[Derodeo]

I finally got to look over (though not drive - it was already sold) a Titan CC (SE trim) at my local dealer. It's only the 2nd Titan I've seen in southern Alberta. Overall it is a great truck but I did notice a few design problems.

Most obvious to me is the huge unprotected opening in the front below the grill. Those plastic parts and fan blades are going to be destroyed in no time on the gravel roads around here. The center console lid opens sideways making it very difficult for the front seat passenger to reach in. A simple fix would be to have the lid open backward like in most vehicles. That tailgate is HEAVY and without any counterbalancing like the new Ford 150 has, it's going to hurt somebody who isn't paying attention.

My plans are to factory order a Titan LE crew cab in late August for delivery in November as a 2005 model (yeah, I'm a patient sort). I hope Nissan will be making a few minor improvements for the next model year. I've heard rumours of a power sliding rear window.

Here's a question the salesman couldn't answer. Does the Titan have exactly the same transmission as the Armada, complete with a full time AWD mode?

 

[Derodeo]

Well, normally it is going to be a front seat passenger needing access to the center console more often than back seat passengers. Rumaging through a bunch of stuff in that big console is probably not a great idea for the driver to be doing if the passenger can do it instead. As mentioned, that's not feasible with the current design, unless the passenger takes off their seat belt and leans way over.

And if Nissan didn't design their new truck for use on gravel roads, I can perhaps understand why many uninformed fans of the Big 3 do not consider the Titan to be real work truck. And anyone who drives where they sand highways in winter know that you don't need to be driving on gravel to have rocks thrown up at you. Some kind of lower grill protection is essential for me.

You can hardly expect Nissan to get everything right on the first try. But I think what changes they make for the next model year will be indicative of how much they care about their new baby.