Some say that package-carrying drones are the future of delivery services because they?re fast, efficient, and capable of going anywhere. We?d like to offer an alternative option: the Nissan NV Cargo X project vehicle, which took a regular NV2500 HD van and transformed it into a lifted, diesel-powered, tackle-anything four-by-four that also can go anywhere.
Nissan has done plenty of experimenting with its vans in the past couple of years. One was modified into a fuel-cell vehicle that drank biofuel, another became an inspiration for delivery drivers everywhere when it was subjected to a flurry of drifting, and one was used as the basis for a mobile office with a built-in craft-coffee machine and a pull-out deck. But those were all confined to the pavement. The Cargo X need not rely on asphalt roads. The outdoors-spirited lifted van is the result of a collaboration with off-road builder Ian Johnson, host of the TV show Xtreme Off-Road. To him, the custom job just made sense. ?When I looked at the NV, I saw a hard-working van with a heavy-duty foundation,? he said in a press release. ?And I also saw possibilities for a rock crawler that could serve as its own support vehicle.?

Johnson and Nissan swapped out a bevy of stock parts for more hard-core off-road pieces. A custom off-road suspension system replaces the standard front control-arm setup. A Cummins 5.0-liter V-8 turbo-diesel from the Nissan Titan XD steps in for the NV?s standard 5.6-liter gasoline V-8, an...