Nissan was very clever in producing the new 2016 Titan XD. Not only has it created two unique pickup trucks — one called the Titan XD and one just Titan — but it produced both vehicles at the same Canton, Miss., plant where midsize pickups, large SUVs, full-size vans and compact SUVs run off the same production line.
The Titan XD — the first of the new Titans to be sold later this year — will have the all-new 5.0-liter V-8 Cummins and a unique heavy-duty frame and chassis that has some parts in common with the NV2500/3500 Cargo Van chassis. The stronger, all-new fully boxed (but not hydroformed) frame is thicker and has more high-strength steel than the "regular" half-ton Titan that is due out in the first half of 2016.
The suspension remains consistent with current Titan strategy: double-wishbone coil-over front suspension (the XD gets a 9.25-inch ring gear) while the rear uses a live axle with a massive 13.0-inch ring gear-and-leaf spring setup. Although the Pro-4X gets stronger monotube shock absorbers, the standard units on Titan XD models are twin-tube absorbers. The Titan XD also mitigates vibration by using hydraulic cab mounts to isolate the cab. As you might guess, the Titan XD uses much larger brake discs: 14.2 inches in front and 14.4 inches in the rear.
When properly equipped, the Titan XD will have a maximum payload capacity of more than 2,000 pounds and a max towing capacity of more than 12,000 pounds, making it the strongest half-ton in the segment or least-capable three-quarter-ton available, depending on how you want to define it. The heart of the beast, of course, is the 5.0-liter V-8 Cummins motor rated at 310 horsepower and 555 pounds-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed Aisin transmission (likely a down-rated version available for Ram's high-output 6.7-liter inline-six Cummins).
Interestingly, new Titans will no longer have the console shifter but instead will have a column shifter that will include a manual, thumb-activated tap-up/tap-down shifter. Nissan representatives note that a column shifter is a more traditional setup, and it allows owners to have a larger center console storage area. The integrated brake controller is relatively low in the center stack but has a nicely visible gain readout.
The ISV50 Cummins is the same engine used for commercial-duty work by several big-rig companies with slightly different software and duty-cycle changes. The block is made of compacted graphite iron with high-strength aluminum alloy heads on top and uses dual overhead camshafts to modulate intake and exhaust. Cummins uses two differently sized turbochargers; a smaller one spools up quickly at lower rpm, while the larger one takes longer to fully spool up.
Finally, the Cummins uses a piezo high-pressure direct-injection fuel system that can precisely measure, monitor and maintain optimum fuel ratios for the best power and fuel economy possible. The system uses a particulate filter and select catalytic reduction to practically eliminate any tailpipe emissions. The diesel exhaust fluid filler opening is conveniently located behind the fuel-filler door.
Although no announcements have been made about either of the two gasoline engine choices, we fully expect to see an upgraded 5.6-liter Endurance V-8 and an all-new V-6, likely bigger and stronger than what's available for the current Frontier.
To read the full Nissan Titan XD and Cummins press release, click .
To read the full Nissan Titan XD specification chart, click .
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