Any auto manufacturer that decides to take on the Ford F-Series should gain points just for the audacity factor; to do so and then be superior in your attempt gains big brownie points.  Nissan decided just that, in 2004, when it introduced the Nissan Titan, a full-sized truck that had everything you could ask in a full-size pickup truck.  Unfortunately, since that debut, Nissan has done very little to upgrade the Titan, and as such it is now slipping in the ranks.

Quite frankly, the 2012 Titan is inferior to the Chevrolet Silverado, the Ford F-150, and the Toyota Tundra, and that is too bad because it is still a pretty darn good truck, with a towing capacity of 9500 pounds and a sturdy engine.  Make no mistake about it, the Titan is a good truck; it’s just not the best.

Powered by a 5.6-liter V8 engine, it will give you 317 horsepower with a five-speed automatic transmission.  The four-wheel version will give you fuel economy of 12/17 mpg, and the two-wheel will give you about one mpg more.

Safety features include anti-lock disc brakes, stability and traction control, and earned the highest possible safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in its crash test.  It did not fair as well in side-crash testing and rated a marginal in that test.

Standard features include 18-inch wheels, six-speaker stereo system, air-conditioning, and a 60/40 split rear bench seat, all fine standard features.  You have your choice of cargo beds, choosing from the standard 6 foot, 6 inch model, or the 5 foot 7 inch or 7 foot 3 inch beds.

The is a host of options that you can add, including 20-inch wheels, navigation package, all-terrain tires and four-way power seat functions.

Again, make no mistake about it, this is a good truck, but the competition has moved ahead with better engines and more towing capacity, and those are big selling features when discussing full-size pickups.

Because the Titan has been around for eight years now, replacement parts are plentiful, and easily found at local salvage yards.  Why pay more at a dealership when you can buy quality recycled auto parts at junkyards like All Import Auto Parts, the premium Fort Worth salvage yard?  It just makes good sense to buy used parts and do the labor yourself, and the Titan is an easy truck to work on.

The 2012 Nissan Titan is a good choice for the working man; it just isn’t the best choice!