Which truck has the speed and the suspension flexibility to be a great and versatile off-road truck? Is it a 2019 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro or the new Nissan Titan PRO-4X?
Participants
We picked these two trucks for this comparison because they are so closely matched. The two trucks have naturally aspirated V8 engines, they are the most off-road versions respectively, and they cost about the same. The 2019 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro price is just over $51,000. The fully-optioned Titan PRO-4X comes out to just over $53,000.
Under the hood of the Titan is the only engine option for a half-ton truck from Nissan. It’s a 5.6L V8 with a rating of 390 hp and 394 lb-ft of torque and a 7-speed automatic transmission.
The Tundra is powered by its only engine option, a 5.7L V8 with 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque and propelled via a 6-speed automatic.
Gold Winch Testing
We take all off-road trucks on mountain trails in Colorado and Utah to see what they are made of, but we also need to see how the truck measure up against each other. A big part of the 2019 Gold Winch competition is getting real-world performance measurements.
The ramp (RTI: Ramp Travel Index) test measures suspension travel, which is very important for an off-road truck. The more articulation you have, the more contact the tires have with the ground for better traction. Here is the first round of the RTI suspension test.
Results
The 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 went 60.25 inches up the ramp. The Sierra crew cab has a wheelbase of 147.5 inches. The RTI score is: 408.5
The 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel went 58.75 inches up the ramp. The Rebel quad cab has a wheelbase of 140.5 inches. The RTI score is: 418.1
The 2018 Nissan Titan PRO-4X went 58.5 inches up the ramp. The Titan crew cab has a wheelbase of 139.8 inches. The RTI score is: 418.5
The 2019 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro went 63.75 inches up the ramp. The truck has a 145.7 inch wheelbase. The RTI score is: 437.5
The acceleration test is fun to do, but it also shows the speed differential between the trucks on our 1/8-mile track. While the Tundra was superior with suspension flex, it was just behind the Titan on acceleration.
Join the video to see the two drag races and the flex test.
