Nissan’s long-running Patrol SUV joins Nismo-tuned cars’ ranks for its 70th anniversary with the introduction of the 2021 Nissan Patrol Nismo, only available in the Middle East region. The go-faster Nismo version builds on the previous flagship of the Patrol range (which had a 400 hp V8) by packing a host of styling tweaks inside and out, 22-inch forged wheels, additional horsepower courtesy a Nismo-tune and Nismo-specific Bilstein suspension, apart from racy carbon fibre trim and Nismo bucket seats inside.
While the standard Nissan Patrol V8 packs plenty of old-school charm coupled with raw, straight-line performance, the Patrol Nismo aims to refine the experience ever so slightly, with improved cabin NVH (and second-row AC cooling!) thanks to improvements in isolating chassis vibrations, a good thing considering the Patrol’s body-on-frame construction. The big SUV’s standard independent double-wishbone suspension setup with hydraulic body motion control (or HBMC) now includes components from suspension expert Bilstein and have been tweaked by Nismo engineers as well, for a more tied down to ride and flatter cornering.
Mainly, the 5.6-litre naturally-aspirated V8 from the Patrol has seen tuning at the hands of Nissan’s Takumi, the four-engine builders in charge of hand-building every Nissan GT-R engine. With that kind of special attention, power is up 28 hp to 428 hp at 5,800rpm and 560 Nm at 4,000rpm, while a seven-speed automatic puts the power down.
Considering the Patrol V8’s kerb weight of 2,845 kg, the Nismo Patrol’s weight saving of 4.5 kg in unsprung weight thanks to forged 22-inch wheels may not seem like much, consider the standard Patrol rides on the 20s, and then the savings seem more pertinent. While the brick-like Patrol basics haven’t changed, Nismo engineers have tweaked the aero to reduce lift force at the front of the SUV to nil, while a roof spoiler theoretically smooths the flow of air over the rear of the 1,955mm-tall Patrol.