Japanese Pick-ups 'Go Large'

Many are calling it reverse engineering, and there are reports that some insiders are extremely displeased with certain Japanese marques that are moving towards large pick-up trucks.

It's easy to hypothesise about why a car culture that prides itself on efficiency - both in terms of packaging and fuel usage - would go for such a bold and brash project: Money.

Yet this is the driving force behind such decisions, and if there's demand (which there is), it would make sense for a company to supply this (which they are).

But what happens when such decisions come at the cost of a company's ethos, its fundamental values?

Die-hard Porsche enthusiasts were put in a similar situation when the German sportscar maker decided to build an SUV - the Cayenne. And there was plenty of outrage.

But beyond breaking with tradition and flying in the face of heritage, these sometimes risky decisions that can alienate buyers often produce intriguing side effects.

For Porsche, it was the 4.5-litre V8, and with Nissan's Titan, it could also be an engine - a massive 5.6-litre V8.

Nissan has recently launched its Titan in America, and it's one big truck. Or to put it another way, it's ludicrously oversized, which is the way Americans like it.

Seeing as America is one of the biggest pickup truck consumers in the world, it's not hard to join the dots on why Nissan has unleashed its Titan in the States.

It's also no secret that both Ford and General Motor's biggest monetary returns (per-unit) come from its utilities or pickup trucks and large-sized SUVs (the latter almost exclusively based on the underpinnings of the former).

You can bet your bottom dollar that Henry and the General will be watching the 2004 Titan with great interest - and perhaps subdued foreboding if it sells well.

Anyway, Nissan is the first cab off the rank to try and muscle in on this lucrative 'pick-up truck' market segment, as at the time of writing no other Japanese marque offered such a huge vehicle - perhaps they're playing the waiting game?

If the Titan proves popular, the floodgates will open and there's a good chance we'll see Japanese-built monster trucks coming out of the woodwork - but hey, if small block V8s with Nihon know-how are a side effect, we won't be complaining. Much.

To start with, the Titan is almost 5.7 metres from bumper to bumper (front-rear), or 5695mm to be exact.

This makes cars like Holden's stretched Statesman seem small in comparison, and with a dual cab that seats five and a tray that can house a bowling alley, it hammers home just how damn big the Titan is.

At just over 2.0 metres wide and with 26cm ground clearance, the Titan would function well enough on Australian roads, and a 4300kg towing capacity wouldn't hurt either.

The biggest of the lot, the 4x4 LE model, weighs in at 2379kg, while the lightest is the 4x2 XE model, tipping the scales at a welter weight 2159kg.

It's got big feet too, sitting on 17-inch rims shod with 245/75R rubber, the Titan can also be optioned with massive 285/70R B.F. Goodrich tyres with trendy raised white lettering (also on 17-inch mags), but perhaps of most import is the Titan's powertrain.

In both 4x4 and 4x2 guises, the big Nissan makes use of a 5-speed automatic transmission, complete with tow/haul modes for improved towing capacity and (*ahem*) enhanced fuel economy.

This high-torque gearbox wasn't included just for good measure, either. With 514Nm of torque @ 3200rpm, this is one Nissan mill we'd like to see used in other applications - such as the upcoming R35 Skyline GTR or 2006 Maxima ST perhaps.

The big 5.6-litre V8 motor that sits underneath the expansive bonnet is unlike a lot of other low-tech US-built truck engines, and more a technological tour-de-force: We're talking dual overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, 4-valves per cylinder, an aluminium block and molybdenum-coated pistons for super smooth and low friction piston travel.

Peak power is 227kW @ 4800rpm and peak torque is 514Nm @ 3200rpm, and you can imagine the kind of pulling power Nissan's new motor brings to the table, with so much torque available at such low engine revolutions.

One can only wonder how much torque this Japanese-designed small block V8 would pump out with a reliable supercharger/intercooler bolted on, and it compares favourably with Chevrolet's tuned-up SS Silverado, which packs a fettled 6.0-litre V8.

This GM block pumps out 257kW @ 5200rpm, which is a good 30kW more than the newcomer. But take a look at the more important torque figures and the bigger Chev donk churns out only 1 Newton meter more than the smaller Nissan block, and at 800rpm higher in the rev range to boot: 515Nm @ 4000rpm.

With it's colossal Titan, and also the new Armada SUV (based on the Titan), Nissan is skipping gleefully across once-sacred ground, where Ford and General Motors have dominated for several decades.

The gas-guzzling small block V8 is no longer the sole preserve of American automakers, and Nissan's new 5.6-litre V8 motor is a very impressive chunk of aluminium, which will have Ford and GM execs looking closely at the sales figures.

But at the same time, Nissan isn't exactly safeguarding it's Japanese traditions of fuel efficient, compact and innovative vehicles, which were predominantly shown at the inaugural 2003 Tokyo Motor.

Let's face it, the Titan is catering solely for the American's love of big, brash and banal vehicles, which begs the question: Is it a genuine step forward for Nissan, or indeed reverse engineering to make a quick buck?