The King Cab has 60/40 flip-up rear seats and the nearly flat floor beneath makes loading and toting a wide mix of people and things a breeze. Three people can ride in the back seat, enjoying lots of legroom and headroom, but the upright seatbacks make anything longer than a trip to the restaurant or store feel like a journey. Bottle holders are provided in the rear doors to keep back-seat riders contented. Flip up the rear seat bottoms and the King Cab can carry a 160-pound dog in comfort. Hooks provided on the seat bottoms useful for hanging grocery bags, tote bags, or gear bags so their contents don't end up scattered around the floor. The seat backs also fold down, adding another cargo-carrying option. Add the benefits of the 180-degree rear door and the King Cab offers real flexibility.
The Crew Cab is roomy and comfortable whether sitting in the front or rear seats. Nissan claims the Crew Cab offers more front legroom and rear legroom than other full-size half-ton pickups and it feels like it. The rear seat is large and relaxing, with a full 24 degrees of seat back angle. The rear seats are split 60/40 with bottoms that flip up, revealing much more interior cargo space than what's available in the King Cab. The fold-up seat bottoms leave more usable space available than fold and tumble designs. Ample storage is available in the rear compartment, including door storage bins and rear door bottle holders in the armrests.
Up front, both models feature large knobs, handles and grips friendly to hands wearing heavy work gloves. Increasingly, Nissan interiors are standouts and the Titan continues the trend. "Smart" could be the operative word both in looks and in function. It looks as if it would work and it does.
The manual heating/air conditioning controls feature big knobs. The topline Rockford Fosgate audio system has a big volume knob and large station buttons that can be set simply by holding them down for a couple of seconds. Secondary audio functions are easy to access and operate. An auxiliary input is provided on the dash for plugging in an Apple iPod or other MP3 player.
Thoughtfulness in the design is everywhere in evidence, inside and out, making the Titan a singularly useful truck. The lid on the center console is flat, so you can set a clipboard there without having it slide off; the lid is indented and lined with rubber for small items. The center console on bench-seat models is larger than that in the Dodge Ram, large enough to accommodate laptops. The center console in bucket-seat models is designed to hold DVDs and CDs. Well-designed cup holders are provided that are welcome homes for that sleeved grande cappuccino. Decent-sized coat hooks are easily accessed for hanging a coat or a load of dry cleaning. The glove box is large with a damped lid that doesn't slam open. Battery power points are provided for charging laptops.
An available overhead console offers several storage compartments, including a sunglasses holder large enough to hold those big Ray Bans that won't fit anywhere else. Adjustable pedals are available to help ensure a perfect driving position and are especially useful in moving smaller drivers away from the airbag-equipped steering wheel.
The LE model's optional navigation system features a bright screen with two views of the world. It's easier than most to operate. It appropriately integrates some of the audio functions and indicates the status of your air conditioning, but avoids integrating all of them so you can quickly change the fan speed without having to call up a menu, for example. The navigation system comes bundled with rear park assist, a great aid when parallel parking; the system sounds a beeping tone that increases in frequency as the rear bumper approaches an object, such as a parked car, a short metal pole or a child on a tricycle.
Safety features include optional front-seat side-impact air bags. The Titan is the first full-size pickup to offer curtain air bags, which can improve protection against head injuries in a side impact or rollover accidents. Standard safety features on the 2004 Titan include dual-stage front air bags with seat belt sensors and a front-passenger occupant classification sensor. Titan's front seat belts feature pretensioners and load limiters, adjustable upper anchors; seat belts are your most important line of defense in a crash, so be sure to wear them. In the rear are three-point outboard passenger seat belts and the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren) child seat anchor system. Next Page