Does doors-off automatically equal off-road party time? It has for Jeep for decades. Now Nissan wants in on the open-air fun—at least in an aftermarket fashion. The automaker has taken a Frontier and turned it into something you could actually use to explore the, well, frontier. Say hello to the Rapid Runner.
It might not be as "rapid" as Chris Forsberg’s Racing Patrol, but the Frontier Rapid Runner is a beast that’s ready to play on any trail you throw at it. Nissan kicks off the party by seriously upgrading the underpinnings of this pickup. The team borrows beefier suspension bits from the larger Titan and swaps in the Titan’s entire rear axle. This Frontier stands taller thanks to a two-inch body lift, custom Bilstein components, and massive 37-inch tires.
Nissan fits the Rapid Runner with prototype Nismo wheels—17-inch rollers wrapped in 37-inch Yokohama Geolandar mud-terrains. That’s a lot of rubber for a midsize pickup, and it should make climbing and maneuvering over trail obstacles feel as comfortable as a summer breeze.
I mentioned open-air motoring, though, and you can tell that a Rapid Runner driver likes being outside. The truck ditches its traditional doors for tube-style doors because Nissan isn’t content to let Wrangler owners have all the dusty fun. Don’t fret about the dirt—the interior gets waterproof seat covers, and Nissan lines the floor and cabin for protection.
Outside, Nissan equips the Frontier to haul your adventure gear. A tall bed rack pairs with a low-profile roof rack, and they line up nicely to keep the styling of the truck from veering into goofy territory. The roof rack adds side lighting and a forward-facing light bar—always a bonus when you’re far from the reach of the glow of neighborhood streetlights.
Up top, you have enough room to store up to four kayaks. The bed features a storage system complete with sliding drawers. You won’t be wanting for power as the truck has a set of Nismo solar panels. I’m curious, however, if those solar panels are sitting under the kayaks. That would mean you will do your best charging up when you’re floating down the river. Still, the truck has a set of battery packs, so you’ll be fine.
You’ll feel fine after your on-river excursion, too. The Rapid Runner has Nismo’s shower kit attached to the bed rack.
All told, this SEMA build looks dialed and genuinely ready to ramble off the beaten path. Burly front and rear bumpers? Check. A Nismo snorkel for water crossings? Check. Wider fenders to cover the rolling stock? Check. And the Bilstein/Titan suspension cocktail reads like a recipe for off-road success.
I’m guessing Nismo will (or already does) offer many of these parts to Nissan owners as add-ons. Your local dealer probably won’t swap in a Titan rear axle, sadly. But seeing how good a Frontier looks on 37s should leave owners wondering how to pull off a similar setup. And checking in on some of the Frontier forums, it looks like the most ardent fans have been swapping on Titan parts for a while now.
Nissan is catching up to enthusiast passion, and that’s a good thing.
Gallery: Nissan Frontier Rapid Runner
