Nissan is updating its Titan half-ton pickup truck with improvements to the engine, a new transmission, grille and other upgrades.
The automaker unveiled the 2020 Titan at the State Fair of Texas Thursday.
“We invested $230 million to make this Titan better in every way,” said Tiago Castro, Nissan’s North American light commercial vehicle division director.
Nissan engineers recalibrated the 5.6-liter V8 gasoline engine to offer up to 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. Those are the highest power ratings for any standard engine on a half-ton pickup truck. Other automakers offer stronger engines as options. But drivers wanting the higher power rating will need to use more expensive, premium-grade gasoline.
The engine on the 2019 Titan is rated at 390 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque using regular-grade fuel.
NEW TRANSMISSION
The engine is mated with a new 9-speed automatic transmission with a larger final gear ratio – to provide smoother and faster acceleration. The new transmission offers more torque at the wheels to provide power when needed most. Castro said the 2020 Titan’s 50 mph to 70 mph acceleration improved by almost a full second compared to the current model.
The truck comes in both rear-wheel and four-wheel-drive options.
Nissan has added an optional high-resolution 9-inch touchscreen with an internal WiFi router. The automaker also equipped the Titian with a standard suite of six advanced driver-assist and safety systems. It includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, high beam assist and class-exclusive rear automatic braking.
Other standard technology includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 8-inch touch screen display.
BETTER LIGHTS
Nissan also upgraded the Titan’s headlights. The Insurance Institute for Highway safety has pushed automakers to improve headlights on pickup trucks after conducting a series of tests. The new headlights produce about 120 percent more light output in the low beam than the previous design, Nissan said.
The automaker also placed all-LED lighting in the pickup bed.
DIFFERENT TRIM LEVELS
The Japanese automaker, which builds the truck in Canton, Miss., also is working to better separate what buyers get depending on the pickup’s trim level.
There’s “a higher degree of differentiation between grade levels. For example, there are three separate grille designs and five different wheels, allowing for more owner customization straight from the factory,” Castro said.
Nissan will sell the new Titan in king cab and crew cab body configurations. It will no longer offer a regular cab pickup. The company has condensed its model offerings to concentrate on the best sellers, Castro said. It will come in five grade levels – S, SV, PRO-4X, SL and Platinum Reserve.
The Titan carries a 5-year/100,000-mile, bumper-to-bumper warranty.
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