NAIAS 2016: Nissan Titan Warrior Concept is Probably Not What You Expected

by Mark Stevenson

Published: January 11th, 2016

naias 2016 nissan titan warrior concept is probably not what you expected

After revealing the kinda, sorta heavy-duty, kinda, sorta light-duty Titan XD at the North American International Auto Show last year, Nissan is looking to continue its pickup truck momentum with a concept that builds upon the new XD’s strengths.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the light-duty Titan we thought would bow in Detroit. Instead, the Titan Warrior Concept is a modified Titan XD that takes the truck to its next logical conclusion — an off-road capable, well-appointed RAM Power Wagon competitor.

José Muñoz, executive vice president of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and chairman of Nissan North America, Inc., said in a release before the concept’s reveal that it could “drive right off the auto show stage and retrace the historic route of Nissan’s off-road racing victories in the Baja Peninsula.” However, the Titan Warrior Concept likely wouldn’t cross the finish line first; performance modifications to the Titan XD have been limited to suspension upgrades, the 5-liter Cummins turbodiesel V-8 left alone with its 555 lbs-ft of torque.

In addition to the typical SEMA formula of big wheels, bigger tires and a suspension lift, the Titan Warrior Concept has its fenders flared an extra 3 inches on each side to fit the larger rubber. Modified LED lighting at the front and rear, a custom grille, oversized skid plates and cab/tailgate spoilers round out its visually aggressive game plan.

Instead of stripping the interior a la pre-runner, the Titan Warrior Concept is appointed closer to a top-trim Platinum Reserve Titan and finished with a custom milled aluminum steering wheel, hot-and-cold drink containers, and gauges for days.

Don’t expect this particular truck to be hitting dealer lots anytime soon. However, a more aggressive truck could be in the cards for Nissan should the Titan XD sell as well as it hopes.

Titan XD is arriving at dealers now. A light-duty Titan is expected to debut later this year.

#2016Naias #2016NorthAmericanInternationalAutoShow #DetroitAutoShow #NissanTitan #NissanTitanXd #NorthAmericanInternationalAutoShow #TitanWarriorConcept #TitanXD

Mark Stevenson

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9 of 46 comments

Big Al from Oz on Jan 11, 2016

I do think this Nissan Mall Crawler is better than the Raptor of PowerWagon. First a diesel in an off road orientated pickup! You can't get better than that. Nissan would be silly not to produce this vehicle as a halo Titan, in the same line as the Raptor, PowerWagon and TRD Toyotas. These will sell.

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- Drzhivago138 on Jan 11, 2016
  
  What advantages does a diesel engine have in an off-road pickup intended for the US market?
  
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- Big Al from Oz on Jan 11, 2016
  
  @Drzhivago138 FE, durability, improved off road capability and better reliability. Do I need to say more? Hmmm............
  
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- Lou_BC on Jan 11, 2016
  
  @Big Al from Oz ″I do think this Nissan Mall Crawler is better than the Raptor of PowerWagon.″ That Cummins will add way more STREET CRED than a Raptor or PowerWagon.............. Thanks for clarifying. The Titan XD is TOO heavy with not enough PAYLOAD to have any real off-road capability. You add a lift, bigger tires, a winch, cargo racks and/or tool box, canopy or camper shell and it is maxed out. (That is the only way to get off-road capability out of a heavy HD or HD wannabe.) TFL truck just tested an XD with a gooseneck trailer. They deliberately loaded the pin light so as to not overload the capacity. They could only have ONE passenger other than the driver in an otherwise completely empty truck to avoid maxing out truck capacity. The Titan XD does not have the cargo ratings to overcome its bloated tare weight.
  
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- SOneThreeCoupe on Jan 12, 2016
  
  @Drzhivago138 The diesel offers increased fuel economy and the torque is certainly good in an off-road application, but the reliability of this 5.0 unit is still unknown. However, in the US, diesel fuel isn't as readily available as in Oz, and thus can be an issue in an overlanding situation. In addition, the heavier weight of a diesel lump means a lower average speed off-road IF the truck is a dual-purpose truck and ride quality on-road has a fairly high value to the owner. There are trade-offs with everything; in this case, the main trade-off with diesel here in the States involves its relative scarcity off the beaten path.
  
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- Stuki on Jan 13, 2016
  
  @Big Al from Oz What do you guys do off road down there, that causes half a ton of extra weight up front to "improve off road capability" in an already front heavy pickup truck? Towing 12000 lbs of beer across the Simpson? For every other application I'm aware off; less weight, particularly up front, is what you want off road. And, you want an engine that's responsive; spooling up, AND DOWN, quickly. Not some turbolaggy on-off contraption with a flywheel boosted from a marine engine. Diesels give better range. Doubly so since they make carrying extra fuel less of a hazard. And, if you really do need all that beer for your weekend in the desert, they do help prevent overheating and excessive tranny wear under sustained load. But shy of those two pluses, they're just nasty and clumsy compared to a good gasser. And with all the modern emissions crap they need just to barely pass standards with the help of cheat software, not even reliable anymore.
  
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- Mason on Jan 14, 2016
  
  @stuki "And with all the modern emissions crap they need just to barely pass standards with the help of cheat software, not even reliable anymore." Unless you chisled this message from stone while seeking shelter from a cave, mend your own clothing, grow your own food, and use real horsepower for transportation you rely on diesel power for every aspect of your day to day lifestyle. Your assessment is way off.
  
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- Stuki on Jan 14, 2016
  
  @mason Diesel power is fantastic. For fairly constant, high percentage of max output, applications. Like over the road and marine engines. But not for light loaded, recreational offroading. Nor a typical use passenger car with more than 90 peak hp.
  
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Carguy on Jan 11, 2016

An interesting contrast to the Honda Ridgeline. Honda delivers everything most truck buyers need while Nissan is focused on the rugged out-doorsy image truck buyers want to project. I think Nissan might have a better grasp on truck market than Honda.

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