Now, I know that this is a strange comparison as one of the three aren't even in the same category. But these are my choices. As of late, word has come down from the top that getting a lower car payment would be an ideal financial situation at this current time. (Lots of huge expenses coming up right REALLY soon) As some of you may know, we have already had the Tundra Double Cab in out family and we thought it was GREAT. Great power, great size, great everything. The gas mileage sucked and the drivers seat was a tad bit mushy, but overall it was EXACTLY what we were looking for. We never got a chance to test the Nissan Titan as a comparison, but now we have an opportunity. As I am writing this, we are getting ready to go look at the Titan and the X-Runner. We already know what to expect from the Tundra, now it's just a matter of $$$. If it was up to me, I would want the X-Runner (6-speed, low to the ground, MUCH better gas mileage) over the other two. I am a college student, so I wont need SO much truck.

So, which out of the three would you go with and why?

Any help is appreciated, as I am noticing that the Tundra and the Titan are virtually EVEN.

It would be sad to see my Lex go, but sometimes have to make sacrifices for the greater good.

 

The Titan, no doubt, is the brute of the three in both size, power, interior volume, and towing capacity ( up to 9400 lbs with the right package ), but has, IMO, second-rate interior fit-and-finish ( tough a little improved over earlier models ), rather poor gas mleage, develops rattles and squeaks, and, coming from a plant with a known history of teething problems, is likely to be less reliable than either of the two Toyota models. It is pretty much the equal of Ford, Chevy, and Dodge domestic full-size pickps with a standard V8 with one exception....it only comes with a 6 1/2' bed....a regular-cab model with an 8' bed is not available ( that I know of ).

The X-Runner is pretty much what you would call a " sport " truck, designed and geared for the ( usually ) young person who wants to show off his / her truck more than actually use it for work. It sits lower to the ground, comes in bright colors, has a performance-oriented 6-speed, suspension and tires more geared toward handling than serious towing or work, has limited room inside for carrying people, has a fairly stiff ride from the performance-oriented chassis and truck ladder-frame combined. and is generally not the truck you would buy for family use. It shares Toyota reliability, of course, with the other Toyota trucks. If you are a college student without a family or a lot of stuff to carry and don't use a truck much for work but just having fun and showing off, this may be the truck for you.

The Tundra Double Cab, for most families, would be the way to go, especially with the V8 and towing package. It has Toyota reliability, and although it is in fact a 3/4 size double-cab pickup rather than a true full-size one like the Titan, ( even though it is falsely marketed as a full-size one ) it still has plenty of room inside for 5 people and a good-sized towing capacity ( 7400-8000 lbs, I believe ). It has a reputation in the pickup truck world for having a smooth, quiet, refined powertrain good noise isolation, and reasonably good handling by truck standards, but, of course, the truck-style ladder frame does let you know by its ride that you still are in a truck and not a luxury car. The Tundra is also available in a Club-Cab version with small rear doors and a jumpseat if you do not need the room inside for a full family.

If you want something that looks a little different, gets relatively good gas mileage, has the potential for excellent Honda reliability, and has several features no other truck has, take a look at the Honda Ridgeline. It is not the cheapest truck on the market ( starting out at 27K or above ) but this is balanced out by the fact that it has not sold well ( Honda has already announced plans to cut back production ) and dealers will have an incentive to bargain. It is, without question, the most car-like of all true pickups, having some car-based components, a unitized-body COMBINED with a separate truck-type ladder-frame, a separate lockable and weather-tight compartment under the truck bed, and a number of other pickup-truck firsts. It comes only with a V6, is limited in its towing to around 5000-5500 lbs, has good ride and handling characteristics, ( for a pickup ) and while not huge, is quite space-efficient inside and will seat several people comfortably. The bed size, however, is smaller than the other trucks listed here...it is not the best truck for hauling bulky things.

