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Tim Esterdahl's picture
By Tim Esterdahl Aug 5 2014 - 4:21pm

2016 Nissan Titan, 5 Things to Expect

In just a few months, Nissan will unveil an all-new Titan at the 2015 North America International Auto Show in Detroit, MI. Now lead by former Ram truck chief, Nissan is poised to make big waves with a new Titan.
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Here are 5 things we expect to see when the 2016 Nissan Titan is unveiled.

1. New Powertrain Options and the Cummins Diesel
The current-generation Nissan Titan has failed to gain a significant amount of market share in the full-size truck market. A big reason for this is the lack of engine options. For the new Titan, one of the chief items to improve is their engine lineup. With only one gas-guzzling engine, a 5.6L V-8, Nissan has a huge opportunity.

We already know Nissan will offer a Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel engine. This engine has/will create a lot of buzz and should help Nissan grab market share from others. Why? Truck buyers have been clamoring for a Cummins diesel in a half-ton for years. Nissan will be the first to offer such an engine in this class.

Nissan ultimately needs more options for truck and fleet buyers who don’t necessarily need the large V-8 engine. With this thought in mind, we won’t be surprised if Nissan offers a smaller V-6 powered engine. Other truck manufacture offers a V-6 engine. This engine offers better fuel economy with a lower price while sacrificing some of the towing capability of the larger V-8 engine. This is a good tradeoff for truck/fleet buyers who don’t plan to tow with the truck.

2. Better Fuel Economy - dismal fuel economy from the current truck will change with new engine technology improvements
When the Titan was unveiled back in 2003 (see the unveil date of the 2016 Nissan Titan), the full-size truck market was all about towing and capability. Now, it is much more about fuel economy. With the new engines, Nissan will need to really improve their fuel economy numbers. A hot topic among truck buyers, fuel economy has vaulted from the bottom of their wish lists to the top. Nissan must realize this and get it right to become more relevant among truck buyers.

We expect their new engines to offer improved fuel economy somewhere in the mid to late 20s mpg hwy. Currently the Titan gets 13/18 city/hwy MPG.

3. New Interior - upgraded materials, new gauge cluster, better ergonomics
Another key truck category which has changed immensely since 2003 are truck interiors. They used to be rudimentary in nature, focused more on work than pleasure. This is simply not the case any longer. Truck interiors have vastly improved and are more “Cadillac” like than the truck interiors of yesteryear. This is one of the big areas Nissan needs to improve on. For the new Titan, we expect:

• New gauge cluster with a large TFT informational screen between the tachometer and speedometer.
• Larger infotainment screen with built-in back up camera and a wider assortment of apps
• Redundant controls on the screen, steering wheel and in the center console
• Additional storage throughout the cab
• Improved seat, dash and steering wheel materials
• Fully adjustable driver seat with improved ergonomics to reach the center console

These improved interiors will likely be tiered to different trim levels. This should mean Nissan’s SV Premium trim level will be radically improved to offer near Infiniti-like comfort and material quality.

4. Larger truck – wider and taller exterior dimensions
Parking a Titan next to any other competitor truck, it is obvious how much smaller the Titan is to them. The current-generation feels more like a 7/8 scale pickup like the older Toyota Tundra pickups were. Being the smallest full-size truck might seem great to a certain segment of buyers, it just isn’t good from a competitive standpoint. Much like the 2007 Toyota Tundra, the Nissan Titan needs to grow substantially and we expect it will. This will allow it to improve its hauling capacity and appeal to fleet buyers, farmers and construction workers.

5. More bells and Whistles
Nissan needs an edge with the new Titan. With this goal, they will try to incorporate more bells and whistles throughout the truck. Many of these additions will likely be safety related in the form of:

• Blind spot monitoring
• Lane departure assist
• Additional airbags
• Adaptive Cruise Control

We could also see Nissan offering a keyless entry and ignition system. This is a nice feature on their sedans and the keyless options are making their way into trucks. By offering a keyless ignition, they can also assure themselves of avoiding an ignition switch failure debacle like GM is currently dealing with.

Other ideas center on the bed cargo area and better utilizing this space. Other truck makers like Ram and Ford have focused quite a bit of attention on this area. Nissan already has a creative storage idea in the rear quarter panel. They should keep this innovation going with new storage ideas throughout the bed. This area is an easy way to help your truck stand out versus the competition.

In the end, Nissan has a tough challenge ahead of it. Not only do they need to radically update their current truck, they also need to increase market share to pay for the r&d it takes to make these changes. Throw in the uber-competitive full-size truck market where each truck churns out big profits and the stakes are high. Will the new Titan meet all these goals? We will find out.

