2020 Tundra vs Nissan Titan

Just curious if anyone here drove test Nissan Titan but still ended up buying 2020 Tundra. I test drove the Titan and thought the ride is nicer less bumpy more like my Lexus GX460. My family has always been Toyota and don't want to buy something else besides Toyota but the bumpy drive on Tundra gives me some hesitant. Perhaps, i can get some better shocks after getting the Tundra and call it happy. Your thoughts?

 

There are many shock options not only aftermarket but through Toyota depending on the trim. What truck set up did you drive exactly? SR5, limited, platinum, TRD Pro? TRD Off road package?

 

I test drove 1794 but probably end up buying limited or platinum.

 

Did the truck you drive have 20 inch rims? The 18s will ride a little smoother. Coachbuilder shackles also smooth out the ride

 

Did it have the TRD OR package? Limited and 1794 both can come with it, Platinum doesn't. 1794 is a comparable trim to platinum, and a step above the Limited. If it had the TRD OR package it may be a bit bumpier on the tarmac but if you drove the standard 1794, thats a decent on road set up. You could certainly add aftermarket suspension to it. I hear the TRD pro suspension is nice and smooth even on road (Fox brand) but is about 3K for parts.

 

I had a Titan before, bought it new in 2006. In my research and road tests it came down to the 2020 Titan and the 2020 Tundra. On my last day of test drives, I was able to drive both a couple of times (the dealers here are 1/4 mile away from each other). The ride in the Tundra is a little stiffer but the seats are more comfortable. I liked the look of the Tundra more than the Titan. It was really close and I thought about it a lot.

But what it came down to was two things. 1. My experience with the Titan was much better than I would have expected out of a 14 year old truck, but there were issues that I thought Nissan should have done something about. I will detail them below. 2. And I read about the Tundra reliability, which made an especially strong impression due to my Nissan experience.

In the end, the Tundra won, hands down.

In my previous 14 years with the Titan, I had multiple issues with the HVAC system, especially the blower controls. These issues repeated at least 6 times, the first 3 or 4 during the (extended) warranty coverage period. Nissan never truly corrected the problem. Finally it got to the point where the blower would not work at all in the highest speed setting. I wasn't going to spend another $400 on the thing. I knew I would be replacing the truck so I lived with it for about 18 months. An airflow damper also failed somehow and created a loud flapping noise that would take about 60-90 seconds to stop just about every time I changed the temperature controls. Again, it was not critical, just annoying, and I wasn't going to spend several hundred $ to fix it. I lived with that for about the last three years. I also had to replace seals/gaskets in the transmission twice. Fortunately, I noticed the transmission slipping very early so there was no damage to it. I had to replace the starter at about 160k miles. Replacing a starter was never a big deal on my previous vehicles - I had replaced several myself. But Nissan stuck the starter in the middle of the engine! Apparently that is now a common thing that I think still sucks. I spent over $800 for that fix, but that included replacing every engine gasket since the whole thing had to be taken apart anyway. But the thing that REALLY chapped me, and still does when I think about it, is the paint on pretty much every Nissan in the late 2000's. Pay attention to Nissans from the late 2000's and you will notice that the majority of them have failing paint/clearcoat on the hood and roof. Nissan finally admitted that there were "issues" with their paint and they claim those issues were corrected in the 2014 model year. But they did nothing for the affected Nissan owners. The resale value of my truck was probably 20-30% less thanks to the ugly failing paint. Nissan wouldn't do squat.

It also didn't help that Nissan's revenues have been on a downhill slide for several years. I checked the financials for Nissan and became concerned that they might not be around in another 10 years. I had my old truck for 14 years and I plan to keep my new one for at least that long. After all, Nissan is not an American company and is not likely to be bailed out like "Government Motors" was.

Now if you only hold onto your vehicles for 5 years or so, this may not really concern you. But that's not me, so it concerned me a lot.

Good luck with your decision.

 

I considered the Titan and did a test drive. I liked the handling and ride. I also talked to people who owned one and they gave it high marks.

In the end, it just didn't feel like it was put together as well as the Tundra. Also, if you have to have leather (my wife) the pleather upholstery in the Titan is pretty bad.

It did have better payload, mpg and towing, like pretty much every other brand, over the Tundra, lol.

I would also be concerned about the transmission reliability for towing, having owned several other Nissan's. Jmo

 

Thank you so much for taking your time to give me your takes. Tundra it is . Now onto which trim line yeild best smooth ride. Or which shock options? It's the smooth ride that i am after. I prefer toyota parts instead of aftermarket. Thanks

 

I think 1794 with TRD package, then you can swap shocks for something a touch more comfy but I think the 1794 with TRD is a nice ride. Better than my Tacoma by far. Way smoother. I think you will get a decent ride quality in most any trim. The 18 in wheels will give you more tire which is smoother, which is on the TRD OR package. You could look for the TRD sport Tundra. I don't see them much here in Utah, but that would be a nice ride I bet and comes with the sway bars. I am from Texas, and the 1794 edition doesn't seem to be sold with the TRD package as commonly, but in Utah it is more common. Regional distributional dependent. The Gulf region tends to stock the TSS version rather than TRD off road (on SR5 models). More than anything, sit in a few and test drive a few. Depending on where you are that may be easier said than done as the dealers near me are very picked over and have very limited stock of Tundras.

 

I looked at the Titan before purchasing the Tundra. I'm one that thinks the Titan looks great, especially the Midnight editions. Very sleek sports truck look. The PRO4X is very nice as well. The 2020s have the large panorama roofs, which I really liked and the new LED lights are sharp. I'm a fan of Nissan cars, owning a 2000 5spd Maxima purchased used that had a solid drivetrain. But I didn't want to spend that much on a brand new vehicle with average reliability. Great for buying used, but buying new, Toyota.

 

IMO shocks arent gonna do anything for the ride. Aftermarket shocks give the internet placebo effect around here. “I spent money, its better, I can tell!”. Bilstein 5100’s on the bottom clip had zero positive effect over 130k SR5 stockers for me. No better, no worse.

Short of going coilovers and a more plush leaf they just ride like 3/4 tons.

That being said...the truck has been bulletproof for last 170k+ which trumps a slightly stiffer ride over the other 1/2 tons.

 

So I should go with lesser trim version SR5 to get smaller 18" tires for better ride?

 

Too many tundras ruining my resale value. I vote Titan

they are excellent trucks

@jewsNbrews

 

Go drive one and see if you notice a difference. I feel like a stock tundra is one of the softest front suspension trucks, the rear is a little rough in stock form

 

I for one concur!

 

TRD Pro with the new Fox suspension is super smooth and plush.

 

I'm sorry, but the new Titans are ugly as hell IMO. Especially the front end. I see them all the time in my rear view mirror.....

 

I've heard the TRD Sport is best for on road driving. TRD Pro would be best for off roading.

 

Ditto^^^

 

I will try out TRD Pro. Thanks

 

I have a TRD Sport that came with Bilstein's and 20" wheels. I'm not sure what the ride issue is. The ride feels like a magic carpet. Corners well too for a truck that big.

 

2 things I find annoying about a new Tundra: 1) stupid remote start logic and 2) hit or miss integrated brake controller. However, I agree that it looks better than the Titan. The only good looking Titan is the midnight edition one. I’m considering a new truck and looking at these 2.

 

I don't get the hatred for the Titan's looks. I still prefer it to the Ram and certain GMC and Chevy trim levels. The Fords look decent to me from some angles but bland from others. Tundra is the best looking for sure.