Well, here's one we never saw coming. Just as we were talking about the Juke Nismo around the office, I stumbled upon an amateur video of this Nissan Patrol Nismo, spotted in Dubai. What?
Yes, here is such an SUV and it's very official. Even though the Patrol is a ladder chassis truck sometimes used by the peace corps, Nissan have turned it into a BMW X5 M lookalike. The reason is that the UAE is probably the biggest Patrol market in the world, and they wanted to reward the millionaires' loyalty.
In addition to launching the performance sub-brand with the 370Z Nismo and the GT-R Nismo, Nissan also had a “world premiere” of the Patrol Nismo at a track. However, the videos we found also show it on the streets.
The race-inspired version of Nissan's legendary SUV features a bespoke body it. From the front, it has more than a passing resemblance to the 370Z, featuring a chin spoiler that stands out because of the red pinstriping. The designers also used a mesh grille and sprinkled aggression onto the headlights.
Flared fenders flow into new side skirts. Again, a red stripe helps define the bottom of the car in a sporty manner. Black accents are used for the side mirrors and several trim pieces while the roof rails were deleted.
Around the back, a roof spoiler proudly defines the tailgate. The black air diffuser is pointless when it sits about a foot off the ground, but it does make the Patrol look like its GT-R distant cousin. A new exhaust system has been capped off by twin chrome mufflers.
And we're not done yet. Nissan says this is the first "Zero-Lift" aerodynamic body kit. It's paired with a tuned power steering and suspension system with Bilstein shock absorbers for improved handling and ride comfort. 22-inch RAYS forged alloy wheels with a two-tone design cap off the look.
The bad news comes last. While the GT-R Nismo sitting beside the Patrol produces 600 horsepower from a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, the Nismo SUV only musters 428 horsepower from its 5.6-liter V8. This modest 23 hp boost is accompanied by slightly increased torque over 70% of the range.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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