Nissan builds "ultimate overlander"

We’re not quite sure what ‘overlanding’ is. But it looks fun, doesn’t it? Nissan says this special Armada ‘Mountain Patrol’, which will be shown at this weekend’s Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona, is “the ultimate overlanding family adventure full-size SUV”. Because LIFESTYLE.

The company’s Chief Marketing Manager for North America says overlanding “is not glamping, not a day trip to the local forest – it's adventure taken to new heights” and that the full-size Armada SUV, which isn’t sold in Britain, “is an ideal starting place to build an authentic overlanding vehicle” because of its 390bhp V8, spacious interior and generous towing capacity.

Nissan’s social media following helped select the modifications, which include a four-man roof tent, special off-road GPS, heavy-duty coilover suspension, knobbly tyres and a cat-back exhaust. There’s also a serious-looking winch, lots of LED spotlights, steel bumpers and much besides. The company claims the Armada is so capable off-road, that it only made “minimal modifications” to its drivetrain.

We like to think those behind the project drew inspiration from Top Gear’s very own Mercedes Project E-AT. Not that they’d ever admit it, obviously.