Dose of Cummins, Titan juices up Nissan's NV work van

The Xtreme Off Road team started with a stock NV 2500 HD Cargo and set out to build a custom vehicle "that could handle everything from maintenance to mayhem." The van stands more than 7.5 ft. tall on its 37-in. tires.

The factory 5.6L V8 gasoline engine was replaced with a Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel available in Nissan's Titan XD pickup. The engine is rated at 310 hp and 555 lbs.-ft of torque. The NV Cargo X also got the Titan XD's heavy-duty Aisin 6-speed automatic and 4-wheel drive system.

Other modifications included a custom LED lighting system, 10,000-lb. front-mounted winch and a tube bumper with custom skid plate. A custom graphics wrap finished the exterior.

"A strong foundation is what makes the NV Cargo X build possible. Most work vans come with a C-channel frame that would flex and squeak" under stress, contends Johnson of Xtreme Off Road. "But every NV Cargo is built on a rigid, fully boxed ladder frame."

"We thought it would be interesting to take an NV Cargo to the extreme, pushing it to where no cargo van has ever gone before," says Fred Diaz, division vice president and general manager for North America trucks and light commercial vehicles at Nissan North America. "We weren't disappointed."

The project team also made use of the van's 234 cubic ft. of cargo space — helping demonstrate the vehicle's upfit/ outfit potential — loading it up with an onboard air system, fluid containment and storage, full-size spare, recovery rope, recovery tracks, high-lift jack, portable welder and tool bag.

"We asked the NV Cargo X to do work that's way outside of its normal job description, and it rose to every challenge," Xtreme Off Road's Johnson says.

The NV Cargo and Passenger van models have "the durability, quality and reliability that work hard for business applications" backed by a 5-year/100,000-mi. warranty, Nissan's Diaz contends.

Xtreme Off Road's Ian Johnson will join in the NV Cargo X's official debut Feb. 11 at the Chicago Auto Show.