Nissan introduced its new single cab versions of the 2017 Titan and Titan XD.
Aiming to do a better job competing with the established Detroit pickups, Nissan is adding an assortment of different versions of its second-generation Titan truck, and the latest to roll out is the Single Cab model.
Make that “models,” as there will be single-row version of both the standard-duty 2017 Nissan Titan and the maker’s medium-duty Titan XD.
“Once we complete the roll-out of all Titan cab, bed, powertrain and grade level configurations, our all-new TITAN family will cover about 85% of the total light pickup marketplace,” said Rich Miller, Nissan North America’s director of Product Planning for Trucks, SUVs and Commercial Vehicles.
That helps address one of the biggest problems Nissan – and rival Toyota with its Tundra truck – has faced in recent years. Pickup buyers are a picky lot, demanding exactly the set of body, bed and capacity packages they need, whether for work or for urban cowboy applications.
The Single Cab models are primarily work trucks, as is readily apparent when you realize they’ll be offered only with 8-foot cargo beds, whether you opt for the Titan or Titan XD versions. Among other things, that translates into larger payloads and towing capacities than with the Crew Cab models.
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Nissan's new single cab models come with an option for gas or diesel engines.
For the Single Cab standard-duty, Nissan is talking 1,930 pounds of payload and 9,730 lbs of towing capacity. That’s 320 and 340 pounds more than the Crew Cab, respectively.
The numbers for the Single Cab Nissan Titan XD versus the XD Crew Cab are a little more complicated, and depend upon which engine you choose. The options are the gasoline-powered 5.6-liter Endurance V-8, which makes 390 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque, or the Cummins V-8 turbodiesel, which makes 310 hp and 555 lb-ft. A seven-speed automatic is stock on the gas engine, a six-speed auto for the Cummins diesel.
The Single Cab XD with the Endurance V-8 can manage a 2,910-lb payload and an 11,590-lb trailer. Both numbers are 320 pounds more than the gas Crew Cab XD. With the Cummins diesel, the Single Cab handles a 2,420-lb payload and a 12,640-lb trailer. That’s 329 pounds more cargo and 346 pounds more towing capacity than with the diesel Crew Cab XD.
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Nissan's new single cab versions of the Titan and Titan XD go on sale this fall.
The Single Cab and Crew Cab models have the same wheelbase and overall length. The Crew Cab XD, at 242.9 inches, nose-to-tail, is about a fit longer than the Single Cab XD. At 151.6 inches, it has about a foot longer wheelbase, as well.
Fittingly for a largely dedicated work truck, the Single Cab Titans will only be offered in the base S and SV trim packages.
In an unusual move, Nissan decided to go with a beefier frame for the Titan XD, even though the bodies are essentially identical, whether you get Single or Crew Cab models.
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The 2017 Nissan Titan Single Cab and XD Single Cab won’t go on sale until autumn and pricing will be released closer to that launch.