One thing to consider if you drive a lot in foul-weather or go off-roading is a 4WD truck. The Tundra and Titan have a part-time 4WD system that lacks a center differential but is still useful for mild off-roading or slippery surfaces. With a part-time 4WD system however, you MUST remember not to use it on dry pavement.....especially a dry curve....which, of course, means shifting it and out of 4WD through the transfer case. ( some trucks have a button for this ). This can not only be annoying and a lot of guesswork when you are on a road that has been plowed but is dry one minute, wet the next, icy the next, etc.....and you don't always know exactly what is under your wheels. The Ridgeline is the only truck here with an All-Wheel-Drive system with a center-differential that prevents having to shift it on and off...it is foolproof and like other center-differential AWD systems, constantly apportions torque to all 4 wheels as needed. It can be used anywhere, anytime, on any surface. This system is not available on the other trucks, even as an option ( it should be, IMO), so the Ridgeline is clearly the truck of choice if you drive a lot in foul weather, stay on mostly paved surfaces, and do not do off-roading or heavy towing. I notice you are in Tampa so snow and ice are almost never an issue unless you drive outside the state but AWD is a big help in the rain, too...and Florida DOES get a lot of thunderstorms and heavy rain. AWD does have a downside, though....it is very sensitive, for technical reasons which I don't have time to go into detail here, to exact tire pressures as recommended and to wheel and tire diameters.

 

Not sure what you mean by the Tundra is not a real full size? Are you talking about size? Or are you talking about power?

 

Like MMarshall said the Titan is the brute, biggest, most powerful but also the worst built ( and I mean worst built of anything pretty much made 2day), spartan (I would say it is a truck but the competiton has really stepped up their interiors)and IMO quite damn ugly.
It can be had with some great rebates though, and I do see rebates on teh Tundra as well.

I like the doublebab Tundra, the bed is large for a big 4 door truck and I like the fact all the windows roll all the way down. Its short on power and IMO, looks very bland. The interior is nicely built, good ergonomics.

Edit
I just read MMarshalls post and DAMN, that was a good write-up. What he said.

 

The Tundra, like the T-100 and T-150 before it back in the mid-1990's was publically marketed as a " full-sized " competitor to domestic full-sized pickups like the F-150, Chevy C/K/ Silverado and Dodge Ram but in effect, when you look at the truck's dimensions, was really a 3/4-7/8 scale truck. They are not what, in the American market, would be known as true " full-size" pickups despite the Tundra's V8 engine. The are closer to what would be described as a mid-size pickup, like the Dodge Dakota and its brother Mitsubishi Raider, with an almost full-size V8. Toyota officials and marketers, like Honda with the Ridgeline, have never really understood the American full-size pickup market....and in some ways still don't completely understand it today. Toyota, today, as a company, is seriously threatening GM as the #1 manufacturter...but not in trucks. In In fact, the original " full-size " T-100 / 150 in 1994-95 when it was introduced didn't even have a V8.....and never did get one. Its largest engine was a 190 HP V6....less power than is in many compact and mid-sized cars today.

Fortunately, Nissan, when it gave the go-ahead with the Titan, better understood the American truck market, and designed the Titan from the outset to be a true competitor to the American full-size trucks in just about every way but the diesel and 8' bed versions. The Titan's only real problem, as I have pointed out, is the rather poor quality level for a Japanese-designed product.

There are signs that Toyota is finally realizing their past marketing errors....the next Tundra, like the Titan, supposedly WILL be a true full-sizer. ( I have not seen the truck yet personally....AmethySC, do doubt, will post the pictures of it as soon as he has them )

 

Yes, Mike, the Double-Cab Tundra is a good-sized truck, and the bed is large by Toyota standards, but you still can't really quite compare it to a big domestic pickup like an F150 or Silverado. The NEXT Tundra, as I understand it, WILL.

 

Gotcha. Love the avatar!

 

it has a better payload capacity than the Nissan Titan, F-150, & Ram the Tundra Double Cab is 6 inches longer than the Ford F-150, and it's bed is also longer, wider, and deeper than the Silverado's.

not sure what you mean by not up to size, now the regular Tundra is small, but he is talking about the Double Cab here

 

Yes, I've heard that larger Tundras were coming. I myself don't know of any yet currently for sale that are bigger than domestic trucks but if you have seen them, know of them, or have actual specs, I will stand corrected. I've seen the current Tundra Double Cab at dealerships but it doesn't seem to have the width or payload capacity of domestic trucks.

I don't claim to be a truck expert, though, and I know you know your stuff. If you have actually seen a D-C Tundra the size of a double-cab or long-bed F-150 I'll take your word for it.