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Nissan offers several pickup trucks in North America: the Nissan Frontier is a Tacoma-sized midsize truck. Next, the Nissan Titan is a full-size, light-duty pickup truck. Finally, Nissan advertises its Titan XD as a medium-duty pickup truck. And while the Titan XD may not have the capacity many Americans expect from a heavy-duty truck, the government classifies it as one.

Is the Nissan Titan XD a 3/4 ton?

Many truck buyers refer to midsize, 1/2 tone, 3/4 ton, and full-ton pickup trucks. Heavy-duty trucks (such as the F-250 or Ram 2500) are often called 3/4 ton trucks. And the 2022 Nissan Titan XD falls at the lower end of the heavy-duty, 3/4-ton category.

Heavy-duty Nissan Titan XD pickup truck towing a pontoon boat.
2020 Nissan Titan XD | Nissan

So what is a 3/4 ton truck? Once upon a time, even heavy-duty pickup trucks only had a payload capacity of 3/4 of a ton, or 1,500 pounds. Today, most heavy-duty pickup trucks have a maximum load capacity of over 4,000 pounds (two tons). But the category has retained its name.

The U.S. government categorizes trucks not on their payload capacity but on their gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), the combined weight of the vehicle and its maximum payload. Class 2B includes all vehicles with a GVRW between 8,501 and 10,000 pounds. It is often called the 3/4-ton class and includes the Ford F-250, Ram 2500, and Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 2500.

Ram, Ford, and General Motors all build their 3/4-ton trucks with technology from their heavy-duty full-ton trucks. For this reason, you can option any of these 3/4-ton trucks with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds.

The Nissant Titan XD does not have nearly the GVWR of these trucks. But its GVWR of 8,650 to 8,800 pounds puts it firmly into the heavy-duty, 3/4-ton truck category.

Is the Nissan Titan XD medium-duty truck?

The 2022 Nissan Titan XD has a maximum GVWR of 8,800 pounds, which puts it firmly into the government’s 2B category–also called the “heavy-duty” category by pickup truck buyers. But because the Titan XD’s competitors all have higher GVWR’s, Nissan advertises its XD as “medium-duty” so truck buyers know what to expect.

Blue Nissan Titan XD pickup truck parked in front of a red barn.
2020 Nissan Titan XD | Nissan

How much can a Titan XD haul?

The Nissan Titan XD can handle serious pickup truck jobs. The 2022 Titan XD’s payload capacity is 2,435 pounds. Its maximum tow rating is 10,920 pounds.

Red Nissan Titan XD pickup truck towing an Airstream travel camper.
2020 Nissan Titan XD | Nissan

The Nissan Titan XD does not have nearly the payload capacity or maximum tow rating of its heavy-duty competitors from the Detroit Three. That said, the Titan has several things working against it: Nissan does not offer its Titan XD with dual rear wheels to increase its payload capacity. In addition, Nissan stopped offering the Titan XD with a diesel engine in the 2019 model year: every Titan XD has a 5.6-liter gasoline V8.

Though the Nissan Titan XD may lag behind other heavy-duty trucks such as the Ford F-250 and Ram 2500, its MSRP of $46,380 makes it an appealing option for many truck buyers.

You can watch The Fast Lane Truck put the Nissan Titan XD’s towing capacity to the test in the video below:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.