Nissan Titan Pro4X 2018 Review

It's big, bold and brash like a full-size American pick-up should be but, as carsales.com.au recently discovered during a Nissan off-road event in Morocco, the Nissan Titan is also immensely capable.

Held on the western fringe of the Sahara, the drive saw journalists sample the Titan along with Nissan's Navara AT32 dual-cab ute, the Navara-based Terra SUV and Patrol four-wheel drive, over a route that spanned several hundred kilometres and a variety of terrain, from muddy tracks to barren plains to towering sand dunes.

And while each vehicle proved it was up to the challenge of this harsh landscape, it was the Titan that particularly piqued our interest…

Some of that interest may be down to the 'grass is always greener' effect – or, as Nissan LCV Chief Product Specialist, Pedro Deanda, put it, "You always want what you cannot have", but then Nissan itself has been stoking those particular fires of late, stating on numerous occasions that it wants to expand the Nissan beyond its North American borders.

The manufacturer says it's currently examining other markets where the Titan may be feasible, and freely admits that the bulk of the interest currently stems from the Middle East and Australia.

However, many question marks remain over any potential future for the model Down Under – most notably the sheer economics of producing the Titan in right-hand drive for a market with inherently low sales volumes.

That prickly issue has meant vehicles like the Titan, along with rivals like Ford's F-Series trucks, the GMC Sierra, Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Silverado and RAM models have only ever been available in Australia in limited numbers, and – with the exception of Silverado and RAM -- remain the sole preserve of unofficial third-party conversion specialists.

That in turns pushes ticket prices to some fairly giddy heights in comparison to American RRPs, but it's a price some are happy to pay in return for the major towing ability on offer.

Yes, while some sales can be attributed to the 'mine's bigger than yours' set, most full-size pick-ups go to buyers who need to tow large boats, caravans, horse floats or gooseneck trailers – loads the current brace of dual-cab utes and their 3500kg braked towing limits just can't handle.

The Nissan Titan on test, however, offers a braked towing limit of 4132kg, albeit with a modest payload of 676kg – along with masses of internal cabin space that mid-size utes simply can't match.

Still, and as the Titan amply demonstrated across Morocco's stony plains and immense sand dunes, Nissan's full-size pick-up is no one-trick pony, and also offers considerable off-road talent in addition to its towing prowess.

The Nissan Titan truly is an all-American affair – it was designed in California, engineered in Michigan, tested in Arizona and is produced in Mississippi. It's available in five trim grades: S, SV, Pro4X, SL, and Platinum Reserve, in either 4x2 or 4x4 formats.

We drove the Pro4X in Morocco, which is essentially an off-road-focused version the SV grade with part-time four-wheel drive driveline, all-terrain tyres, hill descent control and an electronic locking rear differential.

Our test vehicle in Morocco also came with one further factory option you won't find in a Nissan catalogue – the Titan's Chief Product Manager, Brent Hagan.

Brent has played a major role in the development and subsequent roll-out of the second-generation Titan and his belief in the product is unshakeable – even when, at one point, we inadvertently took the 'express route' down a near-vertical leeward face of a dune.

With a windscreen displaying nothing but sand and time momentarily slowing, after what seemed like an age the Titan's front wheels eventually kissed the dune's sloping base and we resumed normal programming, giving the vehicle's occupants pause to reflect on their limited time on this planet.

In actual fact, it probably looked more dramatic to the following convoy than it did to us at 'ground zero', although this scribe was rather thankful for the Titan's lengthy 3550mm wheelbase, healthy 270mm ground clearance and Bilstein performance shocks.

That wondrous petrol V8, meanwhile, meant charging up soft, powdery Saharan dunes was never an issue, although dropping the pressures of the General Grabber ATs to 14.5psi (1 bar), thereby increasing the contact patch of the 275/70R18 tyres, was of course a crucial factor.

Certainly there's no issue with getting the Titan's hefty 2632kg kerb mass moving whenever you bury the accelerator, and revel in the muted but still stirring V8 growl that makes its way through to the otherwise quiet cabin.

Producing 291kW and 534Nm, there's gobs of grunt on tap for towing but also for four-wheel driving, with the big V8 overcoming most obstacles with at low engine speeds, typically at low revs. Redline, however, is indicated at 6250rpm – and there's a broad spread of useable go before it.

Of course, with a big petrol V8 comes a reasonable thirst for fuel. Our test vehicle's trip computer was showing an average of 16.5L/100km before we hit the Sahara's dunes; that figure then settled on 22.2L/100km after our fun in the world's biggest sandpit. Not too bad, it has to be said, given the size of the vehicle and the performance on tap.

Unlike the Y62 Patrol, which is only available with a petrol V8, the heavier-duty Titan XD is also available in North America with a 5.0-litre Cummins V8 turbo-diesel, which is good for a claimed 231kW and 813Nm.

