The 2016 Nissan Titan XD now has a big brother, the Titan Warrior concept pickup.
A larger and more performance-driven version of the newly arrived Titan XD, Titan Warrior made its debut today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Titan Warrior, a nod to Nissan’s glory days at Baja coupled with a bold look to the future, has been raised, widened, fitted with larger, custom wheels, beefed up with more suspension, and undergone exterior and interior changes that all reflect just how serious Nissan has become about claiming more ground in the coveted pickup market.
“Truck buyers have a seemingly insatiable appetite for more content and more unique offerings,” said José Muñoz, executive vice president, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and chairman, Nissan North America, Inc. “Even though our all-new 2016 Titan XD just started arriving at Nissan dealers nationwide last month, we are already exploring new territory where Titan might go in the future.”
Taking a stronger stance
Nissan maintained the Titan XD Crew Cab’s standard wheelbase and length, but raised the truck’s height nearly three inches, from 78.7 inches to 81.5 inches, to accommodate taller 37-inch tall off-road tires mounted on custom 18×9.5-inch aluminum-alloy wheels. The wheels’ machined aluminum surfaces feature a dark matte finish and replicate Titan XD’s wrench-like, tool design theme.
To create clearance for the new oversize tires and make room for the new, long-travel suspension, the Titan Warrior’s width was extended three inches on each side, from 80.6 inches total to 86.6 inches.
Building on the new second-generation Titan’s warrior-inspired styling, the designers built on that theme by altering the grille and headlights in the hopes of giving it a more machine-like, sharper edge appearance.
Flared front and rear fenders complement the larger wheels. Functional hood vents were added for cooling the Cummins 5.0-liter turbo diesel engine. The broad hoodline is balanced underneath by the large front skidplate, which interlocks into the front bumper.
Custom LED lights were added to the front and rear to reflect the design team’s vision of Titan Warrior’s stealthy presence. While the headlights hint at Nissan’s new signature boomerang lights, they were were designed to evoke a more precise, upright, robotic feel.
In the rear, the integrated LED taillights take the form of a Titan “T” logo, split by the wide tailgate. As a finishing touch, a quad-tipped exhaust system is integrated into the rear bumper.
Eye-catching changes continue
While the Titan Warrior concept is a beefed-up, muscle truck, designers still thought to employ aerodynamic elements, including carbon fiber rear cab spoiler and tailgate spoilers. Additional body elements include integrated, roof-mounted LED off-road lights.
The truck is covered in a custom matte-gunmetal paint called Thunder and accented in special Magma orange and black color highlights.
“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,” said Muñoz. “And given the high-torque Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel, extensive suspension modifications and Titan XD heavy-duty durability, it certainly could.”
The Titan Warrior’s interior was patterned after the Titan XD Platinum Reserve.
The interior design team at Nissan Design America wanted to give the vehicle a unique polished chronograph look and feel, focusing on materials and detailing while remaining true to the Titan Warrior’s performance theme.
The seats are covered in a carbon-colored high-strength seat fabric trimmed with Magma orange accents. Interior surfaces utilize material, such as carbon fiber, polished chrome finishes, leather with accented Magma orange stitching.
The Titan Warrior Concept’s steering wheel is custom-built, continuing the technical adventure theme, milled from one block of aluminum. Other interior details include unique hot-and-cold drink containers integrated into the center console. Auxiliary toggle switches are integrated into the center stack for additional off-road accessories. Instrument panel-mounted auxiliary gauges are provided to make monitoring truck performance easier.
Getting more resilient
Where the Titan Warrior Concept departs from its little brother, Titan XD, is in the full custom suspension design. In the front, the standard suspension has been replaced with custom upper and lower control arm with performance ball joints, along with racing-style internal bypass reservoir coil-over shocks with custom reservoir mounts and tie-rod extensions.
In the rear, the modifications include custom internal bypass reservoir shocks with custom reservoir mounts. Adjusted-length prototype axles were installed, along with a custom sway bar, relocated sway bar brackets and rear lift blocks and U-bolts. Hydraulic pressurized bump stops were also added front and rear.
Now that the 2016 Titan XD Crew Cab is in Nissan showrooms, the rollout of new models continues. In December, Nissan announced that advanced gas-powered Endurance® V8 producing 390 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque will be available in both Titan and Titan XD models beginning in early spring 2016.
Ultimately, the new Titan will be offered in three cab configurations, two frame sizes, three powertrain offerings and five grade levels. Nissan states that more information on the full lineup will be available at a later date.
The debut of the Titan Warrior Concept at the International Auto Show comes exactly one year since the debut of the production Titan XD on the same stage.
The truck builds on Nissan’s recent Project Titan, a crowd-sourced customization of an original-generation Titan that sent two U.S. military veterans representing Wounded Warrior Project on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Alaska.