Nissan’s newest TITAN concept was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show on January 11. The Warrior is an off-road, racing-inspired concept based on the production version of the TITAN XD truck, and was conceived at Nissan Design America’s design office in La Jolla, California.
Starting with the TITAN XD Crew Cab, the Warrior is unmistakably wider and taller than its production brother. Fenders are widened three inches on each side of the truck which accommodate 37-inch fitted to bespoke 18-inch wheels. The Warrior’s height is increased almost three inches due to the off-road capable suspension. Engineered around a set of custom internal bypass dampers, the redesign necessitated custom upper and lower control arms at the front, as well as custom sway bar, lift blocks, and axles for the rear.
The Warrior Concept is powered by the TITAN’s well-regarded 5.0-litre Cummins turbo diesel V8 engine and mated to a heavy-duty six-speed Aisin automatic transmission.
Nissan North America chairman José Muñoz explains, “There’s a sense to the exterior design that the TITAN Warrior Concept could drive right off the auto show stage and retrace the historic route of Nissan’s off-road racing victories in the Baja Peninsula, and given the high-torque Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel, extensive suspension modifications and TITAN XD heavy-duty durability, it certainly could.” The design team used a theme they call Modern Armor and this Warrior’s styling is embellished more for a show concept than a real-world off roader.
Should the diesel-powered Warrior concept make it to production, it'll be direct competition for Ford’s upcoming Ecoboost-powered F-150 Raptor.
