Skip to main content

Nissan’s Winter Warrior concepts take the fight to Mother Nature

Nissan recently made its Rogue crossover infinitely cooler by slapping some tracks on one, creating the Rogue Warrior concept. For the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, it decided to up the ante with two more tracked crossovers.

The Nissan Winter Warrior contingent includes a Rogue, Murano, and Pathfinder, all equipped with snow-shredding tracks that make each vehicle part crossover, part snowmobile. None of these vehicles are especially good off road in stock form, but throw some tracks on them and they look like the perfect transportation for a Snowpocalypse.

All three concepts use Dominator Tracks from American Track Truck. Each track is 48 inches long, 30 inches high, and 15 inches wide, and bolts to the hub where a wheel would normally go. Nissan had to modify the vehicles’ wheel wells and suspension to ensure adequate clearance, a process it has some experience with thanks to the Rogue Warrior and a tracked Juke called the RSnow.

Powertrains are completely unchanged. The Rogue uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 170 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque, while the Murano and Pathfinder use the same 3.5-liter V6, with 260 hp and 240 lb-ft. All three have versions of Nissan’s Xtronic continuously-variable transmission (CVT).

Nissan wasn’t willing to discuss performance, but it previously said the Rogue Warrior was limited to 62 mph because of the track system. Those tracks also allowed it to scale 45-degree inclines, and provided 23 inches of ground clearance for the compact crossover. When navigating a bleak winter hellscape, those attributes are probably more important than speed, anyway.

The three Winter Warrior concepts are also dressed up with matching red body wraps, 9×9-foot hatch tents, and some accessories from Nissan’s own catalog. Items like roof-rail crossbars and all-season floor mats are available at Nissan dealers, but don’t expect to find a set of Dominator Tracks for sale at one anytime soon.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Mercedes-Benz G580 first drive: old-school off-roader goes electric
2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 from three quarter view.

American car buyers mostly know Mercedes-Benz as a luxury brand. But for decades, the automaker has also produced the tough, rugged G-Class (also known as the Geländewagen or G-Wagen), an SUV not afraid to get its leather upholstery muddy. And now, this iconic Mercedes is going electric.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology — the final name of the SUV previously known as the EQG — isn’t the first electric off-roader. The Rivian R1S and R1T and GMC Hummer EV have proven that electric powertrains and off-roading are a great combination. But the electric G-Wagen is different because it’s based on an internal-combustion model — and a very traditional one at that.

Read more
Honda believes hydrogen semi trucks will make the case for fuel cells
Honda hydrogen fuel-cell semi truck.

Honda remains committed to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, but the market for those vehicles remains limited. So Honda is looking at other uses for fuel cells -- including commercial trucks.

To show how that could work, Honda converted a semi truck to fuel-cell power, replacing its diesel engine with three fuel-cell modules. Together, the three modules produce a combined 321 horsepower, and can propel the truck to a top speed of 70 mph. There's enough onboard hydrogen storage capacity for a 400-mile range with a full load, Honda claims.

Read more
Mercedes-Benz G580 vs Rivian R2: Is the much cheaper Rivian actually better?
2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 from three quarter view.

Mercedes-Benz has finally taken the wraps off of the new "Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology." Yeah, it's a mouthful, but it's basically a new electric G-Wagon. It looks a lot like the G-Wagon you know and love, but with an electric powertrain and a battery. It's not the only electric SUV out there, however, and there are some great ones -- like the Rivian R2.

Both the Mercedes G580 and the Rivian R2 have a lot going for them, but they also approach the electric SUV slightly differently. Is one better than the other? I put the two head-to-head to find out.
Design
The approach that the two vehicles take to design is quite different -- and you might like one better than the other.

Read more