Nissan invited me to Sedona, AZ Just before Overland Expo West this year. The occasion was the reveal of the ‘Mountain Patrol’ Armada build. Besides the reveal, they also wanted to show a select group of journalists the full line of Nissan overland vehicles.
The Mountain Patrol Armada was just one of the vehicles they brought to the event. They also had the Project Basecamp Titan, Hellwig Rule Breaker XD, Recon Campers NV200, a full selection of Titan pickups and a few Armadas. I got a chance to drive, ride and crawl around these vehicles. Here are a few of my impressions from a day of driving around the back roads near Sedona and Flagstaff.
Armada SUV
The Armada is the fastest growing full size SUV in America, since the vehicle’s remodel in 2017. It is based on the Patrol, which has been conquering the harshest terrain on the planet since 1951.
The Mountain Patrol build wasn’t quite complete, and had some fitment issues that still need to be addressed, but overall it gives you an idea of what can be done on the Armada platform. There just aren’t many aftermarket parts for this platform in the US, and the Armada is enough different from the Patrol that most parts don’t cross over. For an in-depth look at the Mountain Patrol check out my story on Gear Junkie: Burly Nissan: Armada ‘Mountain Patrol’ Hits Overland Expo.
I had the chance to experience the Armada Platinum first hand. First on some curvy mountain roads and then on some fun fast gravel, with some slightly more technical rocky terrain thrown in. The stock suspension is surprisingly plush off road, for a heavy luxury SUV. The V8 has plenty of power and moves the big SUV surprising quickly. The interior and exterior design language uses VERY few straight lines, favoring instead LOTS of curves. The interior and seats are super plush, but the front seats are a bit wide and flat for my skinny frame.
The Armada Platinum will run you about $62K. While not inexpensive, it is an impressive value when you compare it to the competition. Look at all the luxury and capability you get for the money, and the Armada is in its own class.
NV200 Van
While I didn’t get a chance to ride or drive in the NV200 based Recon Campers Envy, I did get a chance to crawl around inside it and speak in depth with its designer. I can tell you that it is a well thought out, integrated and top quality unit. Think modern VW Westy with a 100,000 mile factory warranty that will set you back around $54K. The little 2wd camper was also impressively capable off road. For a more in depth story on the Envy camper van check out this piece I wrote for Gear Junkie: Recon Fills Small Camper Void With Custom Nissan.
Titan Pickup
I got a chance to ride and drive in a variety of Titan pickups, both built and stock. Overall the platform is extremely impressive. The diesel and gas engines are both quite capable, and both great options. The interior is top notch in all ways. The exterior styling takes some getting use to, but is unique and can be cleaned up with some select accessories.
The Project Basecamp Titan was revealed just before last year’s Overland Expo and features a ton of top quality overland and off road components. I put in some time behind the wheel this year and can tell you that the Icon suspension is super plush! While the truck is very quite off and on road, I found the rack system on the back to be quite rattily on rough roads. The build also received a new lighter color wrap this year, which I found created quite a bit of glare off the hood.
I also got to put in some time on and off road in a fully loaded Titan XD Pro4X with the Cummins Diesel. This is the truck that will make most overland enthusiasts drool. The motor has tons of usable power and gets great fuel economy for such a large truck, but does have a bit of turbo lag. The stock suspension is impressively composed on road, even in high-speed tight corners. Off road the stock suspension is a bit firm, but handles just about any terrain you throw at it. I found the front seats to be superb, as they were heated and cooled and offered up inflatable lumbar support. My busted up back appreciates quality seats! Technology like the surround camera is quite useful and the Rockford Fosgate stereo system is a pure joy to the eardrums.
I also got behind the wheel of the slightly smaller and gas powered Titan SL Midnight edition. The truck offers up an extremely clean look in all black. The big V8 is super smooth through the whole power band and really easy to drive. While this Titan didn’t have cooled seats, it still offered up a cabin that is a great place to spend a lot of time.
Nissan Overland
Nissan has been a major player in the global overland community for decades now, primarily with the Nissan Patrol. Not until the past few years have they really made a splash on the US overlanding scene. Sure the Xterra and Frontier have their passionate enthusiasts in the US, but they are both better suited for off road builds, versus a proper overland style vehicle. That is mostly based on the payload capacity of each vehicle and the Xterra’s small interior dimensions.
The Armada is the US version of the formidable Patrol, and as such shares the Patrol’s capabilities. It is also an impressive value in the US market. Full size SUV are not inexpensive vehicles in the US!
The NV200 van is a commercial grade vehicle that has a lot of potential. Recon Campers has fully tapped into this potential with their full on pop-top camper builds. If the NV200 was offered in 4wd I’d seriously consider it as my next adventuremobile.
The Titan is available in a wide variety of configurations that should offer something for all full size truck buyers. It is a truly comfortable and capable vehicle right off the showroom floor. It is also ripe for some key modifications with the potential to be a truly impressive overland vehicle. The XD model with Cummins diesel motor has so much potential, especially as a truck camper platform. The build quality on all the Titan pickups seems to be top notch.
Hmmm…my wheels are spinning. Which Nissan vehicle would you build into an overland adventuremobile?
