Choosing the best new pickup truck for your needs can be an involved process. The best way to go about making a decision is to have as much information immediately in front of you as possible. Sorting through all the particulars of any pickup truck can quickly become overwhelming. Fortunately, there is data out there, and below you’ll find a breakdown of the 2019 GMC Sierra vs 2019 Nissan Titan, two of the best-selling models on the current market. Specifically, you’ll see several different points of comparison.
Reliability
Whether you’re comparing the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 vs 2019 Nissan Titan or any other two vehicles, many truck buyers often want to know about reliability before anything else. After all, no vehicle is worth an investment if you never know whether or not it’s going to start or keep running should you encounter problems.
When it comes to reliability, the Sierra wins out over the Titan. The Sierra comes standard with a “limp home” system, whereby it will run only half of its cylinders at a time if most or all of the coolant in the engine is lost. The Titan does not provide such a benefit. This can make all the difference between getting home or getting stranded.
Warranty
In recent years, warranties have also become an increasingly important factor in a purchasing decision for any vehicle. As is the case with every new vehicle on the market, both the Titan and the Sierra come standard with protection warranties. However, once again a comparison reveals that the Sierra is the clear-cut choice when it comes to warranty protection.
The Sierra comes with a six-year corrosion warranty, which is one of the longer warranties on the market. In addition to that standard protection, GMC will also fund scheduled maintenance and up to two oil changes for the first 24,000 miles or first two years. The Titan comes with a five-year corrosion warranty and does not offer payment for maintenance at any time.
Safety
Pickup trucks are still thought of as vehicles purchased for utilitarian reasons, but increasingly they are also serving as family vehicles, at least on a part-time basis. As such, safety is also paramount in the minds of pickup truck shoppers. Once again, a look at the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 vs 2019 Nissan Titan reveals the Sierra to be the clear choice when it comes to occupant protection if the purchaser chooses a certain option.
Both the Sierra 1500 and the Titan come standard with the following safety features:
- Front airbags for the driver and passenger
- Front-side impact airbags
- Side-impact head airbags
- Front seatbelt pre-tensioners
- Four-wheel antilock brakes
- Electronic stability systems
- Rearview cameras
- Blind spot warning systems
- Around view monitors
- Rear cross-path warnings
- Traction control
The difference is that the Sierra 1500 also offers optional low-speed automatic braking. This system allows the vehicle to sense an impending collision. If the driver does not react, the system takes over and applies the brakes automatically.
Fuel Economy
Despite their power, the fuel economies on pickup trucks have risen over the past 20 years as well. This makes these large vehicles a responsible purchase in this sense as well, especially in a time when our fuel costs are rising steadily. As has been the case with all of our other factors so far, the fuel economy for the Sierra 1500 is better than that of the Titan. The Titan will get up to 15 miles per gallon in the city and up to 21 miles per gallon on the highway. The Sierra will do better than that, traveling up to 20 miles per gallon in the city and up to 23 miles per gallon on the highway.
Passenger Space
Passenger space is largely what defines comfort in a ride, and the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 vs 2019 Nissan Titan continues to tilt towards the Sierra 1500 in terms of the available passenger space. Both the Sierra 1500 and the Titan offer three different cab sizes, and each of those is compared directly below:
- Sierra Regular Cab – 2.1 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front hip room and 2.8 inches more front shoulder room than the Titan Single Cab.
- Sierra Double Cab – 2.1 inches more front headroom, 2.7 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom and 10.4 inches more rear legroom than the Titan King Cab.
- Sierra Crew Cab – 2 inches more front headroom, 2.7 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room and 4.9 inches more rear legroom than the Titan Crew Cab.
Clearly, the Sierra offers more room to its drivers and passengers in just about every form of measurement.
Cargo Capacity
If you’re purchasing a pickup truck, you’re going to be towing things, perhaps regularly. Cargo capacity is an all-important factor to consider, then. The Sierra 1500 offers a larger cargo box. See below:
GMC Sierra 1500 Double Cab
- Cargo box length: 79.44 inches
- Cargo box width at wheel housings: 50.63 inches
- Cargo box height: 22.40 inches
Nissan Titan Crew Cab
- Cargo box length: 67 inches
- Cargo box width at wheel housings: 50 inches
- Cargo box height: 20.8 inches
GMC Sierra 1500 Regular Cab
- Cargo box length: 98.2 inches
- Cargo box width at wheel housings: 50.62 inches
- Cargo box height: 22.4 inches
Nissan Titan Single Cab
- Cargo box length: 98.5 inches
- Cargo box width at wheel housings: 50 inches
- Cargo box height: 20.8 inches
Engine
The engines on both of these models offer power and performance that’s efficient. The differences appear to be in the sizes between the models. As has been the case all the way through this analysis, the advantage seems to lie with the Sierra 1500.
The Sierra 1500 offers different engine sizes, including a 5.3-liter V-8, a 6.2-liter V-8, and a 3.0-liter turbodiesel I-6. The 5.3-liter V-8 comes standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission, while the other two models are offered with 10-speed transmissions.
The Titan comes standard with a 5.6-liter V-8 engine that runs by way of a 7-speed automatic transmission. Generally, the Titan’s engine offers less by way of both horsepower and torque than any of the Sierra 1500 models.
MSRP
Finally, the most important factor for many when comparing the 2019 GMC Sierra vs. the 2019 Nissan Titan is the average price or MSRP. While specific pricing will obviously vary based on model and option choices, the Sierra starts with an MSRP of $37,800. The Titan’s MSRP begins at $30,390 for the most basic model.
The 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 vs 2019 Nissan Titan – The Choice is Clear
Ultimately, every factor examined above leans heavily towards the GMC Sierra 1500 over the Nissan Titan, other than what you may expect to pay for these vehicles. However, “You get what you pay for” is an adage that applies to the purchase of a vehicle just like any other context. Are you getting a good pickup truck if you decide on the 2019 Nissan Titan? Of course, you are, but you’re getting what appears to be a better one with the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500.
