Japanese pickups worth a look, too 12/13/2010
The crowded pickup truck segment is typically dominated by domestic best-sellers like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Dodge Ram. Yet the three major Japanese brands - Honda, Nissan and Toyota - also make pickup trucks, and those in the market for a dependable truck shouldn't forget these vehicles.
Many of these models can be less expensive than their American counterparts. We pitted two of these offerings - the Nissan Titan King Cab and Toyota Tundra Double Cab - to see which ended up as the better value.
The two models are close in nearly all respects, but the Tundra's $26,420 MSRP makes it $400 cheaper than the Titan. But quite frankly, the Titan blows the doors off of the Tundra in terms of performance. It only has a 7 horsepower advantage, but the 385 lb-ft of torque translates into towing capacity up to 9,500 lbs.
The Tundra's 327 lb-ft and 8,100 lb towing capacity just doesn't match up, and the vehicle doesn't really offer anything beyond a slightly better fuel economy to justify it as a true competitor to the Titan. It might not be the name that immediately jumps to mind when drivers think of a pickup, but the Titan is a well-engineered vehicle that's worth a look.