Z71 versus Titan

2005 Z71 · March 16, 2006

This post is in response to another members request asking me to compare the two. I like both trucks - but the I like the Z71 much more than the Titan. I would STRONGLY advise you to reconsider if you were thinking about a Titan. The interior of the Titan is noisy and rattles like a plastic box. I have rattles in the dash and on the doors. Also the Titan is very noisy underneath. I have a rattle in the rear (maybe spare or maybe my tow hitch assembly) and a rattle in the front (oil door). The front rattle concerns me ALOT! I have only had it for a few months. I think the issue up front is the skidplate and oil door. I went off-road during the holidays and slammed the front down hard in a rut. The skid plate actually bent up on one side. Although you cant see it much and it is hardly noticable. So with the 4x4 package the oil door is bolted onto the bottom of the skid plate. I was lucky enough to have the bolt heads stripped by an oil change technician. He used the wrong size allen wrench and messed up the bolts. Freakin idiot. Anyhow - I have yet to go in and have that fixed. Shoulda complained and made them pay for the fix. However, I figure the kid only makes minimum wage and it was an honest mistake. I blame Nissan more than the oil change kid.

The comfort of the Z71 trumps the Titan, hands down. Some argue that the Titan interior is trendy and the Z71 needs updating. From my understanding the new Chevy trucks will be redesigned to make them modern. However, I think the Chevy Z71 interior is great. The seats on my Titan are falling apart. Threads are hanging on the seats and makes it look horrible. Other Titan owners tell me the leather seats are better. So maybe I will try to find a crashed Infiniti Q45 or Armada and swap mine out. I can tell you this. I have owned the Titan for less than two years and the seats look like they are 10 years old. No joking. The Titan does have more leg room in the back and the center console has lots of storage. Both have great stereo systems as the Z71 has the Bose and the Titan has the Rockford Fosgate. I have a 6 cd change in the Titan and just a regular cd player in the Z71.

As for power - the Titan was the strongest in its class. With very few proven bolt-ons for the Nissan - once I get my Z71 upgrades completed - it should be faster and stronger than the Titan.

Ok - this should give us all some things to talk about. Being an owner of both - I can say that I am only a proud owner of one. Nissan needs to do ALOT of work to ever get me to buy their product again. I am thinking about trading it for the new Toyota FJ Cruiser or a Jeep Commander.

asepgrad98 · March 16, 2006

Amen brother.

thanks for sharing

opsbear7 · March 16, 2006

Thanks for that full report...I will always be a chevy guy!!! I love my truck and wouldnt trade it for the world...2003 Z71

bigdogxx · March 16, 2006

Nice non biased review to bad we couldnt get that kind of read from the so called car review experts!I wouldnt put those thoughts over on titan talk though as they will brand you a forum troll within minutes of it being seen.

psu05 · March 16, 2006

that's something i like to hear...i was going to get a titan b/c of the performance but now i'm glad i didnt'

diverlloyd · March 16, 2006

This post is in response to another members request asking me to compare the two. I like both trucks - but the I like the Z71 much more than the Titan. I would STRONGLY advise you to reconsider if you were thinking about a Titan. The interior of the Titan is noisy and rattles like a plastic box. I have rattles in the dash and on the doors. Also the Titan is very noisy underneath. I have a rattle in the rear (maybe spare or maybe my tow hitch assembly) and a rattle in the front (oil door). The front rattle concerns me ALOT! I have only had it for a few months. I think the issue up front is the skidplate and oil door. I went off-road during the holidays and slammed the front down hard in a rut. The skid plate actually bent up on one side. Although you cant see it much and it is hardly noticable. So with the 4x4 package the oil door is bolted onto the bottom of the skid plate. I was lucky enough to have the bolt heads stripped by an oil change technician. He used the wrong size allen wrench and messed up the bolts. Freakin idiot. Anyhow - I have yet to go in and have that fixed. Shoulda complained and made them pay for the fix. However, I figure the kid only makes minimum wage and it was an honest mistake. I blame Nissan more than the oil change kid.

The comfort of the Z71 trumps the Titan, hands down. Some argue that the Titan interior is trendy and the Z71 needs updating. From my understanding the new Chevy trucks will be redesigned to make them modern. However, I think the Chevy Z71 interior is great. The seats on my Titan are falling apart. Threads are hanging on the seats and makes it look horrible. Other Titan owners tell me the leather seats are better. So maybe I will try to find a crashed Infiniti Q45 or Armada and swap mine out. I can tell you this. I have owned the Titan for less than two years and the seats look like they are 10 years old. No joking. The Titan does have more leg room in the back and the center console has lots of storage. Both have great stereo systems as the Z71 has the Bose and the Titan has the Rockford Fosgate. I have a 6 cd change in the Titan and just a regular cd player in the Z71.

As for power - the Titan was the strongest in its class. With very few proven bolt-ons for the Nissan - once I get my Z71 upgrades completed - it should be faster and stronger than the Titan.

Ok - this should give us all some things to talk about. Being an owner of both - I can say that I am only a proud owner of one. Nissan needs to do ALOT of work to ever get me to buy their product again. I am thinking about trading it for the new Toyota FJ Cruiser or a Jeep Commander.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Your experience is the reason I didn't but a Titan, seemed kinda "tinny" when I drove it. Do you have the Okole type neoprene seat covers? I thought that kind of material was standard on the Titan and Xterra seats. I'm thinking about buying a set of Okole covers for my Z71 but if they don't wear well, screw it.

nitro882 · March 16, 2006

Thanks for sharing. Its good to see info form someone who owns both.

