Nissan's pickup is a Titan, without a doubt

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California – I’ve driven a lot of full-size pickup trucks lately … certainly more than I typically do.  But a recent week in the 2017 Nissan Titan provided a breath of fresh air.

The Titan was extensively reworked for 2017, and my tester with the 5.6-liter “Endurance V8,” PRO-4X four-wheel drive and crew cab configuration showed off the best of what’s new.

For starters, the Titan looks like a workhorse, big shouldered and seemingly taller than an NBA center upon first glance.

Getting into the tester, I was floored by the blizzard of luxurious, helpful comfort/convenience/safety features: power outlets galore, clear-as-day rearview monitor, dual-zone climate control, hill-start assist, hill-descent control, a manual gear-select option (a seven-speed automatic transmission is standard) and a voice-recognition navigation/audio system.

The Crew Cab's interior felt larger than an in-home den.

On the fly, the Titan quickly taught me to be careful.  Why?  Because the 5.6-liter V-8 with 390 horsepower and nearly 400 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm got up to freeway speed so quickly and effortlessly that hitting 80 miles per hour was a quick journey.

My Titan glided up and down the freeways, easily mixing with sedans, coupes and horsepower-laden sport-utility vehicles.  And yet, the interior cabin remained relatively quiet even as serious power was being dished up.

Throw in a generous bed with rugged interior walls, an impressive four-wheel disc braking system and a towing capacity of 9,230 pounds (when properly equipped), little wonder that the 2017 Titan pulled down a room full of awards shortly after it was introduced.

Even with the “Endurance V8” engine, gas mileage comes in at a so-so 15 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.

The starting price is around $45,000, but my tester was loaded up with extras that pushed the bottom line to $52,305.

No matter. It was a pleasure to put this Titan through its paces.  And yes, it stands up well against those American-made competitors that fill the airwaves with commercials throughout the holiday season.