Nissan pushes beyond camper vans with factory 4WD overnight wagon

With help from its Autech/NMC tuning and customization arm, Nissan has developed out quite a camper van line in Japan, ranging from adorable tiny campers to large wellness-retreat ramblers. Traditionally, those models have all been based on some form of van, but one of the latest Nissan campers to arrive as a factory option comes based instead on Nissan's top-selling SUV platform. The new X-Trail Rock Creek Multi-Bed is a rugged, versatile all-terrain camper wagon, and while it's a pure Japanese-market vehicle for now, it could have micro-camping implications for markets around the world, even the USA.

We happened upon the X-Trail Rock Creek Multi-Bed when looking last week at Nissan's all-new pegboard-powered Clipper Multi-Rack micro-camper and found it quite interesting for a number of reasons.

For one, it's not a van-based vehicle like all the other Nissan camper products and concepts we've looked at throughout the 2020s and beyond. A bed kit for the X-Trail puts Nissan squarely in the camper wagon market, at the cross section of everyday driving, rugged all-terrain adventuring and overnight sheltering.

Two, the new Multi-Bed camper is built on the rugged, outdoorsy Rock Creek trim, making it a particularly sporty, all-terrain-ready camper option for those who want to explore and camp off the beaten path, not just in paved, amenity-loaded campgrounds right off the highway.

And three – potentially the biggest of all, the X-Trail ranks as one of Nissan's most popular global vehicles, offered in over 90 countries around the world. Nissan sold more than 8 million X-Trail vehicles globally between the model's debut in late 2000 and its 25th birthday last year.

The X-Trail nameplate may sound unfamiliar to some Americans, but for over a decade, the model has shared a platform with the Rogue, Nissan's perennial US bestseller that has contributed heavily to those 8 million global sales.

None of that even so much as hints that Nissan will offer the X-Trail Multi-Bed anywhere outside Japan, but it certainly presents more hope than Nissan campers built atop kei vans and other JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) vehicles.

Nissan keeps the X-Trail package highly purpose-focused and streamlined, simpler than some of the multifunctional Multi-Bed products it's released previously. The upgrade kit comprises a three-panel platform mattress sized to collapse behind the second-row seats. At camp, the mattress sets up over top the folded second row seats, running from the back of the front seats straight back to the rear of the tailgate load floor. The two-person bed offers a sleeping area measuring 180 x 115 cm (71 x 45 in).

Because it stands atop legs and support rails and doesn't merely rest on the vehicle floor, the extended mattress leaves space below for storing gear and cargo. The hard floor panel comes as part of the kit and serves to create a neat, flat under-bed load floor.

In developing the mattress, Nissan aimed for a mix of camping comfort and haul-anywhere ruggedness. Compatibility with the relatively low roof 25.6 in (65 cm) overhead had to be top of mind as well, The mattress measures 2.4 in (6 cm) thick and features a rugged water-resistant Cordura fabric cover. "Lava Red" stitching gives the dark mattress a little pop and matches the stitching and accents of the X-Trail Rock Creek's interior.

As for the Rock Creek itself, whether talking about the US-spec Rogue or the global X-Trail, it serves as a rugged, off-road-focused trim. In Japan, it's primarily an aesthetics package with 19-in aluminum wheels, a distinctive triple-silver-slot grille, black roof rails, fold-in side-view mirrors with FOB control, a hands-free power tailgate, and loads of Lava Red accents and Rock Creek badges inside and out. Buyers can further upgrade with exclusive options and packages that include a roof basket, rock rails and Rock Creek floor mats.

The five-seat X-Trail Rock Creek comes powered by Nissan's e-Power self-charging hybrid system featuring e-4orce all-wheel drive with 201-hp front and 134-hp rear electric motors. The 1.5-liter variable compression turbo inline-three works as a power generator for the lithium battery-equipped electric drive.

The X-Trail Rock Creek Multi-Bed made its world premiere at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year and is available to order now for a base price of ¥5,327,300 (approx. US$33,550), including consumption tax. That's ¥570,900 (approx. $3,575) more than the base two-row X-Trail Rock Creek without Multi-Bed or any other options (in free, non-upgrade "dark metal gray" paint) – not exactly cheap for a basic in-SUV bed kit, but still a nice drive-away factory option to have.

Nissan explained in its Tokyo Auto Salon announcement it added the X-Trail Rock Creek Multi-Bed to its ever-expanding light camper and sleeper van lineup in direct response to growing domestic demand for SUVs suitable for overnight stays. It sure seems to us that type of demand exists in the RV-crazed US, too, and Nissan could easily ship this kit over for use in the Rogue.

On the other hand, the bed measures just under 6 feet (1.8 m) long, a bit short for the US market. And if that $3,500-ballpark price tag were to carry over, you'd be better shopping the aftermarket for something like the 6-foot-long Pacific Adventure Works Hideaway Double 40 platform, which fits the Rogue. That one starts at $800 but does not include a mattress. The inflatable Exped Megamat Duo Pacific Adventure Works offers checks in at $400, and you could certainly find cheaper options.

Source: Nissan Japan