo before loading it into the bed, and we estimated that with all cargo and five bodies in the cab (three adults, one 11-year-old and one terrier), we were at the limit of the payload capacity. We knew we'd be lighter coming back home, but for the trip out we'd be maxed. We used plywood sheets, rope and ratchet straps to contain the mound of cargo.

The ski boat, too, was loaded to capacity with ski- and wakecraft, and everything else that wouldn't fit in the truck. The boat itself weighs about 3,000 pounds dry. It was empty of gasoline, but with engine fluids and all the gear, we estimated it at around 3,500 pounds. Add another 1,000 pounds for the trailer and 1,700 pounds of payload, and we estimated the Titan was carrying about 6,200 pounds, maybe a bit more. With just 4,500 pounds behind the hitch, the Titan XD was well below its towing threshold but strained on its payload.

The truck was unflappable. Plenty of power when and wherever we needed it, even up the gradual grades outside of Las Vegas heading into Arizona and Utah. It was impressive. Any trepidation I had about it initially, thinking that we'd have to drive gingerly and thus adding a few more hours to our travel time, were dispelled almost immediately. Once we throttled up onto the first freeway on-ramp, it was clear there was no reason to worry. The truck felt solid and effortless, as if carrying a 15-pound pack into the backcountry.

My brother, an avid lifelong water-skier, has pulled various boats in his life with all manner of vehicles, from trucks to station wagons to VW Bus. He repeated over and over, almost like a mantra, "This is a great truck."

Final Tally
Over about 1,250 miles, we averaged 11.8 mpg. We averaged 11.5 mpg on the way out and 12.3 mpg on the way back. (We and our boatmates ate and drank much of that cargo weight during a week on the lake.) For the whole trip, the onboard mpg meter was about 2.5 percent more optimistic than reality, claiming 12.4 mpg for the whole run. Our best range was 293.4 miles.

We added the contents of one 2.5-gallon box of diesel exhaust fluid, during a fuel stop on the way out to the lake (1.5 gallons) and after we'd returned home (the remaining gallon).

Wrap-Up

What We Got
The return of the Nissan Titan to the full-size truck market was hard to ignore. Not only did it have an all-new design, it added an all-new model called the Titan XD. Designed to fill the gap between standard half-ton trucks and more expensive heavy-duty pickups, the XD was an intriguing entrant into the crowded full-size truck category.

There were two engine and transmission pairings available: a 5.6-liter V8 gasoline engine (390 hp, 401 pound-feet) with a new seven-speed automatic or a Cummins 5.0-liter turbodiesel V8 engine (310 hp, 555 lb-ft) with a six-speed automatic. We settled on the latter so we could try out the new diesel V8 and its massive amount of torque. From there, we went with the Pro-4X trim level, an off-road-oriented trim that has a surprisingly smooth ride. Extras on our truck included LED headlights and bed lighting, a spray-in bedliner, tow package, a 7-inch infotainment display with navigation, Titan box bed storage bins and an around-view camera.

According to the window sticker, our 2016 Nissan Titan XD V8 turbodiesel Pro-4X four-wheel-drive crew cab had an MSRP of $58,480. It was about as expensive as the Titan gets, so there would be no room for excuses during its year with us. Here's how it fared.

Performance

"Idaho Falls was where I finally turned south. Having cleared nearly every chance for bad weather, I reflected on what I'd learned about the Titan's capabilities. With its long wheelbase, Pro-4X package and Cummins diesel, it had come to remind me of the Dodge Power Wagon. I trusted it. And when I was pushing subzero air for hours at a time, driving over compacted snow and flirting with icy shoulders, I trusted it with my life." — Kurt Niebuhr, photo editor

"The truck was unflappable. Plenty of power when and wherever we needed it, even up the gradual grades outside of Las Vegas heading into Arizona and Utah. It was impressive. Any trepidation I had about it initially, thinking that we'd have to drive gingerly and thus add a few more hours to our travel time, were dispelled almost immediately. Once we throttled up onto the first freeway on-ramp, it was clear there was no reason to worry. The truck felt solid and effortless, as if carrying a 15-pound pack into the backcountry. My brother, an avid lifelong water skier, has pulled various boats in his life with all manner of vehicles, from trucks to station wagons to VW Bus. He repeated over and over, almost like a mantra, 'This is a great truck.'" — Dan Frio, staff writer

MPG

"My next hotel was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but I had to stop to diesel again before I got there. I wouldn't say I was annoyed, but I was starting to wonder what I'd have to do to break 400 miles on a tank. It was legitimately cold — minus 1 Fahrenheit, to be exact — and the window-washer squeegee broke off in the bucket. So much for cleaning the headlights." — Kurt Niebuhr