Im pretty new to this site, i recently traded my Dodge for a Chevy z71. I shopped pretty much everything and it came down to 3 trucks. The titan, Silverado and the Ram. When i drive the Titan i had the same feeling on the interior. The truck i drive was the LE model with leather and every option under the sun but it didnt seem that comfortable, the seats seemed kinda hard and the whole truck felt "tinny" when i drove it. It really felt like it was light and had zero substance to it. No doubt the truck was a rocketship power wise but the light feel and the reported rear end problems steered me away.

Because my company is both a GM and Nissan supplier i get a discount on both truck and after i ruled out the nissan it was down to the Chevy and Ram. I liked the Ram's power with the Hemi motor but the Chevy rode a world better and i liked the seats better. The interior in the chevy is much nicer overall, the leather feels better and the dash dosent have the hard plastic feel like the Dodge does. I also liked the Bose audio system much better then the infinity in the Dodge( i am kinda biased when it comes to that because i work for Bose).

Overall for me i bought the chevy because it was the most comfortable of the three to drive and gets the best gas milage.

ProSport Tim · March 16, 2006

All foreign trucks are tinny. All rot boxes. I will say, yes the motors go forever but, they typically wind up in other trucks as the original bodies and parts go to sh!t quick. Buy American.

2005 Z71 · March 16, 2006

Nice non biased review to bad we couldnt get that kind of read from the so called car review experts!I wouldnt put those thoughts over on titan talk though as they will brand you a forum troll within minutes of it being seen.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dude did you hear the Honda Ridgeline is ranked number 1 in dependability? That is BS. The truck has not even been on the market a full year. Most car and truck review experts are anything but experts. Actually I am on the Titan board also. Alot of the guys were pissed that I got my Z71 during the big Employee Pricing sale. I was on the Titan Talk telling guys to reconsider the Titan. Like I said earlier - I like both trucks - but I would be hard pressed to ever buy a Titan again.

2005 Z71 · March 16, 2006

that's something i like to hear...i was going to get a titan b/c of the performance but now i'm glad i didnt'

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Once I hit the 5,000 mile mark I started getting very disappointed. The brakes went out around 7,000 miles. The brakes are the worst thing on the truck. They actually had a recall for them. As for power - no doubt the Titan can get up and go. When I drive it the wife is always hollering at me because I like to get on the pedal and spin the tires. I always like to race it if I see another truck. Nothing dangerous but you know just a quick run. I really like to give the Ford F-250s a run. I know the Titan is way faster than almost every F-250 - so it is fun to clown with those guys. Overall once I get my bolt-ons done with my Z71 it will be much quicker!

2005 Z71 · March 16, 2006

Your experience is the reason I didn't but a Titan, seemed kinda "tinny" when I drove it. Do you have the Okole type neoprene seat covers? I thought that kind of material was standard on the Titan and Xterra seats. I'm thinking about buying a set of Okole covers for my Z71 but if they don't wear well, screw it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually I think the Ford is tiny. Next time you pull up to a new F-150 look closer at the drivers and passenger side front windows. They are freakin tiny!! Also when I test drove the Ford - the steering column gear shifter is tiny. Its what I would expect in a Toyota Camry. The opposite is true for the Titan. The steering column gear shifter is really big. However there is a major design flaw. Each time you go to shift out of park you bump the window wipers. REALLY ANNOYING! Maybe it is a freudian slip by the designers to clean your windows. I really cant stand the design flaw.

The seats of the Titan are tiny. The seats of the Chevy are like a LazyBoy and the seats in the Titan are like a Kmart recliner. That is my honest opinion. I really dont know if the seat covers would help. I think it is really sad that I am considering seat covers for a truck that is less than 2 years old. I am taking the truck in today and getting an appointment - they have lots of fixing to do on the Titan.

2005 Z71 · March 16, 2006

Buy American.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Titans are built in America - but I know what your getting at. Buying the Titan really opened my eyes to quality versus speed. I was really ramped up on how fast it would go during the test drive. Now I realize I can add a few PROVEN bolt-ons to the Chevy and get more power than the Nissan can get. I really dont have a couple thousand to redo the interior of the Titan - but quite honestly - that is what is required to make it a nice truck. All the seats need replaced with something nicer and more comfy.

redvett · March 16, 2006

Ya and if you lose the key on that Titan it will probably cost you a couple of thousands of hard earned money to get it fixed. What a joke.

rdnkcpa · March 16, 2006

My brother has a Titan, he bought it the same month I got my Silverado. His truck has been back to the dealer for a few things here and there, he did the brake recall, had problems with his radio. It would not pick up any AM signals... I kinda like his interior, for clean up purposes, but his seats are hard as bricks. I think the seats in my Chevy are much more comfortable. Power wise I don't see a whole lot of difference, both trucks will get up and run. But if I want a go-fast, I'll buy a sports car next time. Going fast is not what I bought it for. We both tow boats, he has a 21' Pro-Line, I have an older 19' runabout, both trucks pull their respective boats with out any issues. My boat is lighter than his, but both trucks do what we bought them for. My Chevy is an 2004, it did not go back to the dealer once during the warranty period. Although I'm now starting to develop the steering groan which is related to the intermediate steering shaft. It all comes down to personal preference. Time will tell us how well they hold up, I made a point to buy a vehicle from Ford OR GM because I'm on a buy American kick. I did'nt buy the Ford, becuase they would not cut a deal. Chevy went out of their way to make a good deal. Plus my wife really did not want another Ford, our last Ford car had tons of problems. Dodge does not count anymore because its a German company now. I know the Titan is made in the US, and my Chevy was made in Canada, but I will continue to buy American where I can.