The Nissan Patrol Nismo is expected to be offered with a 5.6-litre V8 NA petrol engine producing 428 hp max power and 565 Nm of peak torque
Nismo (Nissan Motorsport International Limited) is the in-house tuning, motorsports and performance branch of Nissan Motor Company Ltd. According to the Japanese manufacturer, Nismo creates road cars that offer a uniquely thrilling and authentic experience.
Most of us have associated Nismo with sports cars such as the 370Z and GT-R, but the performance division has expanded in recent years across several segments of the market, and the result has been the introduction of cars like Juke Nismo, Micra Nismo, and even Sentra Nismo. However, a full-fledged Nissan SUV like Patrol might seem like the most unlikely recipient of the Nismo treatment.
Well, Nissan thinks otherwise, since the pre-facelift Patrol did get the Nismo treatment for select markets. Now, the Japanese company is readying to introduce a performance version based on the Patrol facelift. The said vehicle has been spied on test in the United Arab Emirates, one of the biggest full-size SUV markets.
The Nissan Patrol Nismo was spotted without any camouflage at all, revealing some crucial details about its design. Over the regular Patrol, the Nismo edition features a slightly more aggressive body kit with red accents. The 22-inch RAYS forged alloy wheels seen on the pre-facelift model seem to have been carried over.
The performance-rated SUV sits slightly lower than the regular Patrol, probably because of a stiffer suspension setup similar to the previous Patrol Nismo that came with a reworked setup with Bilstein shock absorbers. The previous iteration of the Patrol Nismo was offered with the same 5.6-litre V8 naturally aspirated petrol engine as the standard Patrol but put out 428 hp, 28 hp more than the SUV it was based on.
It is yet to be seen if this will be the same engine that will be seen under the hood of the new Nissan Patrol Nismo as well. Considering the frequency of the Patrol Nismo test mules, the performance-rated SUV could be launched in UAE soon, as a 2022MY car.