The transfer case shifts between two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive (high) and four-wheel drive (low) via a dial in the cab; switching power from two to four wheels can be done on the fly, while dropping into low range requires the vehicle to be in neutral and at a standstill.

We never used the hill descent control, nor did we ever need to engage the electronic locking rear diff – even when tackling an uncharacteristically muddy track on the second day, after significant rainfall in the lead-up to this event.

Like the ladder-frame chassis, the suspension adopts a familiar commercial theme, with front double wishbones complemented by leaf springs at the rear. However, the Bilstein shockers up the performance in the rough stuff and we never found the bump stops despite encountering some big hits.

With its nose extending some way ahead of the front axle, Nissan quotes a fairly conservative approach angle of 22.8 degrees for the Titan Pro4X, with a departure angle of 26.8 degrees. There is at least a sturdy front skid plate to mitigate the effects of any impacts, along with under body protection for the fuel tank, sump and transfer case.

The seven-speed automatic transmission shifts as well as can be expected of a vehicle in this class and, after a bit of manual shifting to satisfy our curiosity, we were happy for the most part to let it do its thing.

There might have been a desolate moonscape outside the vehicle, but inside our Titan's occupants were treated to some serious room and comfort.

The front seats have electric adjustment and both heating and cooling, while there's leather upholstery front and rear and indeed no shortage of leather throughout the cab – for the tilt-and-reach-adjustable steering wheel, the dash, the door armrests and so on.

In general there is a level of refinement those unaccustomed to full-size pick-ups may not expect of these Yank tanks, ditto the number of creature comforts and practical touches.

Features like remote engine starting, so you can dial in your preferred climate-control setting ahead of jumping in the vehicle, plus push-button starting once you're there.

Nissan's AroundView monitor gives a 360-degree 'birds-eye' view of the immediate surroundings courtesy of four external cameras, while the presence of front and rear parking sensors, LED daytime running lights, tyre pressure monitoring and a rear cross-traffic alert system are all worthy safety additions.

The 7.0-inch multimedia screen is large, crisp and easy to read, and in our test vehicle incorporated satellite navigation along with the usual hands-free telephony and Bluetooth streaming functions (but no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto).

Audio is piped through a quality 12-speaker Rockford Fosgate stereo system with subwoofer, while other features include steering wheel heating, driver's seat/steering wheel memory settings, dual-zone climate control, a truly massive centre console storage bin and large door side pockets, and numerous cup and bottle holders dotted throughout the cab.

A blind-spot monitoring system is integrated into large truck-like, twin-lens mirrors that can extend at the push of a button for towing duties, while pressing the tow mode button on the end of the steering-column-mounted shifter raises shift points with a load out the back (or effectively delivers a 'sports mode' when off-roading, depending on your viewpoint).

We like the nifty pop-up assembly in the rear of the cab that creates a flat floor for stowing gear – together with the flip-up seat bases, it makes light work of storing lots of gear securely.

In addition to masses of leg space, rear seat occupants also benefit from heating/cooling vents on the back of the centre console bin, plus a 120-volt power socket and seat heating (outboard seats only).

Out back, the cargo bed measures 1700mm long by 1567mm wide, with 1270mm between the wheel-arches – more than enough to accept a standard Australian pallet.

There's also clever drop-down step to aid climbing into the cargo bed and a durable factory spray-on liner, while Nissan's Utili-Track Channel System sees sliding tie-down mounting points attached to rails at various points around the bed.

Gripes? Only that the dash in our test vehicle had a persistent squeak – some leather trim rubbing against an adjacent panel the likely culprit – and it's a fair step up into the cab without side steps.

That last point isn't a complaint, more an observation – side steps only reduce ground clearance, and this is an off-road variant, after all. In any case, they're available as a factory option.

The Nissan Titan is a classy, comfortable and capable bit of gear. While many might yearn for this sort of towing and off-road potential in a full factory pick-up, the economic hurdles involved in bringing the Titan to Australia in right-hand drive are significant.

Indeed, the chances of any manufacturer bringing an American pick-up to Australia in right-hand drive are miniscule, but the prospect of one producing the format for multiple RHD markets where pick-ups are popular – like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, India and Indonesia, for example – has more promise.

Of course, emerging markets also have greater pricing constraints, so Nissan will have its work cut out for it to take its 'Made in America' pick-up to the world.

After driving one in Morocco, we'd love to see a factory-built Nissan Titan head our way – but we suspect the reign of our smaller Aussie utes will go unchallenged for a while yet.

How much does the 2018 Nissan Titan Pro4X Crew Cab cost?
Price: From $US46,170 (plus tax)
Engine: 5.6-litre petrol V8
Output: 291kW/534Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 16.5-22.2L/100km (off-road, as tested)
CO2: N/A
Safety rating: N/A