Ok, first of all, i know this is a Ford forum, but since there has been so much talk of the Titan vs. the F-150, I think it is relevant.

so, I got off the 60 freeway here in the LA area headed south on Rosemead Blvd and what do I pull up behind at the San Gabriel intersection but a navy blue Nissan Titan Screw (or whatever they call their 4 door version). The Nissan logo was covered up with red tape, I guess since it is still in development. It had a blue Michigan plate on it that said manufacturer (75M307 was the plate number in case anyone cares). So I drove next to it and behind it for a few miles and the driver knew I was scoping it out as I rode along above him (yes, i was higher up) in my Scab.

My impression of the truck is, damn, it is fugly. I didn't like it in the pics I saw, but seeing it in person made me cringe. The body is just weird looking, like it was put together wrong. But I must say it did have some rumble to the 5.6L engine. Sounded pretty nice. I don't know if the guy tried to smoke me out of the gate on purpose, but Black Beauty and her 5.4L 3V kept up just fine. It was actually kinda of fun to be in a truck hauling *** following an other truck.

The sliding rear window was actually the first thing I noticed. It is HUGE. Probably twice as wide as the one on the new F-150. I think it opens up down the middle by splitting in two with one part going left, one part going right. I don't know if it was power or not, it was already open. This one had to be a 4x2 because it just looked wussy. I mean, it was kind of low and looked weaksauce. The bed is big. I don't know if it is as deep as the new F-150, but it was big.

Bottom line is that it had a lot of the same styling points as the Frontier. The cab looked skewed, like it didn't belong on that body. I think Nissan might do well with it in a few years if they change the body style. It seems like it has the guts to perform, but it is visually challenged, if you know what I mean.

 

I love my '99 F150. But after reading the book The End of Detroit, my next full size truck will be a Nissan.

 

You read the book, how was it, how long, and how interesting?

 

The book was about 300 pages and was a very easy read. It was very interesting. It chronicled what Japan is doing right and what Detroit is doing wrong. Don't get me wrong, I have a bias toward American made trucks. But if Nissan is jumping into the truck market, they are not going to do it half-@ssed. I think Nissan will definately eat into the truck market, even if it is only Dodge and Chevy.

 

I forgot to ask, how much does it cost?