2009 Nissan Titan

The Nissan Titan's lone engine offering is big and powerful (a 317-horsepower, 5.6-liter V-8), but other full-size pickup trucks now offer even bigger engines, with even more power. And unlike the Nissan Titan, they also offer less expensive trims with smaller engines and better fuel economy. The four-wheel-drive Titan's 14 mpg overall (12 mpg city and 17 mpg highway) is the worst of any full-size pickup, according to Environmental Protection Agency fuel-economy estimates. The rear-wheel-drive version of the truck is marginally better, eking out 1 mpg more in city driving than the four-wheel-drive Nissan Titan.

Safety and reliability are not strong points for the Nissan Titan. It lags behind other full-size pickups in rollover, rear crash and side crash tests. And although it gets average dependability ratings in one major owner survey, the Titan ties for last place with the Dodge Ram 1500 (*Est. $21,270 to $43,240) in J.D. Power and Associates' latest dependability rankings. The Titan comes with a three-year, 36,000-mile basic warranty and five-year, 60,000-mile powertrain coverage.

Nissan had planned to let Dodge build the next-generation Titan starting in 2011, but that plan may change now that Chrysler has been taken over by Italy's Fiat. However, a Nissan executive tells PickupTrucks.com that "Nissan intends to continue offering a full-size pickup truck even without a rebadged Ram. Rather than give up, Nissan is prepared to extend Titan production at Nissan's Canton, Mississippi, facility."

Power, trim options for the Nissan Titan

As is the case with its kid brother, the Nissan Frontier compact pickup, the Nissan Titan offers no regular cab. A King Cab (extended cab) seats up to six, with a 40/20/40 split front bench and 60/40 split fold-up rear bench. It has narrow, reverse-opening rear doors and either a 6.5-foot or 8-foot cargo bed. The roomier Crew Cab is more spacious for six, with four normal doors and either a 5.5-foot or 7-foot bed. Front captain's chairs are available with either cab style.

The entry-level Titan XE (*Est. $26,150 to $32,150) includes air conditioning, tilt steering and a CD player, but few other features (the crew cab adds power windows and locks). The Titan SE (*Est. $28,150 to $33,800) adds cruise control, keyless entry, an MP3 jack, six-CD changer and more. It also offers several options that come standard on the leather-upholstered Titan LE (*Est. $33,850 to $39,350), such as power adjustable pedals, rear backup sensors, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter and satellite radio. The off-road-ready Titan PRO-4X trim (*Est. $33,680 to $36,480) includes most of the LE's features plus Rancho shocks, skid plates, all-terrain tires and a locking rear differential. All Nissan Titan pickup trucks use a five-speed automatic transmission with a tow/haul mode.

Reviewers often ignore the Nissan Titan when they're rounding up contestants for a pickup truck showdown these days, but some do include it: ConsumerReports.org, Popular Mechanics and a joint test by PickupTrucks.com and Truck Trend. Full reviews at Edmunds.com and ConsumerGuide.com compare the Titan against competitors in a much more general way. Taken together, crash tests at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety provide a fairly complete picture of the Titan's safety. The Titan trails its class in fuel economy based on Environmental Protection Agency estimates, and in quality and dependability at J.D. Power and Associates.