2021 Nissan Titan Pro 4X has a great new look
We got our first chance at the newly redesigned Nissan Titan truck at the end of last year, which came to us in the Pro4X trim level just in time for a long Thanksgiving Day weekend. We always love having a great ride for a holiday and the Titan proved to be all that and more.
Being late in November and have had a few storms hit the mountains, it always proves more difficult to find an outdoor adventure with a truck built for the mountains such as the Pro4X version of the Titan. We really didn’t want to get involved in a bunch of mud — no matter how fun that might be this late in the season — and with temps only getting into the mid 40s, we had to look south.
Having a whole day on what has become known as Black Friday, and not really wanting to head out shopping, we opted for an adventure down into Emery County on a beautiful, cloudless November day.
If nothing else, we could head all the way down to I-70 and slip over to Salina and back home from there, as we had never driven that part of I-70 in the past. Sometimes when we head out, we just have to hope we can find a great place to test out our vehicle and find some great hiking at the same time.
We did just that outside of Ferron, where we found a road that headed into Rock Canyon Road that headed west into the foothills and cliff that are a unique part of Emery County. We took the dirt road as far as it would allow, putting the Pro4X into four-wheel drive after hitting the dirt. The Titan handled it all with ease; we only hit around 8% grades and a couple of patches of light snow to get through.
When we could get no further in the truck as the road was blocked and marked for ATV’s only, we took the opportunity to hike a couple of miles further on into some the most beautiful country we had seen, with awesome yellow cliffs that towered above us, making for an awesome vista with the crystal clear blue skies.
The Titan comes equipped with a 5.6-liter Endurance engine that is made in America and this year produces 400 horsepower and 413 foot-pounds of torque, plus the ability to tow up to 9,370 pounds along with a payload capacity of 1,680 pounds. It is now mated to a new nine-speed transmission that proved to be a huge difference from last year’s seven-speed. The truck now accelerates better, both when cursing and from standing starts.
After over 450 miles of driving, we netted 17.1 miles per gallon for our week with the Titan, which is right where the EPA puts the truck. This included our trip down through Emery County to I-70, around the mountains and home, along with other miles just cursing around town.
The Nissan is very well-mannered both on road and off. The Pro4X test ride we were supplied with included all the creature comforts we could have wanted, yet would still be able to handle any trail or back way we could find.
Inside, our test ride was loaded with all kinds of great equipment, including Nissan’s all-around view camera that we could keep engaged at low speeds, giving a great view off the front of both sides of the truck when we were worried about coming to close to a rock or other obstacle in the dirt.
This would be an invaluable asset to have when going off-road, helping to make the road ahead more visible, and we loved not having to get out of the truck in 30-degree weather just to check the road! Every Titan this year also features an off-road gauge that displays the truck’s tire angles, both in pitch and roll. This is really cool and works at all speeds, unlike others that turn off over 20 mph.
We also loved the new 9-inch WXGA infotainment display — yes, that is higher definition than standard HD quality, and it really made a huge difference, especially when backing and parking the truck. We love larger screens and are glad to see that Nissan is going large. It’s so much better than the previous generation of Titan.
The seats were heated along with the steering wheel, very important features for Utah’s winters. They are also Zero Gravity seats that Nissan created a few years ago and always seem to be more comfortable than others for the longer drives.
Every new Titan comes standard with Nissan’s Safety Shield 360, which gives it a suite of six advanced driver-assist systems. Included are automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert when backing, lane departure warning, high beam assist and rear automatic braking when in reverse.
Our Pro4X version also came with some other great technology additions that we would highly recommend. The all-around view monitor was awesome, as we said. We always love radar intelligent cruise control to help out on longer drives, as we found it very useful on the longer Friday run.
There was also traffic sign recognition, and rear door alert for making sure everyone or thing was out of the rear seat — all great additions that we would want on our own truck.
Since the redesign of the Titan, we think it has one of the most impressive exterior looks in the business, with just the right amount of aggressiveness combined with a dose of luxury to give the sense of a commanding presence on the road.
Buying a truck nowadays can be a very time consuming adventure and will come down to personal preference and desire for different options and creature comforts in what are now very luxurious cabins.
Nissan has made giant strides over the past few years in the pickup world and we would recommend checking out the new Titan. You might just be surprised at how far they have come and what they now have to offer.
Base price: $50,290
Price as driven: $61,345