Nissan channels its inner Megazord with the Titan Warrior Concept
The automaker's Detroit Auto Show concept features custom off-road suspension and a billet steering wheel, and would make a great competitor for Ford's Raptor.
One year ago at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Nissan unveiled the second generation of its Titan full-size pickup. This year, the automaker is rolling out...the second generation of its Titan full-size pickup. Only, this one is a concept.
If that seems a little backward, I can assure you it isn't. The Titan Warrior Concept is actually quite different from its production brethren. The suspension is completely custom, and in conjunction with 37-inch-tall off-road tires, raises the body up 2.8 inches. To accommodate all that meaty rubber, the whole body's been widened by 6 inches.
The production Titan's proportions are already imposing, but the Warrior Concept cranks up the intimidation factor with heavily styled LED headlights and taillights, a carbon fiber spoiler atop the rear cab, LED off-road lights and integrated quad tailpipes.
In more than one way, this truck is quite reminiscent of the Ford Raptor, itself a hopped-up variant of the traditional Ford F-150.
Those mysterious vials in the center console are actually special holders for hot and cold beverages.
Inside, the makeover is a bit less extreme, but still radically different from the production model. The steering wheel is milled from a single billet of aluminum and the seats are sporting a heavy-duty fabric trimmed in orange. If you love gauges and switches, you're in luck, because they're all over the darn place.
Under its skin, the Warrior Concept touts the same beating heart as the production Titan XD -- a 5.0-liter, turbocharged diesel eight-cylinder mated to a heavy-duty six-speed transmission. Nothing too exciting or noteworthy there.
If you're wondering where the concept gets its name, it pays homage to Project Titan, which sent two US military veterans on an Alaskan off-road adventure with a customized, first-generation Titan. There are no plans for production, which is a shame, because it's pretty badass.