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Comments

Robert C wrote on August 7, 2014 - 10:31am
I like all the changes/ideas except making the truck larger. The market is saturated with large trucks. Nissan can set themselves apart by keeping the size of the Titan. It's a good looking truck, why screw it up? Everything in the article makes sense except for a larger body. With costs of everything going up we should be downsizing anyways. I really like the V6 Cummins idea, that should put the fuel mileage very similar to the Ram Eco. The only major flaw with the Titan right now is fuel mileage, once they address that issue the fight is on and Nissan is back in the truck business..
tom wrote on May 27, 2015 - 7:42am
V6 with 10K towing is a good idea.
Robert C wrote on August 8, 2014 - 3:58pm
After thinking about is some more; why would Nissan want to enlarge the truck and pay for retooling? Ram has their distinctive front end and they are not messing with it and they probably wont--Look what GM and Toyota did to their front ends and I think it was two steps backwards. I believe there is a segment of drivers who don't want to climb into their trucks. If Nissan wants a Ford jacked up version then make the Pro version but there is also a larger segment of people who want their trucks where they can slide into them 2WD and 4WD. Do everything above and save the money on retooling the body. The faster you make my truck the sooner I can pick it up..
Robert C wrote on August 9, 2014 - 3:16pm
OK Nissan this is the last thing on my wish list that I have not seen an I think everyone with a smart phone would like. On the infotainment touchscreen make an emulator. What is an emulator? It will be an app that emulates or copies whatever is on your smart phone screen will appear on the vehicle touch screen, so if I am using Google Maps or music service or whatever app I have open on my phone there will be a mirror image copied onto infotainment system kind of like a duplicate video extension. Whatever I see on my phone is duplicated real time onto the touch screen. You plug your phone in to charge and the image syncs with the car touchscreen. I can see people just buying Nissan just for that one feature.
Terry Bush wrote on September 7, 2014 - 3:38am
that's easy to just mirror the sceen all they would need to is setup something like miracast which is a feature on many newer android phones. it mirrors your phones sceen onto say a TV so they would just need to find a way to add that to the OS for their dash sceen. but i think it's a one way steam so that way wouldn't send inputs from the touch sceen back to the phone.
jermaine dupree wrote on November 25, 2014 - 9:02pm
Correct my man.....this would be legit!
Damion wrote on December 6, 2014 - 10:10am
I totally agree with you mu friend. I have always though of how nice it would be to have whatever is on my smart phone screen be transferred to my infotainment screen. They could also look into wireless charging pads or pockets that you drop the phone in and forget it for the duration of the ride, because you have whatever is on the phone you dont need it. But when you are ready to leave the vehicle the phone is fully charged. .....no wires I have an infiniti qx56 my next truck is the titan. Make my interior to rival the qx56 please nissan. And I want my truck early next year. I want to be one of the first customers.
Tony wrote on September 11, 2014 - 10:57am
I hope they do more with the 5.6. 315 HP when v-6 are making close to it. The reason I traded my Titan for a tundra was because of poor tow rating as it struggled pulling my camper.
Ibrahim AlTeneiji wrote on September 15, 2014 - 8:41am
i think nissan will bring the DIG 5.6 engine to the titan, its basically the same engine but with direct injection and VVEL 400HP the same engine that comes in the QX80 and the nissan patrol here in the middle east
Daniel Bressanutti wrote on September 14, 2014 - 1:23pm
Making the Truck larger doesn't make sense to me either. As a Contractor I find myself driving around with the truck empty most of the time and when I do need to load it up I can fit the same amount of materials as any one else. I fit better in parking spaces and have better views to be able to back up, park etc. What I'd like to see is a cab that can second as an office-type workspace. A centre console more adapted to holding a writing pad and/or laptop/iPad. My Titan has overhead storage which I like and more storage is always good.
Robert C wrote on September 15, 2014 - 6:33pm
Could't agree more Daniel.
Dan McQ wrote on September 25, 2014 - 6:32pm
I appreciate all your guys' comments. I'd like to see Nissan make the tow mirrors powered. I tow mostly with mine and that would be a nice, simple feature. I love my 04. It's had its issues........rear end blew up, a few things here and there, but I'll tell you, I tow a 7500 lb., 35 foot travel trailer and I've climbed the Rockies, gone in and out of Death Valley and she always plugs along, never lets me down. Come on, Nissan. Update this deserving beast.
Robert C wrote on September 29, 2014 - 5:51pm
