I’m not sure how many Nissan fans there are on this site, but I do know how many Cummins fans are here: a lot. That’s why I locked down a 2016 Nissan Titan XD to review.
I’ll have a pre-production four-wheel-drive SL model, which is right under the top-of-the-line Platinum Reserve variant, to drive for a week, starting tomorrow. If you don’t know by now, the XD has a 5.0-liter Cummins turbo diesel V8 under its massive hood. That’s good for 310 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque, which is pushed through a heavy-duty Aisin six-speed automatic. The truck around that engine that I’ll be getting will have leather seats (heated in the front), 20-inch wheels, LED under-rail bed lighting, front and rear parking sensors, and a 12-speaker audio system from Rockford Fosgate.
For towing, my review vehicle will have manually extending tow mirrors, a trailer brake controller, a key fob that will allow me to run a check of a trailer’s lights, and an integrated gooseneck hitch in the bed. I might get a chance to test the $56,425 Titan’s pulling prowess this weekend with some building materials.
No matter what, I’ll be driving the “Truck of Texas” around the city streets of Austin, along its back roads, and up and down its highways. If you have any questions about my experience with it, feel free to ask them at the bottom of this post, in the dedicated forum thread (link below), or on my Twitter page.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
