When Ford, GM or Ram put out a video showing their pickups getting torture tested, there isn’t much scrutiny over what the video shows…once you get past brand loyalty, all three make some capable machines. But for Nissan, who have been building trucks in Tennessee since 1983, showing off a torture test video for the upcoming Titan is crucial to swaying buyers to their lots. The current Titan is over twelve years old and is more than overdue for a refresh, and Nissan is banking on customer loyalty and the inclusion of a Cummins 5.0L turbo diesel V8 as the bait. But that may not be enough…the first generation Titan sold well for the first couple of years but never met corporate goals, and lately is barely a player in the market. Nissan has had big bets on this second generation…originally it was meant to be a joint build with Chrysler, but when Fiat stepped in the deal was dropped and Nissan elected instead to do everything in-house.
So, how do you torture-test a pickup truck? Easy: you beat the ever-living hell out of it until something breaks. From slamming doors to slamming into curbs sideways, this video shows you an insight into what Nissan is doing to support their hopes of a better showing in the full-size truck market.
Since my last Chevy (87′ model) I’ve owned nothing but Dodge/Cummins trucks. I am looking forward to test driving one of the diesel Titans though. The styling is not my cup of tea, but it looks like a lot of truck in a 1500 sized package.
I hope this shakes Toyota into bringing the 1KD-FTV to our shores for the Taco.