"The fuel economy average for my towing trip of 1,000 miles worked out to 16.1 mpg. This is slightly higher than the Titan's lifetime average of 15.5 mpg. Considering that the vast majority of this truck's miles have been spent without a trailer behind it, that's an unexpected result!" — Jason Kavanagh

"My last fill-up was just east of San Bernardino, California, on the fringe of L.A.'s inland sprawl. I lost the rural speed limits and about 5,000 feet of elevation on that tank, so it's no wonder I got the (then) best range and fuel economy of the trip: 434.3 miles and 18.3 mpg." — Kurt Niebuhr

Comfort

"One of the first things I noted while driving the Titan on the open road was how hypercomfortable the seats were. I didn't have to shuffle or adjust for comfort for nearly a week behind the wheel." — Travis Langness, staff writer

"My commute has a pretty wide range of surfaces along the way. From the cracked concrete of the 405 freeway to the side streets of Marina del Rey, there are plenty of places where a big truck like the Titan could feel uncomfortable. Yet it doesn't. Instead, it's very well-controlled and has just the right amount of give in the suspension. There's a series of speed bumps on one street that I drive through and even those don't send shudders through the cabin. It's a nice setup for those who need the Titan XD's capability on occasion but run it empty the rest of the time." — Ed Hellwig, senior editor

Cargo Space

"This truck lacks some of the user-friendly features that other trucks have. It's crazy tall, and would really benefit from something like the 'corner step' rear bumper found on the GM trucks. Also, take a look at the bed storage bins. These are simply poorly designed. Being in the bed, they are awkward to access (unlike the RamBox system), and since the bins' doors open inward, they interfere with anything in the bed. Arrggh!" — Jason Kavanagh

"I slid four standard 4-foot-by-8-foot sheets of plywood in the bed of the Titan. It was a snug fit between the wheelwell storage bins. And they stuck out onto the lowered tailgate about a foot. I recommend a pair of heavy gloves to extract them or you'll be picking at splinters for days. Ask how I know." — Mike Schmidt, senior manager, vehicle testing operations

"I made some use of our giant yellow Nissan Titan over a weekend so I could move some furniture. The Titan hauled a couch, four chairs and two lamps. It only asked for a refill of diesel exhaust fluid in return. There's nothing like having a big truck around to facilitate movement of larger items." — Michael Massey, vehicle testing assistant

Interior

"I'd say the seat heaters are California-spec. They provide a nice, gentle warmth through a single layer, but they couldn't penetrate my modest coat-and-sweatshirt getup. That said, the cabin is apparently very well-insulated. The three-quarters-empty bottle of water that I'd left in the cab overnight wasn't even chilly." — Kurt Niebuhr

"When it comes to trucks, second-row LATCH tether points are usually hard to use. The problem isn't that they aren't easy to find; it's that there is typically such a small space between the child seat and rear wall of the cab that you don't have space to cinch the tether tight. Our Nissan Titan fits this 'normal' criterion. So if you have anything short of Jack Skellington fingers, you'll have a heck of a time tightening the strap." — Mike Schmidt

Audio and Technology

"Once I got used to the ride quality of the truck, it was time to test out the stereo by playing music at full volume. I didn't intend it to be a test-to-failure of the Rockford Fosgate system. I just wanted my music to be loud enough to drown out my singing voice, and a Bluetooth or USB connection usually means you have to max out a car's volume. As a result, the stereo quit on me at least four times. After about 30 minutes of max-volume performance, sound cut out entirely." — Travis Langness

"Our long-term Titan XD has the upgraded infotainment interface. I love the top-down parking camera system shown in the photo below. But otherwise I find this 7-inch touchscreen to be mediocre. Here are my top five issues with it: 1) The graphics and fonts are dated; 2) some virtual buttons are small and hard to press; 3) the maps lack useful detail; 4) the screen often washes out in sunlight; and 5) it lacks the latest smartphone app integration systems (e.g., Apple CarPlay)." — Brent Romans, senior editor

Maintenance

"The Titan was brought to the dealer for its 20,000-mile service and to address a check engine light. Two codes were returned: one for low diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and the other that was apparently the result of mud on DEF lines. The technician topped up the DEF, removed '3 inches of mud' caked on the lines and cleared the codes. Its engine oil and filter were changed, and the fuel-water separator drained." — Jason Kavanagh

"We added another 2.5-gallon jug of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) in October. Dan Edmunds calculated that we go through one of these jugs every 1,800 miles or so. I don't know how much he paid for it, but Amazon prices his Peak BlueDEF box at a tick under $23." — Cameron Rogers, staff writer

