Rogue Warrior is built to dominate the snow
SAGUENAY, QUEBEC Perhaps more terrifying than zombie-apocalypse TV series, The Walking Dead, is Nissan’s two-year-old television ad depicting an urban invasion of nefarious snowmen, broadcast in conjunction with the launch of the current generation Rogue. In the ad, these sub-zero vandals terrorize unassuming citizens, and probably traumatize six-year-olds across the nation in the process.
The hero of the TV spot is the Nissan Rogue, which was used to flatten, pulverize and turn to powder the wicked snowball-chucking villains.
The Winter Warrior ad campaign, as it was called, was produced by Nissan Canada’s ad agency, and it proved so popular here that it was picked up by Nissan in the U.S. and Europe. As homage to this successful ad campaign, which went on to include a Juke and a Murano in equally outlandish doomsday scenarios, Nissan Canada has created the Rogue Warrior, converting its bestselling vehicle to a track-driven snowmobile. Nissan held an informal test drive of the faux groomer at the Le Valinouet ski resort, an hour north of Chicoutimi, Que.
Arriving at the location, I spot the Rogue Warrior parked about 400 metres up a steep ski trail. From this distance, it could easily pass for some kind of specialized military vehicle.
Upon closer inspection, it’s surprising to discover there are very few modifications needed to install the track system. This vehicle, which is actually a prototype of the current generation Rogue, is almost completely stock.
The body is raised 50 millimetres on the suspension, and the bottom edges of the fender wells are bevelled for clearance. The final modification limits the steering lock to provide clearance when turning. With these modifications completed, it takes one hour to swap out the wheels for the track assemblies.
American Track Truck provided the commercially available track kit (approximately $18,000), and Motorsports In Action, a race shop in St-Eustache, Que., performed the installation. This is the same shop that prepared all of the Nissan Micra Cup cars.
Before we’re allowed to get behind the wheel, 18-year-old Micra Cup champion Olivier Bedard demonstrates the Warrior’s capability by driving it straight up the 800-metre snow-covered ski hill trail, which has a maximum incline of 30 degrees. It climbs effortlessly. The manufacturer of the track system claims it’s capable of climbing inclines of up to 45 degrees.
Stepping into the Warrior stretches your inseam, as the 53-centimetre tall tracks raise the ride height considerably. Once inside, I’m told the only restriction when driving is that the steering wheel must only be turned when the vehicle is in motion; each track’s contact patch measures 122 cm long by 38 cm wide, which would otherwise put tie-rod-bending stress on the steering components. Oh, and don’t wreck it because it’s the only one and it’s going on display at the Montreal International Auto Show.
It takes more throttle than normal to get the Warrior moving, but once in motion, the only indications that this isn’t your sister-inlaw’s Rogue are the slightly heavier steering and the vibration caused by the tracks, which feels a bit like driving over cobblestones.
I’m not a fan of CVT transmissions. I feel their smooth, seamless nature detracts from the driving experience.
In this application, however, where high loads are placed on the drivetrain and maintaining momentum on a steep incline is of utmost importance, the Rogue’s CVT is essential. Any time lost during gear changes would have caused the vehicle to lose its momentum during the climb, placing added stress on the drivetrain — and the driver.
There’s no real reason given for why Nissan Canada created the Rogue Warrior, other than to generate a bit of a buzz around its bestselling vehicle. The Rogue is already popular, with sales increasing 25 per cent in 2015 to 36,000 units, so I don’t think it needs any added fanfare.
I believe the Rogue Warrior is simply the folks at Nissan having
a bit of wintertime fun.