Nissan needs a burlier Frontier. The Frontier PRO-4X is a genuine bargain ($42,370) vs. a $63,135 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter. But the latter has 11 inches of ground clearance, while the PRO-4X only boasts 8.6. Meanwhile, an Armada NISMO PRO-4X offers an inch more ground clearance (9.6) and can carry seven passengers. Sure, it’s 73 grand, but its ground clearance gives it reasonable off-road capability—and you can take the entire crew with you. Heck, for only ten grand more than the Tacoma, it’s arguably more versatile—though probably too huge for tight-woods rock crawling.
So you have to ask if the Armada is the “right” gnarly 4X4 product for America? And also: Is this Frontier concept really a concept? Or is what Nissan is bringing to SEMA next week a foreshadowing of a NISMO Frontier bent on battling Ford’s Ranger Raptor and Toyota’s Trailhunter?
The Frontier Nissan Needs
The two concepts Nissan’s bringing to SEMA in Las Vegas next week very much argue for the “white space” that Nissan’s currently not occupying on the market. That’d be two genuinely serious off-road rivals to, mostly, Toyota and Ford in their TRD/Trailhunter and Raptor/Tremor trims. Nissan needs to compete in the growing arena of lifted and ruggedized off-roaders that rivals at Honda, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, and Kia are all battling over. And until the Xterra is really back on the market, they’re doing that with the Armada, not the Pathfinder. Here’s the breakdown of the two concepts, and what they may or may not herald for future Nissan products.
Nissan Frontier Rapid Runner
Nissan doesn’t say exactly how much ground clearance this concept gains vs. the stock Frontier. But we learn enough via what they are saying, which is that the entire rear axle of this concept comes from the Titan, and that the body is lifted two inches, with a custom Bilstein suspension that you can definitely see adds a bunch more height vs. the PRO-4X. Both front and rear tracks are significantly wider. And the Rapid Runner gets Prototype NISMO 17-inch ASCEND wheels shod with massive 37-inch Yokohama GEOLANDAR X-MT tires.
More Mods
While the custom bumpers would never pass regulatory muster, they would greatly help improve the Frontier’s approach/departure angles. Scan either the Raptor Ranger or Tacoma Trailhunter’s nose and tail and you’ll see angling to the undersides of their bumpers for that very reason. Nissan also adds fender flares to accommodate the wider rubber on the Rapid Runner, and wraps the rear bumper around the tailgate for improved protection.
Armada Nissan Dune Patrol
Nissan’s Patrol is a worldwide vehicle with resonance. Like, oh, the Toyota Land Cruiser, the Patrol goes way back. There’s just one problem: not here. Nissan would like to change that, however, which is why they already debuted the PRO-4X Armada, and here they’re showing off a very modified version for the Dune Patrol concept. The spec sheet does not lie!
Nissan Dune Patrol Specifications
First off, Nissan calls a number of their modded parts, “prototypes.” That may or may not mean they’ll be available for purchase, but these include prototype NISMO 18-inch AXIS beadlock wheels (shod with 37-inch Yokohama GEOLANDAR M/T G003 tires), a high-clearance front and rear bumper, custom rock sliders, off-road LED driving lights with amber covers, square LED fog lamps, NISMO Off Road low profile roof rack with incorporated LED light bar and floods as well as chase lights, and a custom, prototype cat-back exhaust system.
Custom Armada One-Offs
A bunch of what you’ll see on the Dune Patrol isn’t coming to a showroom near you. These include a one-off suspension with a whopping 16-inches of travel; ten-inch Bilstein coilovers with bypasses; custom-fabbed shock towers, upper/lower control arms, 4340 drive axles, tie rods, heims and uniballs; and engine crossover brace.
TopSpeed’s Take
Nissan is also bringing a mid-1990s Y60 Patrol to SEMA. Ignore the 1,000-horsepower that they’ll never sell and just stare at this footprint and you realize why Nissan needs an Xterra at least as much as it needs consumers to buy the idea of a seriously off-road-worthy Armada. Sure, buyers do sometimes take Land Rovers off-roading. And in the Mideast, they’ll take Bentleys off-road, too.
But in the U.S., the market is dominated by off-road capable mid-sizers for a reason: desert running isn’t available to most of us, and fire roads comprise the bulk of what we’ll face. So, sure, Ford is selling an Expedtion Tremor, and it is capable. But there’s a sweet spot for off-roading, and it’s smaller than that.
So we think Nissan is heading in the right direction with these SEMA concepts, especially with the Frontier. And, yep, keeping the seat warm for the eventually reborn Xterra.
