The truck no one talks about got redesigned for 2020

"LJ909" (lj909)
10/10/2019 at 22:36 • Filed to: Nissan, Nissan Titan, 2020 Nissan Titan

That’s right. The red headed weirdo step child of truck sales the Nissan Titan got redesigned. It debuted at the Texas State Fair, a usual debut event for trucks given how big of a truck market Texas is. Along with the new design it gets new features Nissan hopes will help it sell.

Gone for ‘20 is the XD and the Cummins diesel because it sucked. Now its just the tried and true Endurance V8 with 400 horses mated to a new 9 speed auto. Tech wise it gets standard CarPlay and Android Auto, Nissan Safety Shield 360 which is pretty much the usual suite of driving aids and 2 big screens. A new 9" touchscreen sits in the middle of the dash, while an 8" screen sits between the speedo and tach which they call Advanced Drive Assist Display, which is sort of a driver information center that can also display off road info like angle and in what mode 4wd is in.

Oh and there is this pretty big pano roof that’s available too. Other than that, there’s...not much else that would make it appealing to get over the Big 3 or even the Tundra for that matter. If these updates don’t work sales wise (which honestly I don’t think they will), I see the Titan getting the axe in a few years.

DISCUSSION (38)

LongbowMkII > LJ909
10/10/2019 at 23:03

Saw one lose a mirror at the automatic car wash. (I use the booths because lotus)

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > LJ909
10/10/2019 at 23:08

You are more likely to see an all new Frontier before you’d get a new from the ground up Titan.

dogisbadob > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
10/10/2019 at 23:11

They need to bring the Navara over here

LJ909 > LongbowMkII
10/10/2019 at 23:11

I bet that was pricey to replace.

LJ909 > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
10/10/2019 at 23:16

The sales aren’ t there for it anyway. Sales have decreased every year since it got the major redesign from the first gen in 2017.

The Frontier presents its own problems though. The current truck is old as dirt, but it sales. They risk loosing sales if they redesign it.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > dogisbadob
10/10/2019 at 23:23

Need is an interesting word. Nissan and the Alliance sell enough to make good coin now...

Anyway, you won’t see the Navara until Mitsubishi finish the new one for the A lliance and Nissan then decide to develop a US version of it. So don’t hold your breath.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > LJ909
10/10/2019 at 23:29

The only 2 people I know who bought titans, I had the same reaction “you bought a pickup?” neither one I would describe as truck guys. I don’t really know what buyer they’re looking for, given that they seem to be trying to go upmarket to 2500 capability

LJ909 > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
10/10/2019 at 23:37

Im not sure who they are gunning for either. Its not off road guys because their Pro-4x/Nismo or whatever has never been a thing here in the States (and if it does have a following I dont know about it. Or its in some weird out of the way state.

Its not HD or contractors/business owners because they dont have an HD model, and the XD was a weird in betweener.

They are just trying to win anyone over I think at this point. Because anyway you go about it they offer nothing of note to appeal to any actual truck buyers.

Ssfancyfresh > LJ909
10/10/2019 at 23:41

Nissan is a brand that I typically just ignore. But I’m driving a brand new Altima (rental car) and I’m not ashamed to say that I really like it. Aside from the CVT, the rest is great. The interior looks great. Fit an finish as above board. It’s packed with all sorts of essentials with some surprising nice to haves at a great price.

I would seriously consider an Altima before a Malibu and a F usion, if I were in the market.

And I suppose that’s the reason I’d be interested in the Titan. It might surprise me like the Altima did. I like the styling refresh. I f it drives as good as it looks and proves to be a decent value, it may find some buyers

LJ909 > Ssfancyfresh
10/10/2019 at 23:53

The new Altima is pretty handsome. i like the interior design as well. One of the few new cars where the tablet stuck on the dash look kinda works.

With that being said I dont think the Titan would impress Its mostly forgettable due to it not having anything notable that stands out over the competition . At this point its just trying too hard.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Ssfancyfresh
10/11/2019 at 00:08

I had a new Altima a couple of weeks ago. It was so boring I forgot to take pictures of it.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Ssfancyfresh
10/11/2019 at 00:23

I had a 2012 Versa fall into my lap two years ago and I am greatly surprised at how much I like it and how well it drives.

And your mention of CVT: does anybody not hate those things who knows anything about, or just plain likes, cars?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 00:24

Swing voters.

CRider > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 00:28

What an original design, Nissan.

Kinja'd!!!

LJ909 > CRider
10/11/2019 at 00:30

Damn. I don’ t even know how I didn’ t catch that.

CRider > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 00:42

Kinja'd!!!

The interior shot isn't very good, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't see some resemblance there, too.

LJ909 > CRider
10/11/2019 at 00:54

Here’ s a better pic

Kinja'd!!!

