Redesigned from the ground up at the 2015 North American International Auto Show for the 2016 model year, the Titan received a well-deserved facelift for 2020. The half-ton pickup in the featured clip is a PRO-4X with the passenger-oriented crew cab, the most off-road specification available. Currently showing a little over 5,500 miles (8,800 kilometers) on the clock, the black-painted truck sounds way better than stock thanks to a straight-through muffler produced in the U.S. of A. by MagnaFlow.
Part number 12198 costs $141 as per the Oceanside-based company’s website. A 5- by 8-inch oval muffler with a straight-through design for better exhaust flow and more aural pleasure, 12198 features 3- and 2.5-inch reversible outlets. The satin-finished muffler is produced from corrosion-resistant stainless steel using a CNC machine. As expected, MagnaFlow further promises dyno-proven performance improvements.
Backed up by a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects, 12198 is joined by a 2.5-inch inlet to 4-inch outlet exhaust tip from A-KARCK. Priced at nearly $60 for a pair, the black-finished exhaust tip replaces the dual-tipped factory setup of the crew-cab Titan PRO-4X.
Pictured at Discount Mufflers & Custom Exhaust in Nashville, Tennessee, the V8-engined truck reaches 99.6 decibels with the aforementioned exhaust mods. The gentleman behind the camera says that it’s going to get an idea louder in 30 days or so, after the exhaust muffler breaks in.
As you’re well aware, the Titan comes standard with a naturally-aspirated 5.6 from the VK engine family. Codenamed VK56VD, this variant of the VK made its debut quite a long time ago in the Nissan Patrol. As far as the Titan is concerned, the free-breathing V8 produces a very respectable 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet (560 Nm) of torque at full chatter.
The only transmission available is a nine-speed automatic with a 3.692:1 final gear ratio compared to 4.083:1 for the Titan XD. The torque-converter automatic is a JATCO-supplied unit. But rather than a JATCO design, the JR913E is a Mercedes-Benz 9G-Tronic built under license by the Japanese automaker’s transmission subsidiary. Good for up to 520 pound-feet (700 Nm) of torque, the JR913E is shared with the Frontier midsize pickup truck and the 2023 model year Nissan Z sports car.
The Titan, however, doesn’t sell as well as Nissan expected it to sell. 15,063 units were delivered in the United States of America in 2022, down 45 percent from the 27,406 units delivered in 2021. The Frontier, on the other hand, improved from 60,693 trucks to 76,183 trucks last year.
There is hearsay regarding the Titan’s imminent demise, but Nissan isn’t willing to confirm or deny the rumor. 2024 – or 2025 at the latest – could be the final model year of the half-ton pickup. Currently priced at $39,700 sans destination charge, the Titan can tow up to 11,033 pounds (5,004 kilograms). The maximum payload rating is 2,408 lbs (1,092 kgs).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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