2021 Nissan Patrol Nismo revealed for Middle East

Nissan has a new performance flagship for its fabled Patrol off-roader SUV - the Nissan Patrol Nismo.

The hotted-up 4x4 is being made exclusively for the Middle Eastern market, where the moniker enjoys an almost cult-like status.

Images show a car with an aggressive visual makeover that doesn’t look too dissimilar to what we had expected for the Aussie-bound Nissan Patrol N-Trek Warrior, which has now been pushed back to a 2022 local launch.

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The Nismo sports an aggressive front fascia with a tough-looking matt black grille and contrasting high-gloss piano black accents.

There’s a set of large and aggressive cut-outs that flank a newly designed lower front bumper, and below that sits a glossy red front splitter that Nissan claims improves airflow over the front of the car and aids in better high-speed stability.

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Around the back, the Patrol Nismo has a novel rear bumper design that incorporates a gloss black diffuser and integrated twin-sports exhaust outlets.

The rear bumper also gets deep black cut-outs that match the front bar, red accents and a red LED brake light that’s meant to mimic the braking lights used on Nismo race cars of old.

Inside, the Nismo has also been adorned with several bespoke elements aimed at enhancing the impression of performance.

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There are new black and red Alcantara seats that complement the exterior of the car nicely and a carbon fibre-trimmed sports steering wheel with red dead-centre stitching.

Splashes of carbon fibre trim pieces can also be found around the cabin, and being a Y62-generation Patrol, the car’s infotainment system now supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Changes to the performance SUV haven’t just been skin-deep though – the Patrol Nismo also scores lightweight 22-inch alloy wheels and a set of Bilstein dampers that are said to improve the dynamic characteristics of the car.

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The chassis has also been tested and set up by Nissan’s Nismo motorsport engineers, who have gone about working their magic on the two-and-a-bit tonne SUV.

Under the bonnet, Nissan’s naturally-aspirated 5.6-litre V8 has also been breathed on to produce a bit more grunt, now producing 315kW and 560Nm, which is a 17kW bump compared to the engine’s standard tune.

Nissan has no plans to bring the high-riding Nismo to Australia – we’ll have to hang out for the aforementioned N-Trek Warrior to get a taste of a performance Patrol Down Under.

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