"The following day, I called early to check to see if the [side mirror] came in, and Bryan said it's already there and I could come by and get it taken care of. I drove down and then about an hour later, the new mirror and mirror cap were installed and repairs completed. The Titan looked good as new. The adhesive part cost $13.62 and the labor came out to $190. Total for repairs: $1,052.87 (including tax)." — Rex Tokeshi-Torres, vehicle testing technician

Miscellaneous

"In happier news, I dig the M+S tires that come with the Pro-4X package. They gave me the confidence to pull off the interstate and slither along some unplowed backcountry roads. I found some small towns, ate at some diners, and discovered some bars that I wish I had time to visit. I don't think the all-seasons that come standard on the similarly equipped Platinum trim level would have allowed me the same freedom in these conditions." — Kurt Niebuhr

"Granted, this was a worst-case scenario for a shock absorber, but if you paid nearly $60K for a truck with an off-road package, you would be disappointed. The shocks failed, pieces on the truck failed and part of the dealer support network failed. If this were my truck, I'd be pissed." — Kurt Niebuhr

Regular Maintenance:
Routine maintenance on the Titan XD was due every 10,000 miles. So it was no surprise when the service light clicked on a shade past 10,000 miles ($102) and again just before 20,000 miles ($138). Included at these intervals were the basics: oil, oil filter and tire rotation, with draining of the fuel-water separator also happening at the latter interval.

Service Campaigns:
Numerous items required attention on the Titan beyond the maintenance schedule. At our first oil change, the dealer also performed two recalls: PC494 was to inspect and correct any issue with the factory fuel-tank breather tube installation; PC507 was a transmission control module reflash. At our second oil change, we had two engine codes: One was for low DEF, which was remedied with a top-off; the second was the result of mud on the DEF lines, which called for the tech to remove "3 inches" of caked-on mud. This wasn't the end.

During a road trip to Death Valley, the Titan got beat up. And putting it back together back at home proved a challenge.

We drove into Gardena Nissan with a healthy list of concerns: The rear shocks were blown, the tailgate trim had come off, one bed-mounted cargo box was stuck shut, one of the forward rock guards was broken, and the tailgate had fallen open on its own, exposing a crack at the striker due to apparent misalignment. This dealership replaced the front shocks under warranty, gave a long list of reasons why it couldn't warranty our other concerns, and gave the truck back. Upon leaving we discovered the front shocks also showed signs of failure, suggesting the dealer missed that problem also.

So we tried another location. Stadium Nissan in Orange was a refreshing change of pace. Our experience there suggested that the things Gardena told us about the warranty work were untrue. Our concerns were addressed under warranty, including the repair of both bed storage-box locks, not just the one that seized on us. What a difference.

Finally, we replaced a side-view mirror damaged when our truck was struck by another. We paid out of pocket ($1,053) because at the time we needed it fixed quickly. But we'd have used insurance otherwise, so we don't count it against the truck.

Fuel Economy and Resale Value

Observed Fuel Economy:
After 24,500 miles, we averaged 15.1 mpg. Our best single tank returned 18.7 mpg and came under the most ideal of conditions. So rare was the 18 mpg fill-up that we hit that mark just five of the 89 times we added diesel. The farthest we traveled on a single tank was 434 miles.

The Titan also required regular fill-ups of diesel emissions fluid. Over the course of our test, we added nearly 31 gallons of the stuff, at a rate of about $1 per gallon. It was more costly when not purchased in bulk. This averaged out to roughly 1 gallon every 797 miles.

Resale and Depreciation:
The MSRP on our 2016 Nissan Titan XD was $58,480. By the end of our test, this value fell 34 percent, according to Edmunds TMV Calculator, using the assumption of a private-party sale. But since we borrowed this truck from Nissan, there would be no testing the market.

For some reference, our most comparable long-term truck, the 2014 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel, depreciated 37 percent. But we had that for two years and 50,000 miles. Our most recent full-size, the 2015 Ford F-150 depreciated 29 percent after 16 months and 35,000 miles.

Summing Up

Pros:
Capable of towing and hauling heavy loads without feeling strained; comfortable ride quality when empty; spacious interior with plenty of storage; confident handling on rough roads; above-view camera option helpful in tight situations; useful in-bed storage boxes; quiet for a diesel.  

Cons:
Diesel engine averaged only 15 mpg; could use a bigger tank for greater range; interior design didn't feel modern enough for such a new truck; cargo storage boxes are hard to access with a full bed; required several dealer visits to fix small issues; resale value was less than that of some competitors.

Bottom Line:
Nissan took a big gamble with the introduction of the Titan XD, and we think it will pay off for certain truck buyers. It's a very capable truck that is comfortable enough to drive every day, and it's at a far lower price point compared to most heavy-duty trucks. Like most all-new vehicles, however, it has a few bugs to work out before it can boast bulletproof reliability, and its interior doesn't match the competition for refinement and features. 

Disclaimer:
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.