2026 Nissan Patrol - Charismatic and Dynamic Large SUV!

What is it? It’s the seventh generation of a full-size Japanese off-roader that traces its origins back to 1951. Sound familiar? It’s also an identical back story to the Toyota Land Cruiser, a car that looms large over Nissan’s latest Patrol. Not that the Patrol is small. It’s a whopper. 5.2 metres long, over 2.7 tonnes and powered by a pair of V6 engines, the only one you probably care about being the 3.5-litre twin turbo which develops 419bhp and 516lb ft and hurls this gargantuan SUV to 62mph in 6.6 seconds. There’s also a naturally aspirated 3.8 with 312bhp and 284lb ft. Which doesn’t seem enough given the mass involved. But you won’t have failed to notice the elephant in the room here: no diesel, no hybrid. I understand the diesel thing, but why no hybrid? Because of where the Patrol is sold. The mistake is to think that this car, even though it has a nameplate we know and love, is designed with Europe in mind. It’s not – in fact it’s not going to be sold in Europe at all. Or Japan for that matter. This is a car designed, engineered and developed from the ground up to excel in the Middle East. Seriously. They sell more of these across this region – over 20,000 a year – than anywhere else on the planet, including America (where it’s badged the Nissan Armada). Then look at what other countries are listed among the 28 territories it will sell in: Australia, Canada, South Africa, the Philippines. All places where fuel tends to be cheap, so no-one worries too much about economy and emissions and the move to electrification isn’t a pressing concern. That it returns a claimed 27.4mpg is needlessly impressive, more relevant is that 100-litre fuel tank’s ability to carry you a long way. The Land Cruiser 250 – a more global product – is available with either diesel or mild hybrid petrol. Ok, understood, so what goes on underneath? Wait, we haven’t finished yet, because there’s another reason hybrid doesn’t work here – and not just that the Patrol would have wound up weighing as much as a small planet. Complexity. The Patrol has the reputation it does because it’s built tough. Adding electrification would have jeopardised that. It still uses body on frame construction, even if it hasn’t had beam axles since the fifth-generation Y61 died in 2010. It’s all independent suspension, newly air sprung and height adjustable and now features a nine-speed automatic gearbox complete with low range. 📌 Instagram ▶ https://www.instagram.com/MEDCARS.TV 📌 Tiktok ▶ https://www.tiktok.com/@cartvpress