Here is the challenge with any truck--you want your cake and no calories. We want to be able to tow loads but then we we want our mileage too. Most people use hardly any tow capacity and their truck is the daily driver, these folks want mileage, like me. Nissan, we need the old ECO/Tow button with the ECO dialed in at 75 mph on the highway with two people and maximum fuel mileage. And then the tow button for performance and engine braking. But whatever you do focus on the 60-75 MPH highway mileage because that is the rule you will be measured by--that's where 90% of the drivers are in 1/2 tons and I believe where the majority of the market is, in an unloaded truck as transportation. I would rather take the hit on tow mileage then daily driver miles and that is what Ram basically did. They dialed in a V6 and put behind a geared transmission to deliver great overall mileage. Having towing/performance and highway mileage is give and take, you really can not excel at both. It is kind of like being married, if you argue there is no peace but if you behave yourself then you can have your piece. OK Nissan quit dragging your feet and don't forget my infotainment emulator. Leave my body alone and focus on the drive train and interior. And don't jack it up otherwise I will need the electric running boards like Ford has.
Joseph paradise wrote on September 30, 2014 - 3:42pm
It's apparent that they've not parked a Titan next to any other 1/2 ton pickups. It's no smaller than any on the market. Why would we want a larger Titan? Up until maybe. Dry recently, Titans always been tops on interior space, legroom etc. so does any newer truck that may be bigger make it better? I don't think so. How the hell will we park it?
Damion wrote on December 6, 2014 - 10:21am
I agree with you. I have a qx56 which is the same dimensions in with as the titan and its on par with some of the largest trucks. I dont think they really need to go bigger. Plus if they go bigger thats more mas to haul around which I going to affect the fuel efficiency. I just want more tech, more comfort, better fuel economy , and more power. I know the design is out dated but even being outdated it still looks great when parked beside a new Ford Chevrolet or Dodge. Maybe a few leds would have done the trick.
Robert C wrote on September 30, 2014 - 8:38pm
Don't ask me Joseph, I am the one preaching to leave the body alone also. Apparently the Titan is 7/8 scale of Tundra and Ford and someone feels the need to blow cash on retooling. Just leave the body and size alone Nissan. Who says you need to be larger to compete? Size is not the issue, It is fuel mileage at the heart of the problem--then get rid of the hard plastics and then your selling trucks again. The article was titled 5 things to expect and I agreed with all except re-sizing the body. The monster truck competition is over. Nobody ever listens to me until it's too late when usually I was dead on the whole time, not always, but usually. I have about a dozen ideas that would boost Nissan sales but they won't call me, these people are stubborn. If you have a good looking wife do you send her to the plastic surgeon? NO you let her be herself. Now maybe when she hits 40 you start looking at fender flares for a boost but you just don't go carving the body up cause you can. I know your under pressure to improve then focus on the drive train and interior, mileage-- and other refinements. Look Nissan just break down and call me and we will brain storm together.
mike wrote on October 9, 2014 - 1:57am
Bigger??? My 2007 already dwarfs chevy, ford and dodge in the parking lot.
dave wrote on October 9, 2014 - 7:49pm
A 4 cyl diesel would be a good option as well ,better gas mileage than a v6 with comparable tow capacity
Kyle wrote on November 5, 2014 - 11:23am
Your prayers have been answered. Cummins is making a 4 cylinder diesel for the Nissan Four-Runner. It is a 2.8L inline 4 cylinder turbo diesel, making I think something to the tune of high 20 low 30 MPG's. Trust me, Nissan and Cummins have been listening to what people want in a truck. (If you can't tell, I'm a bit of a Cummins fan myself. I drive a 2000 Dodge Ram 3500, Cummins-equipped.)
Peter H. wrote on October 10, 2014 - 11:42am
As others, I like the exterior of my 2004 Titan just the way it is, in fact I have kept the truck longer than I have owned any truck including Chevs/GM's, Fords and Chrysler/Dodge because I just don't think there is anything worth spending a heap of money on that is that much better than my Titan. It looks good, sounds great, never lets me down and goes like the clappers when I want to smoke the dude in the 328 BMW who think he owns the road. Yes improve the interior (but keep the space!). Yes improve the ergonomics (but not too many distractions please - kiss principal). Yes go for the Diesel but keep it as quiet on the highway as my truck! The bed features are just great right now, the hidden boxes just get full of crap, like my office - the stuff just hides where you don't see it. For what it's worth - my thoughts.
Robert C wrote on October 12, 2014 - 8:02pm
One of Nissan's goals should be to meet or beat Rams ECO diesel mileage, that is the current benchmark and it is high. One way this is done is by providing two diesel solutions. Maybe a 4 or 6 cylinder for those focused on mileage and perhaps the V8 option for those who require the pulling power. Yes Nissan it is a contest and everybody will judge so if you cant deliver everything in one engine then offer two--that way you please everyone. Still waiting on Nissan to call me for more solutions.
