I've been in and out of the Titan market for the last few months. To state it simply, I just like the truck. I test drove one last year, but I already had a truck and really wasn't in the market at that point.

I'm selling a larger truck as I really don't need such a monster any more. I will only be using a truck for recreational purposes now. I've been going back and forth between truck and SUV. I prefer my golf clubs  to be in the bed as opposed to the back seat. But given that condition, the bed needs to have a cover and locking tailgate.

I live in SLC and will be parking the new vehicle outside so I really need a hard tonneau cover.

In a lot of ways I'm the perfect demographic for the Chevrolet Avalanche. I like the aggressive look of the truck, the body cladding, the roof rack, and of course the hard cover. GM is blowing these off the lot - I received several quotes for "invoice less the $5k rebate" which means a fully loaded, brand new '04 2500 Avalanche for $33,000.

I'm sort of a numbers oriented person so I always do a detailed analysis before I test drive...

Titan - 2004 Nissan Titan Crew LE

Avalanche - 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 LT

		Titan	Avalanche
Overall Length		224.2	221.6
Overall Width		78.8	79.8
Overall Height		76.7	73.6
Wheelbase		139.8	130
Curb Weight		5297	6579
Turning Circle		45.6	44.1
Legroom - F		41.8	41.3
Legroom - R		40.4	38.9
Box Length		67.1	63 / 97
Towing		9200	10100
Payload		1453	2021
Fuel Tank		28	37
Engine HP		305	320
Engine Torque		379	440

The Avalanche is less long (Overall Length), wider (Overall Width), and shorter (Overall Height) - all good points to me.

The Avalanche has a slightly tighter Turning Circle, and bigger payload and towing capacity - all benefits.

The Avalanche has more HP and Torque, and just an awesome Fuel Tank capacity.

The Titan is slightly roomier .5" more legroom up front, and 1.5" in the back.

The Titan has an impressive turning radius for such a long wheelbase - 9.8" longer than the Avalanche.

Fully loaded, feature for feature they stack up pretty evenly. For my purposes, as a recreational vehicle, I give the feature advantage to the Avalanche for the inherent versatility of the overall design. They both have Satellite Radio, Heated Seats, 6 disc CD, Power Everything, Home Link, etc, etc.

But the built in hard tonneau cover, locking tailgate and roof racks are great features.

So now the test drives.

1. 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 LT

I like the look of the vehicle, as I've said. Approaching it, it looks like a tank, very solid in appearance. The exterior elements are rugged and appear quite durable - door handles, roof rack, tonneau cover, bumper steps and so on.

The test model was Dark Gray Metallic on the outside and Tan inside. A nice combination on first blush. The truck was very dirty and really showed all sorts of spotting. The tan interior was gorgeous, color wise, and quite luxurious looking. As an aside, why would you spend $20k more for the less capable Cadillac? The mid-gate is a very clever design.

So I'm all excited to drive it, thinking maybe this hybrid Truck-UV would leave any thoughts of the Titan behind.

The seats are comfortable at first, and the cockpit layout is fairly intuitive, although dated. This is GM's standard truck layout shined up a bit.

There are features galore which I don't need to go into, but I think the Avalanche compares well with the Titan as I mentioned above.

The engine starts with an impressive roar, but the sound insulation is excellent. Driving off the lot I notice visibility is better than I expected.

Driving impressions. The steering feels disconnected. The steering wheel is slightly off center (to the right) of the driving position. Wierd.

The steering wheel is small, car-ish, and cheap feeling / looking. There is a lot of jitter in the steering wheel. Turning the wheel is not a crisp, precise motion, it almost feels like you're operating a remote control toy.

The engine is powerful, responsive. The throttle control is precise and linear. There was always power available and it was smooth. Shifts were seamless, brakes excellent. I don't remember if there was a dead pedal.

The ride is somewhat harsh. The cabin is quiet, road noise is minimal, yet you are jarred around. The seats are bolstered, and a bit plush.

The seats feel a little small (I'm 5'11" 200 lbs) for me, which is odd because they don't look like they'd feel that way.

When we got out, I realized how uncomfortable I had been inside. The feeling is cramped, surrounded. I was actually a little sore after only a fifteen minute test drive. Maybe the seats weren't adjusted correctly. My wife was happy to get back into her Honda Element.

2. 2004 Nissan Titan Crew LE

I like the "sharp" look of this truck. It reminds me of a cross between a Volvo 850 and a Cadillac Escalade - squarish, angular, purposeful, serious, and a little mean. To me, the door handles look ok, but they are really flimsy feeling. Everything else seems solid and in good taste.

The bed system is very impressive. I didn't know the rail system included the cleats - I thought those were accessories, so that was nice to learn. The ladder rack mount for hauling skis / bikes / kayaks seems clever, but then it eliminates the possibility of covering the bed at the same time.

The test model was White on the outside and Sand / Steel on the inside. A very nice combo, but not the exterior color I would choose (I like the Silver and Canteen). The car was clean, inside and out.

Being my second test drive, I'm again reminded of the excellent interior. Huge. I really like the proportions of cab / bed in this truck.

For me, as a recreational truck user, I don't need a huge bed. I'd rather have a large cab, and sacrifice bed size, so I think the design works well.

The back seat is really roomy, and the front seats remind me of the old Volvo's - big, wide, flat, hard, supportive - made for big swedes.

The console / gate shifter is great. I like the car-ish feel of the driving position, coupled with the truck-ish ride height. The interior feels clean, tall, spacious, under-stated.

Driving impressions. The steering is spot on, and fun. The wheel is in good proportion, and solid feeling. Shifting through the gate is sensible, clear and easy. Although there is not a dead "pedal" there is a dead "area" on the floor which does the job Ok.

I am extremely comfortable driving the Titan.

The throttle response is too immediate, and a little touchy. This behavior has been pretty well documented, but touchy I could do without.

The engine never let me down, and I got on it quite well at times. I don't remember ever driving a 5000+ lb car which "leaps" like the Titan does. I stomped on the pedal on the freeway and the truck rocked out of overdrive and shot forward past all traffic. Sweet.

The ride is very nice for a truck, we were never jolted or jittered, which is surprising for a vehicle which can tow 9200 lbs.

Conclusions

Its hands down - the Titan is the winner. I love the concept of the Avalanche, but the marriage of great concept derived from the GM parts bin loses me. I know other people have scrounged around for tonneau covers for their Titans, and I'm sure I can get a tailgate lock. The Titan is just too good to pass up. I like the Armada, but I really don't want an SUV.

I would rather work around some of the shortcomings of a pure truck design and "settle" for a great vehicle like the Titan, as opposed to "scoring" on pure design such as the Avalanche, but settling for an uncomfortable ride.

I put a deposit down on a Titan. The dealer took it, "off the line" and put my name and "sold" on it. Its located out of state so it will take a week or so to arrive, but I believe it will be worth the wait. I paid $36,200 (rebate will bring that to $35,200) for a fully loaded model (with everything except the Nav package). That's roughly $3k more than the comparable Avalanche.

I was going to wait for the '05's but I just can't wait! (crossing my fingers that isn't a mistake)