Max towing
is unchanged from 2007 – 9,500-pounds for a properly
equipped King Cab 4x2 with the short box – but on long box it’s
ok now to use a gooseneck hitch mounted in the bed to pull trailers too
large to tow with a typical receiver-mounted trailer ball. The upper
towing limit for a long box is marginally less than the small wheelbase
configuration – 9,400-pounds in a King Cab 4x2.
Forget the
Titan’s old brakes, which were too small, suffered
from premature wear, and caused huge warranty headaches for Nissan. Front
rotor size has been increased from 12.6 x 1.0-inches to 13.8 x 1.2-inches
and is now only a bit smaller than the Tundra’s segment leading
13.9 x 1.26-inch rotors. But Titan’s forward brake platters have
80 square-inches more swept area for the brake pads to scrub off speed
because Tundra uses a larger center hub for its front wheels.
Fuel economy
hasn’t
changed but Nissan makes up for this with a supertanker size gas reservoir
if you buy the long wheelbase model. With a 37 gallon capacity, Nissan
claims a multi-state cruise range of over 600-miles unloaded and well
over 200-miles when trailering a full load. Still, EPA ratings of 12-city/17-highway
for the 5.6-liter Endurance V8 lag the new Chevrolet Silverado’s
14/19 score for the 5.3-liter Vortec V8 but are slightly better than
12/16 numbers received by the 5.4-liter Triton V8 found under the Ford
F-150’s hood.
Nissan engineers
tell us that fuel economy will be boosted for 2009 when Titan adopts
a new torque lockup strategy. We’re expecting
this to be accomplished through a new, more efficient multi-function
torque converter for the truck’s standard 5-speed automatic transmission
that will disengage from the driveline when idling at a stop and use
a lockup clutch to quickly match engine and transmission speeds during
acceleration. This should provide the Titan with a 1 to 2-mpg bump driving
around town. Think of it as taking some of a manual transmission’s
inherent fuel economy advantages and applying them to an auto gearbox.
Future Engine Choices?
If
you’re wondering about a diesel engine, Nissan was quiet about
offering an oil burner except to say it continues to remain under study.
Automotive News, however, reports it’s a done deal and V8 diesels
will be purchased from International – the same company that supplies
Ford with Power Stroke engines for its three-quarter and one-ton heavy
duty trucks.
Borrowing
the V6 from the Nissan Frontier for use in the Titan is also under
study. Paul Fisher says, “We’re looking at using the
V6 very seriously, but we can only put it in a King Cab short bed 4x2.
It would probably be overmatched if it were used in the Crew Cab, a 4x4,
or a long bed configuration. When our competitors use a V6, they’re
very prominent in their regular cabs,” a configuration Nissan is
still lacking.
But if it’s
lacking in powertrain options, Nissan tries to compensate with added
off-road capability for the 2008 Titan with the new PRO-4X trim package.
