2008 4x4 Of The Year Contestants

The 2008 Nissan Titan is still one of the most overlooked trucks in the fullsize market, and the crew-cab Pro-4X off-road package we tested is a great all-around truck in our view. It has a healthy 5.6L V-8 engine and an even more appealing interior than previous versions, and the storage ability of both cab and bed makes it a truck any of the judges could live with. This truck, though lacking in power compared to the Tundra and H2, has enough guts to get up and move. It has an excellent ride and the interior felt extremely well laid out, especially compared to the Tundra, where the interior felt big just for the sake of being big.

Once off road we found the Titan a contender. Its selectable rear locker and long wheelbase helped push it up the hillclimb and kept it steady on the high-speed sections. In fact the high-speed test across a rutted desert two track was really where the Titan shined; it soaked up the abuse and was steady and solid even up to 60-65 mph. However it's unfortunate that the wheelbase of any crew-cab fullsize pickup on the market offers less than stellar rockcrawling, and since there was a lack of skidplates under vital organs like the transmission pan, we felt less than courageous to explore difficult lines. In fact, even with multiple spotters, a rear locking differential, and a skilled driver, the Titan still exited the rockcrawling experiment with a healthy scar on the rocker panel, something a basic set of rock sliders could have prevented.

The Nissan Titan would make a great work truck at a farm, up a dirt road, or on the construction site. Plus the Pro-4x off-road package includes items like the Rancho shocks, lockable bedside storage, and the aforementioned selectable rear locker, which definitely makes it the Titan to have. In fact it may be interesting to see a full-blown 1/2-ton truck shootout some day.

The Titan earned a lot of comments from the judges like "a good truck, a peppy truck, very solid, and very well controlled ride for a pickup," but oddly enough this truck that worked great just didn't stand out from its peers. It seemed to offer everything most of us would want, but it never felt exceptional amongst some of the more capable off-roaders. If the Titan is overlooked we can understand why. We don't feel that anything about the truck is really bad, it's just that nothing about it was really that amazing either. Maybe the fact that we didn't have any real complaints actually makes this truck exceptional.

Likes
* Selectable rear locker
* Great V-8
* Fun high-speed prerunner

Dislikes
* Needs rock sliders
* Average looks and performance
* Tires not aggressive

Verdict
* A good 1/2-ton truck, nothing more, nothing less