Its similar. Nissan stuck with the old school column shifter though.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 01:08

I’m a sucker for panoramic big ass sunroofs. I hate convertibles and I like sunroofs on warm summer nights.

LJ909 > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
10/11/2019 at 01:12

Same here. I love them so much that the next car I get has to have it as an option or its a deal breaker.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 01:18

The column shifter is a good call. And I think base model F-150s still have them

Stef Schrader > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 03:12

To be fair, my first reaction to the F-150's big ol’ knob was “wow this is like, an actual physical truck penis.” It’s gigantic in a weird, off-putting way. I get that the truck is big, but like, you don’t need a gear selector as big as my fist. That all but invites the tired jokes about truck owners compensating and this and that . It’s huuuuuuuge.

The Titan seems like an okay truck? The one I had last year had l ots of clever little storage features and such. Felt kinda cheap inside in spots , though, but it’s a truck—as long as it holds up, eh? meh? Sadly, I don’t think mimicing Ford is going to really work there.

punkgoose17 > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 06:31

I guess it needs a crazy folding tailgate.

Sammyno55 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/11/2019 at 08:44

I think column shifters just make sense for trucks. A bench seat would also make sense to me.

Pickup_man > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 08:53

Even though they were small changes I think the updates make it look a whole lot better. Enough to the point that if I was looking for a new truck I would strongly consider one. Granted the B ig 3 are probably stacking huge discounts on the hood so it would still be a tough sell. I like the Titan, think it’s a good truck all around, but it’s really hard to compete with the Big 3, and I don’t expect to do well unfortunately .

Mercedes Streeter > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2019 at 09:36

I’m fine with CVTs, it’s usually the car around them that disappoints me. The Dodge Caliber has a CVT that works fine, but the car feels and sounds like a Chinese scooter when you’re on the gas.

On the other hand, the current gen Honda Civic doesn’t have an awful drone and it accelerates like a real car. If you never look at the tach it would probably take a while to figure out it has a CVT.

LJ909 > Stef Schrader
10/11/2019 at 10:03

Yea it’s just all unnecessary shit that’s overdone for no other reason that big American Truck.

It does have a lot of nifty storage compartments. Like the Ridgeline that seems to be one of their plays to entice truck buyers.

punkgoose17 > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 10:07

I am thinking the smart marketing choice would be to push the trucks heavily on fleets. That way people experience them with rentals, work, and see them on the road; so people actually might think about buying them.

LJ909 > Pickup_man
10/11/2019 at 10:11

Yea I do agree that the redesign gives it an edgy almost tech like look. But yea you can’t compete with the big 3. The discounts make considering the Titan even hard. Like now, Chevy has nearly $12k off Silverado HDs. Like why consider a wannabe when you can have an HD for probably less than a loaded model?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Mercedes Streeter
10/11/2019 at 10:44

I think I’ve only actually driven one , in a 2017-ish Versa. It was like a ratchet, like a 23-speed transmission. (Maybe not that many...)

So apart from my suspicion of the CVT, I worked a spell at a friend’s auto repair business a summer ago and (I believe it was) an Accord came in that turned out to be due for a CVT service that required a bunch of very costly fluid. No thank you; I want nothing to do with those.

Nothing > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/11/2019 at 12:35

The XLT 5.0 I test drove was a column shift. Although XLTs are probably base model now.

CRider > LJ909
10/11/2019 at 14:53

Most F-150s have a column shift, too. You need to go IIRC to a Lariat or higher to get the console shifter.

Kinja'd!!!

Mercedes Streeter > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2019 at 15:19

Oh yeah, and CVT “belts” nowadays are these metal structures that during catastrophic failure will explode out of the transmission casing like shrapnel from a Takata airbag. :O

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Mercedes Streeter
10/11/2019 at 15:43

Yeah! But people will buy them and have no idea what they're buying.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
10/11/2019 at 20:53

I bought my BiLs old crz and on his last oil change skipped the transmission service. due to all the other things he skipped , i had it done as well as both filter changes to be sure. it isn’t cheap

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
10/11/2019 at 21:04

Never say “never,” but I’d never buy a CVT.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > LJ909
11/04/2019 at 11:38

You’ve been one of my favorite correspondents here. Thank you. Reach out if you want, oliphant.chuckerbutty@gmail.com

I wish you luck and success in your endeavors.

LJ909 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/04/2019 at 11:40

Will do! Thanks for reading!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Mercedes Streeter
11/04/2019 at 11:41

Best wishes to you for luck and success in your endeavors . You have a long and ungraded road ahead. Slow for the bumps so your front suspension doesn’t get worn out and lead to premature tire wear. Turn up the radio to drown out the haters. Be you.

Best always,

O.C. oliphant.chuckerbutty@gmail.com