2015 Nissan Titan Review

Nissan has eliminated the long-wheelbase version of the Titan full-size pickup for 2015, meaning that the four-door Crew Cab is no longer available with a long 7-foot-3-inch bed and comes only with a 5-foot-7-inch bed. The 2015 Titan also sees some content revision for several equipment packages and upgraded interior door trim, while models with captain's chairs get power lumbar adjustment for the driver seat.

Although the 2015 Nissan Titan will likely meet your basic requirements for a full-size truck, it lags behind newer rivals in key areas, including fuel economy, interior quality and equipment availability.

If the fundamentals that comprise a full-size pickup truck are what matter most to you, the 2015 Nissan Titan has you covered. Buying a Titan is a pretty simple matter, as there are just two body styles -- King Cab (with rear-hinged back doors) and Crew Cab -- and for 2015 each comes with just one bed length. Nissan figures there's no reason to complicate the underhood arrangements, fitting all 2015 Titan models with a single grunty V8 engine and an automatic transmission. Compared with rival full-size pickups, a 2015 Titan is laughably straightforward to configure.

For many people, though, full-size trucks are family vehicles that wear a multitude of hats, so the Nissan Titan's comparatively narrow model range may limit its appeal. For example, unlike most other large pickups, the Titan doesn't offer a less expensive regular cab body style or a more fuel-efficient V6 engine option. Further, most full-size competitors now offer a wide range of advanced safety aids, technology features and premium amenities, and many of these desirable items are not available for the 2015 Titan.

For now, the 2015 Nissan Titan is a solid option if you're seeking a relatively affordable work truck. There's no question, though, that other full-size pickups offer more opportunity to get a truck that's set up exactly the way you want it. Chrysler's Ram 1500 is notable for its fuel-efficient diesel engine option, loads of clever features and superb ride and handling. Ford's F-150 is all-new for 2015 with a rust-proof all-aluminum body that shaves off hundreds of pounds of unnecessary weight, markedly boosting payload and towing capacities and enhancing everyday fuel economy to boot. GM's Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra have excellent engines and proven durability, while Toyota's Tundra has a studiously engineered ruggedness backed by Toyota's reputation for exceptional reliability.

In the end, it's all about what you need. The 2015 Titan is just as capable as these trucks for worksite use, but if you're buying a pickup to do more than tow and haul, you'll likely find its newer, better-equipped competitors difficult to resist.

The 2015 Nissan Titan is available with just one engine: a 5.6-liter V8 rated at 317 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque. It's connected to a standard five-speed automatic transmission that includes a tow/haul mode. Every Titan body style and trim is available with two-wheel drive or a part-time four-wheel-drive system, except the Pro-4X, which is exclusively four-wheel drive.

Properly equipped, a 2015 Titan King Cab can tow up to 9,500 pounds, while the Crew Cab version tops out at 9,400 pounds.

The EPA's estimated fuel economy for two-wheel-drive Titans is 15 mpg combined (13 city/18 highway). Go for four-wheel drive and the Titan is rated at 14 mpg combined (12 city/17 highway). These fuel economy numbers are below average for a full-size truck with a V8 of this size. The Titan's continued use of a five-speed automatic transmission likely hurts it in this regard, given that most competitors have switched to six- or even eight-speed automatics to enhance highway fuel efficiency.

Standard safety features on the 2015 Nissan Titan include antilock disc brakes, stability control, traction control, front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Rear parking sensors and a rearview camera are available on all trims except the base S.

The Titan earned the highest possible rating of "Good" in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety moderate-overlap frontal-offset crash testing. It rated "Acceptable" (second-highest on a scale of four) in the Institute's roof-strength test, while its seat/head restraint design was rated "Good" for whiplash protection in rear impacts.

The 5.6-liter V8 under the hood of every 2015 Nissan Titan isn't as powerful on paper as most rival eight-cylinders, but you wouldn't know it from the driving experience. The truck accelerates aggressively with even a small prod of the gas pedal, and the V8 shows few signs of strain when there's a full load of passengers or heavy cargo in the bed.

This rewarding performance is balanced by the Titan's bottom-of-the-pack fuel economy ratings, though. The Titan's five-speed automatic goes about its job without fuss, but the six- and eight-speed transmissions in other full-size pickups allow for reduced engine speeds during highway cruising, which not only makes road trips more economical but also quieter and more relaxed.

Everyday suburban driving in the Titan won't beat you up, but competitors like the Chevy Silverado and Ram 1500 treat occupants to a noticeably superior ride. The Titan's brakes and steering responses are sharp, though, and performance is on par with just about any other full-size pickup. The specialized Pro-4X model delivers extra off-road capability for those who want it and are willing to sacrifice ride comfort.

Inside the Titan, the focus is on durability at the expense of style. All the controls and gauges are placed to maximize utility and function, and Nissan has engineered a substantial heft into most of the buttons, switches and levers. The Titan's individual front seats are spacious but firm, and the center console seems overly wide, albeit with plenty of storage space and cubbies.

None of the Titan's interior materials are particularly special, though, and even upper-trim models don't approach the premium ambience you'll experience in rival pickups. The available touchscreen display, at not quite 6 inches diagonal, works acceptably but seems undersized compared to the ever-larger electronic interfaces available in other vehicles. Also absent from the Titan is anything in the way of electronic driver aids such as blind-spot monitoring or a lane-departure warning system.

The rear-hinged back doors of the Titan King Cab open up to a generous 180 degrees, but newer extended-cab trucks from other brands have switched to conventionally opening rear doors. Both the Titan King Cab and Crew Cab provide rear-seat occupants with a comfortable amount of headroom and legroom, though the extra 7 inches of rear-seat legroom (for a total of 40.4 inches) in the Crew Cab makes it a far better choice for buyers needing to transport the whole family.