Smitty wrote on October 15, 2014 - 2:22pm
Great ideas from Robert C. Daniel and Peter. Basically agree with your suggestions and comments. Really don't want to change the size or interior space. That's one of the best current features compared to other full size trucks on the market. Especially like the rear seats attachment and floor space as it is and exterior body style. Interior materials do need updated, but not sure about liking vinyl floors vs just using all weather mats (would be great for Nissan to provide rear all weather ). Vinyl floors get wet and slick and all weather mats slide around on vinyl.
Randy C wrote on October 16, 2014 - 10:53pm
I had an 08 Titan. Then bought a 12 Frontier. I have to say the Frontier has been a major disappointment. I want to buy a new full sized truck but the Titan is not in the running as it has not change in 12 years. I will look at the 16 when it comes out but am leaning toward a Ford limited until then. If Nissan had kept up on updating their truck all along, I would have stuck with them.
SeanG wrote on October 25, 2014 - 2:01pm
Carefull what you wish for. My last two trucks were Nissan Hardbodys. Great trucks! I now have a 2011 F150 Ecoboost and its having problems with only 60k miles on it. Im waiting anxiously hor the 2016 Titan.
Robert C wrote on October 17, 2014 - 11:45am
Hello Nissan, Speaking of the Frontier here is an easy one. Bring the Navara over, drop the Cummins 4 into it mate it to the Torqueflite 8 speed tranny and go. Now you have a body redesign already paid for and mileage that was killing your sales to begin with of course with the interior upgrades already discussed, this combination is a no brainer home run. I think one thing that is hurting Nissan is their inability to move on the truck front. I believe Nissan could do a better job bring these to market faster. Every day that rolls by is a day lost in terms of sales. Now if you need me to come in and fire up the team Nissan I can do that.
T Boss wrote on October 18, 2014 - 8:59am
Great Truck Already! Refine the inside and outside along with the engine and mileage upgrades and you have another winner!
Nicole wrote on October 19, 2014 - 11:28am
We were about to purchase a new 2014 Titan. Full stop. Although it was a smoking deal, I am concerned about safety ratings, lack of airbags, and immediate depreciation and additional hit due to design change of the next model year. I will wait to see how things settle out with the new look and better feature.
Robert C wrote on October 20, 2014 - 10:34am
Hello Nicole, And that is exactly where I am at too--in a holding pattern until I see what is released next year. I will be buying a new truck also and I am waiting to see who delivers and what the final numbers are cost and mileage. I believe Nissan is not working fast enough on their Frontier update. At this point Nissan should have advertised that the Frontier will be getting the 4 cylinder Cummins and some projected mileage numbers instead of a maybe. GM will be releasing their oil burners soon and Toyota is suffering from the pucker factor. Toyota will have to really pump up their mileage numbers too to stay competitive. It is a battle and I enjoy a good fight, either perform or go out of business and that is the way it should be.. Nissan pay attention, bring the Navara over, drop in the Cummins and an eight speed, dial it in and lets go. If Nissan wants to spend money then blow it on some engineers to bring it to market faster. Ram has already bumped up their sales projections another 10% on the diesel. Your bleeding money Nissan by slow engineering and really this is a board room lack of decisions problem. Nissan has everything in place but the product which equals slow engineering. Get the product to market before competitors and be a leader. Or you can hire me and I will be happy to help out.
Capt Jack wrote on October 22, 2014 - 9:59pm
I have an '04 Titan with 298,000 miles and it has been pretty reliable since new. No major issues and I continue to drive it still. I won't buy another one until the bed gets just a bit longer. The Titan had a 7' bed option awhile back and that was just a bit too long. They need to realize that if they would just make the bed six feet as do the big 3 that would be all they need to do. The cab and overall size is fine as it is. But with the current bed size you can't even put a bicycle in the bed without leaving the tailgate down or taking the front wheel off the bike. It would also make hauling most anything just a bit easier.
darek wrote on October 25, 2014 - 10:23pm
I have a 2011 Frontier and very happy with it, although I'm looking to buy a new truck soon. I'm checking out 2015 chevy colorado ( very impressed)and I'm thinking why Nissan can't just redesign already old exterior, boring interior and get a baby Cummins engine to stop me and many other potential buyers from looking at other brands. I'm very happy with the size of it. As a contractor most of driving I'm doing empty so milage is very important, towing capacity not that much. So please make those changes very soon and se you at the Nissan dealer

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