Only minor changes have been made to the 2012 Nissan Titan, continuing a trend that has held steady since the full-size pickup was first introduced in 2004. That said, the Nissan Titan remains a reliable pickup that can successfully skirt the fine line between weekday work truck and weekend fun seeker.

The 2012 Nissan Titan is available with a 5-speed automatic transmission (with overdrive and tow/haul mode) in four trims: the S, SV, PRO-4X and the SL. All four trims are available with Crew cab body styles, but only three (not including the SL) are available as King cabs as well. All four trims are available as 4-wheel drive (4WD), while the S, SV and SL trims can be configured as rear-wheel drive (RWD) as well. All trims come standard with an Endurance 5.6-liter, 32-valve, DOHC V8 engine that achieves 317 hp and 385 lb-ft of torque. All trim levels run on premium gasoline, but Titans sold in the North Central, South Central, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States can be purchased with Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) Technology in order to use E85. Gas mileage achieved by the 2012 Titan leaves something to be desired. The 2WD Titan is rated by the EPA to get 13 mpg city/18 highway using regular gas and 9/13 using E85, while the 4WD Titan gets 12/17 using gas and 9/12 using E85.

Towing strength is one of the hallmarks of the Nissan Titan. When properly equipped, the 2012 model can haul up to 9,500 pounds with a King cab, while the Crew cab body style has a hauling capacity of 9,400 pounds. All trims can be configured with a standard cargo box (67.3 inches) in the Crew cab configuration, while the SV has an optional long bed (79.1 inches) available. King cab configurations come standard with the long bed.

Standard to all 2012 Nissan Titan S trims are 18-inch steel wheels (with all-season tires), dual manual outside mirrors, power back window, locking tailgate, air conditioning, cloth seats, tilt steering column, intermittent speed-sensitive windshield wipers, split front and rear bench seats and an AM/FM/CD audio system with 8 speakers. Moving up to the SV trim, standard equipment also includes 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels (with Goodyear Wrangler tires), chrome bumpers and grille, dual power outside mirrors, body side moldings, rear privacy glass, a locking tailgate (with dampened assist), power door locks (with anti-locking feature), power front windows, cruise control (with steering-wheel-mounted controls), overhead center console, 8-way power adjustable driver’s seat, in-dash 6-CD changer (with MP3/WMA playback capability), radio data system and auxiliary audio jack.

The PRO-4X trim adds Rancho off-road performance shocks, 18-inch unique aluminum alloy wheels (with BF Goodrich Rugged Trail tires), fog lights, Class IV tow-hitch receiver (with 7-pin wiring harness, trailer brake controller pre-wiring under instrument panel and tow hooks), body-color grille, rear sonar system, lockable bedside storage, Bluetooth HandsFree technology, auto-dimming rear-view mirror with digital compass, front bucket seats with center console, 2-tone cloth seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and floor shifter knob, and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls. SL trims come standard with 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels (with Goodyear Wrangler tires), chrome grill and bumpers, dual power-folding, auto-dimming, heated outside mirrors with puddle lights and turn signals, factory-applied spray-on bedliner and tailgate lights.

Much of the standard equipment in the pricier trims can be had as optional equipment on the lesser-priced trims. For example, the SV trim’s Sport Appearance package comes with 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels (with dark hyper silver finish), front grille with dark hyper silver finish, body-color bumpers, fog lights, black step rails, lockable bedside storage, rear sonar system, stainless steel exhaust tip, cloth seat trim with embroidered Titan seat logo, 8-way power adjustable driver's seat, fold-down front-passenger’s seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel with silver stitching, leather-wrapped floor-mounted transmission shifter with silver stitching, Bluetooth, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, and rear air conditioning vents. The Texas Titan Package can be had with either 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels (SV only) or 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels, chrome outside mirrors and door handles (SV only – standard on SL), chrome billet front grille, and chrome step rails. The Heavy Metal Edition has the same options as the Texas Titan Package, but adds chrome outside mirrors and door handles (SV only – standard on SL).

Other option packages available include the SV Value Truck Package, SV Value Truck + Texas Titan Package, SV Utility Package, SV Premium Utility Package and PRO-4X Utility Package (both of which feature a Rockford Fosgate-powered audio system with AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD changer, 10 speakers including woofer and center speaker, and Sirius XM satellite radio), PRO-4X Luxury Package, SL Max Utility Package and Technology Package (which includes power sliding glass moonroof, Nissan navigation system with DVD atlas and 7-inch color LCD monitor, 8-inch flip-down monitor and DVD player with auxiliary inputs).

Standard safety features for the 2012 Titan include the Nissan Advanced Air Bag System with dual-stage front airbags (with occupant sensors), front seat seat-mounted side-impact curtain airbags, roof-mounted side-impact airbags, active front-seat head restraints, energy absorbing steering column, tire pressure-monitoring system, 4-wheel disc brakes with antilock braking system (and brake assist), traction and stability control, and electronic brakeforce distribution. A rear parking sensor is available as an option on all trims.

Exterior color choices for the 2012 Nissan Titan are Brilliant Silver, Blizzard, Red Alert, Smoke, Navy Blue and Galaxy Black. Interior color options are Charcoal Cloth (S, SV and PRO 4X trims), Almond Cloth (S and SV) and Charcoal Leather (PRO-4X). Not all interior colors are available with all exterior color choices.

Owners say that despite its size, the 2012 Nissan Titan is fairly nimble for a full-size pickup. Because the Titan tends to be more of a work truck than a recreational vehicle (with the possible exception of the PRO-4X trim), most owners are more concerned with the truck’s towing capacity than how well it corners. The V8 engine provides plenty of power when needed, and the suspension provides a relatively smooth ride.

While the 2012 Nissan Titan has a lot to recommend it, there is nothing remarkable about it. While it has a V8 engine, its horsepower is not much higher than competing full-size pickup’s 6-cylinder engines. While the Titan can tow as well as the Ford F-150, Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado, it doesn’t rate the best there, either. The Titan rates poorly compared to the competition when it comes to fuel economy, rating last for both city and highway driving. While sales of the Titan remain steady, they are not near that of class leader Ford. Bold exterior styling cues are one of the features that draw buyers in, but in order to remain competitive, interior and powertrain upgrades will be needed. And soon.