Raptor Competitor Will Not Come From Nissan
Several automakers promised an F-150 Raptor competitor years ago. To date, no such vehicle exists.
When the F-150 Raptor debuted 10 years ago, it took the segment by storm. Never before had a full-size truck offered an incredible amount of off-road capability straight from the factory. It’s a configuration that has proven to be wildly popular with customers. And while rivals have tried, none have yet to offer a true Raptor competitor. That is a pretty incredible feat, especially considering the beastly Raptor is at the tail end of its second generation.
At some point, the Raptor’s status as king of the factory off-road trucks is bound to be properly challenged. Who will be the first to do it? Our money is on Ram. But, according to a recent post at CarBuzz it appears that Nissan is seriously thinking about taking on the Raptor.
We’ll concede that Nissan could potentially outfit the Titan with some impressive off-road capability. But would it be enough to challenge the Blue Oval?
Theoretically, any company with a full-size pickup could do the same; the formula isn’t exactly impossible to duplicate. So, why haven’t they? There’s a couple of plausible explanations. The simplest reason probably has something to do with money. There’s no way any automaker is going to spend money on a project that offers little in the way of profit. And that’s why a truly off-road-oriented Titan is a fantasy at this point.
Nissan’s Aspirations
There’s no doubt Nissan wanted to seriously challenge the American full-size pickups with the Titan. When the second-generation model arrived in 2015 for the 2026 model year, Nissan leaned heavily into the narrative that it had a legitimate entry in the segment. Ultimately, they didn’t. While the Titan did have some interesting specs — most notably a powerful Cummins turbodiesel — it ended up falling short of Nissan’s claims. The Titan XD, which was meant to compete with the Super Duty lineup, wasn’t any more capable than an F-150. Buyers seem to have voted with their wallets and chosen other pickups. Nissan sold just over 30,000 Titans last year, a number that pales in comparison to the market-dominating F-150.
Speculation about the Titan becoming a Raptor competitor surfaced when CarBuzz asked Tiago Castro, Nissan’s director of light commercial vehicles about the possibility.
For now, the Raptor remains unchallenged. It’s just further proof that Ford created an absolute monster when they unleashed the Raptor way back in 2010.
“There’s an opportunity to do a bit more (than Pro4X),” said Castro. But he later qualified his statement by adding “at this point, we’re focusing on Pro4X.”
That makes perfect sense. A true Raptor competitor would require serious cash to develop. While Nissan’s updated 5.6 liter V8 boasts a very competitive 400 horsepower and 413 Ib-ft of torque, it doesn’t compare to the 450 horsepower and 510 Ib-ft of torque in Ford’s high-output EcoBoost 3.5 liter V6. Nissan could certainly slap some turbos onto their V8, but fiscally the company is still reeling from the chaos caused by former CEO Carlos Ghosn.
A New Frontier
With funds in short supply, Nissan is going to have to focus on its core products. The Titan doesn’t fit that criteria. In North America, Nissan has found success with its cars and crossovers; which is doing more for their bottom line than the Titan. Were Nissan to divert resources to a Raptor-fighting Titan, chances are high that it would be outdated fairly quickly. That’s because a next-generation 2021 F-150 is due out later this year, including a Raptor.
Sure, the Titan seems like a solid truck, but it’s already following the leader. And it’s a slow seller. Nissan’s Frontier, which managed to find about 74,000 homes last year despite being fifteen years old, is the far better choice for a serious off-roader. The next-gen model is set to arrive in 2021, which would make it the second newest mid-size pickup on the market, after the Ranger. It’s set to receive a competitive powertrain in the form of a 310 horsepower 3.8 liter V6. GM and Toyota’s redesigned mid-size trucks are at least several years away. Nissan could make a dent in this market, if they play their cards right.
A Decade of Dominance
There’s really no indication of an impending Raptor competitor from Nissan. Honestly, that’s a good thing. Not so much for Ford, but definitely for the Japanese automaker. It means they’re minimally playing to their strengths with the Titan. They dropped the XD model and the Cummins engine with the 2020 refresh. That’s a sign the company understands the Titan buyer. Like Toyota, Nissan has to be smart with its truck lineup. Directly competing with the Americans would require billions of dollars. Both companies need to spend their limited resources on their popular products. It’s the same reason why Ford canceled most of its passenger cars. Automakers are facing some tough challenges this decade and they need to focus on the vehicles that play to their strengths (and make them money).
The Raptor would be a tough nut to crack for a company that doesn’t derive substantial profits from pickup trucks. That’s why they basically told The Drive that an extremely rugged Titan isn’t happening. For now, the Raptor remains unchallenged. It’s just further proof that Ford created an absolute monster when they unleashed the Raptor way back in 2010. We can’t wait to see what Ford does with the next-generation model.
Photos: Ford; Nissan
