When the Nissan Titan XD first showed up at the office for its long-term test, I jumped at the chance to be its steward. My wife and I were finally moving forward with plans to re-landscape our front and back yards and would need regular use of a truck to haul supplies. The near-heavy-duty Titan XD seemed like the perfect choice. Unfortunately, it’s been less useful than I’d hoped.
To understand why, we need to dive into the owner’s manual for a refresher on curb weight and Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). The curb weight is what the truck actually weighs with no people or cargo in it. The GVWR is the maximum the truck can weigh when loaded with people and cargo, as specified by the manufacturer. The difference between the two is payload, which includes both people and stuff. These numbers are vitally important to keep in mind when towing or hauling because over-grossing the truck is both dangerous and illegal. At best, you could be cited for operating the vehicle in an unsafe condition. At worst, you could damage the truck or end up in a crash if something fails or you’re unable to stop in time. Always remember: payload doesn’t mean how much you can put in the bed. It means how much you can put in the bed, minus however much you and any other passengers and cargo weigh.
In the case of our Titan XD Pro-4X 4X4 diesel off-road model, the GVWR is 8,990 pounds and the curb weight, per our scales, is 7,340 pounds. That leaves a payload of 1,650 pounds, and that’s a problem.
For comparison, the maximum payload on a mid-sized Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab 4X4 with 6-foot-2-inch bed is 1,492 pounds. That’s about 150 pounds less than the much larger, much more powerful Titan XD diesel (less than the weight of the average American man). Max payload on a Colorado is 1,556 pounds in an Extended Cab with 6-foot-2-inch box, less than 100 pounds difference.
Move a size class up to the Ford F-150, and the comparison gets worse. An F-150, depending on cab and bed configuration, has a max payload rating between 1,910 and 3,270 pounds. A Titan XD 4X2 S diesel model, the most capable diesel in the lineup, maxes out at 2,090 lbs. The F-150, though, is still a size smaller than the Titan XD.
Nissan claims the Titan XD is a tweener, halfway between an F-150 and F-250 and equally capable as a 10-year-old F-250. A modern F-250, however, is only 6.4 inches longer, 3.1 inches taller, and actually 0.7 inches narrower than the Titan XD. The last diesel F-250 we weighed, a loaded Platinum model, weighed 558 pounds more than our long-term Titan XD. That slightly larger F-250, however, can handle 4,200 pounds of payload. The good news for Nissan fans is the F-250 diesel starts at $42,625, which is $4,290 more than the Titan XD diesel, so at least you’re saving money.
Funny enough take that big, heavy, turbo diesel V-8 out of the Titan, replace it with a naturally aspirated V-8, and you actually improve the equation. A gas-powered Titan XD Pro-4X 4X4 can carry 2,283 pounds. Strip it down to an S 4X2, and the Titan XD’s payload maxes out at 2,594 pounds.
All this math came into stark focus when it came time to procure landscaping supplies, which are by and large not lightweight. For a typical run to a big box store and the nursery, the Titan XD was overkill. When it came time to rent equipment such as a brush mower, stump grinder, and rototiller, I opted for our long-term Honda Pilot, Honda HR-V, and Colorado (in that order) due to the Titan’s high tailgate, which sits 37 inches off the ground when open (that’s the height of my belly button) and makes ramps too steep. Climbing in and out isn’t easy, either, though a set of the optional fold-down corner steps would help a lot.
The real kicker came when it was time to get the heavy stuff. I needed so much cinder block, pea gravel, and decomposed granite that any truck would’ve needed a dozen trips to haul it all. When it came to paving stones, however, I thought the Titan could handle it. I needed one pallet, which weighed about 3,000 pounds. That’s when I discovered the Titan XD’s low payload limit. The solution? I rented a flatbed F-250 from the same store and got it home in one trip.
Right at the end of the project, I found a real hauling job the Titan XD could actually handle. I needed four yards of mulch, a yard of which weighed about 800 pounds fresh. A 6-foot bed can handle two yards, though ours has the optional bed boxes installed, which eat up some space. Technically with myself onboard, I over-grossed the truck by about 150 pounds each trip, but my mulch place is six blocks away and I never exceeded 25 mph—it was as safe as I could make it.
The upshot is when loaded to max capacity, the Titan XD drives much nicer. Yes, it’s even slower than before (9.4 seconds to 60 mph unladed), but as with most trucks the weight in the bed improves the ride noticeably. What’s more, the extra weight smoothed out the throttle tip-in and the shifts, both of which are rather jerky when empty. It might not haul like a domestic heavy duty, but what it can haul, it hauls well.
More on our long-term Nissan Titan XD here:
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