Large on the outside, it is a spacious 126 cubic feet inside
By: Mike Blake
There are plenty of trucks on the market, and while some are work-tough, others are trucks in name only. Those trucks cater to a large segment of the population that wants a stylish vehicle in which they can haul an occasional board or two, a few yard plants and maybe some furniture. These truck buyers need more than an SUV, but less than a heavy-duty diesel.
Additionally, many truck buyers who don’t really need a vital vehicle for work want to talk the talk without walking the walk.
But a few trucks out there are capable of covering both worlds. They can haul drywall, rock and brick and pull out tree stumps for their working owners by day, while looking stylish enough and are lavish enough inside, to take guests to a restaurant or a play at night. And they are perfect for accepting such cargo as little leaguers and their bats, or members of hockey teams and their sticks and pads.
One of those pickups that is big, tough and rugged and still lets you use it in carlike fashion is the 2006 Nissan Titan 4×4 SE Crew Cab. This vehicle is a dress-in-flannel-by-day and evening-clothes-by-night truck. Utilizing the same fully boxed high-strength all-steel F-Alpha platform that its sibling, the Nissan Armada SUV, uses, the Titan is a hefty 224.2 inches long, 76.7 inches high and has a bed length of 67.1 inches and my test vehicle came with a bed extender that adds the length of the tailgate to the bed.
Large on the outside, it is a spacious 126 cubic feet inside. The Titan Crew Cab offers the most interior space in its class, and provides front legroom of 41.8 inches, with 40.4 inches for row two.
The Titan IS titanic, and to complete this powerful package, the huge beast must be powered up by a massive powerplant. Nissan does this right and energizes with a longitudinally mounted, all-aluminum 5.6-liter V-8 engine. Supplying a hearty 305 horsepower and a whopping 379 pounds-feet of torque, the Titan has a towing capacity of 9,400 pounds as much as many-ton pickups.
The engine is mated to a standard 5-speed automatic transmission designed especially for heavy-duty truck use, with emphasis on serious towing. And it doesn’t sacrifice speed, as I was able to bring this behemoth from zero to 60 mph in less than 8 seconds. Fuel economy is compromised, as the EPA rating of 14 mpg city/18 mpg highway was right on during my test, but this is a true truck, and at 5,137 pounds, low economy levels are to be expected in a pick-up of this magnitude.
For off-road use, the Titan employs an advanced shift-on-the-fly four-wheel drive system with electronic control part-time transfer case. The off-road package uses lower ratio gearing, performance gas shock absorbers, large all-terrain tires, fog lights and lower radiator, oil pan and transfer case skid plates.
You’d think a 5,137-pound vehicle would be safe, and you get numerous safety features with Titan. Titan starts with a zone body, front and rear crumple zones, body side reinforcements, hood buckling creases, energy-absorbing steering column, knee bolsters, a shift interlock system, "smart" air bags, driver and passenger advanced air bag system, front seat side airbags with side curtain rollover protection. Merging safety and handling, Titan is equipped with power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel disc brakes with Bosch Anti-lock Braking System and electronic brake force distribution.
The Titan also handles like a very safe, very large car, thanks to all-steel double-wishbone front suspension design and overslung leaf spring (dual rate) rear suspension with shackles mounted along the frame sides to increase departure angle. The Titan comes standard with 17-inch painted steel wheels and 245/75R17 tires or available 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels (five or six spoke) and 265/70R18 tires. Also available are 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and 285/70R17 tires as part of the off-road package.
The cabin is what makes this truck-by-day a substantial and enjoyable car-by-night for family or guests. It begins with air conditioning, an in-cabin microfilter for air purity, and dual front captain’s chairs. To step up in luxury, you get Sirius Satellite radio, Rockford Fosgate 350-watt premium audio system with subwoofer, a rear sonar system (for alerting you as you back up), 8-way power driver’s seat, power adjustable pedals and Nissan’s DVD mobile theatre system with 7-inch color monitor. You also see a leather-wrapped steering wheel, rich cloth seats, and an overhead console that offers lots of additional storage, though there’s also a sunroof option.
To add just a bit of style to the bed, there’s a sliding bed divider, the snappy bed extender and factory-applied spray on bed liner.
The price of the Titan is not Titanic. For all the truck you can use, the base price is $31,100, though my tow package, satellite radio, audio, DVD and bed package added $6,340 to the bill.
The 2006 Nissan Titan it’s a real truck for real people who don’t need a truck all the time.
Visit www.carlisleevents.com for more on the automotive hobby. Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He’s been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

