Once again Ford, Ram, and Chevy hold the title for the top three trucks of 2019. Other automakers like Nissan is trailing behind, and can’t quite seem to pick up any traction in the ranks. In fact, Consumer Reports considers the Nissan Titan to be one of the worst trucks of 2019. It does, however, have one thing going for it, which is the highest torque of its class. 

VEHQ has all the details about the Titan, and why it can’t quite keep up with the competition in spite of all its torque.

What is torque and what does it do for trucks?

If you don’t know what torque and horsepower mean, don’t feel embarrassed. You aren’t alone. Automakers tend to throw around terms like torque and horsepower with the assumption that everyone knows what it means. That’s not quite the case, of course. Many consumers don’t know or care. If the price is right, the torque must be too.

According to Live About,

“Torque is the force that helps the vehicle start moving from a stop and pulls it up steep hills. Torque also provides power when you’re hauling items or towing something behind the vehicle.”

If you’re looking for a truck that can pull heavy loads and not lag when you’re driving up steep hills and mountains, you want a truck with a higher torque rating. If you’re looking for speed, then you need to know about what horsepower is. 

Live About reports that, “Horsepower is responsible for moving the vehicle along. This gives vehicles the ability to cruise on the highway and accelerate in normal conditions.”

In other words, it enables you to have greater speed. If you live in an area that has beautiful weather, flat lands, and straight highways, you may want a vehicle with a higher horsepower rating.

If you want a vehicle that can withstand treacherous snowstorms, go over mountains like it’s nothing, and haul heavy loads, you need a vehicle with a higher torque rating.

Based off of this information, it’s easy to assume that the bigger the number, the superior the performance. Unfortunately, things aren’t quite so black and white. A higher number doesn’t necessarily mean the vehicle will perform better. There a lot of other factors involved such as the engine type, the body build, the quality of the transmission, and other factors. 

How does the Nissan Titan compare to its rivals in terms of torque?

So now that you know a little more about what torque is, let’s compare the Titan to its competitors. VEHQ gave the highest torque award to the 2019 Nissan Titan, with a 5-liter diesel V8. 

According to Nissan, the Titan XD gets 555 lb-ft of torque, and can tow up to 11,860-lbs. Other trucks don’t even come close to this. The Ford F-150 Limited/Raptor, which comes closest according to Motor 1, has 510 lb-ft of torque. You might think that this makes the Titan superior because it has a higher number, but the F-150 can tow up to 13,200 lbs.

How much horsepower does the Nissan Titan have?

In spite of all the power the Titan packs, the one area it lacks in is horsepower. According to VEHQ, the Titan only gets 310 horsepower. That’s not a lot, especially when you compare it to the F-150, which gets 450 horsepower. Ford prides itself on how much power the F-150 packs, and has guarded its title for years now.

Nissan is clearly trying to garner more attention for itself, but critics like Edmunds, Auto Trader, and Kelley Blue Book simply think that the Titan is an attractive truck that can’t quite compete despite its torque.