Here is an exciting truck that is certainly not headed stateside in its current form: the 2016 Nissan Patrol NISMO for the Middle Eastern market.
The upgrades are actually pretty awesome, despite just a jump to 428-ponies from the stock 400 even. The 5.6-liter V8 is absolutely a gem in 400HP form, so with freer intakes and exhaust, the engine is eager to deliver even more smiles-per-gallon via this new NISMO tune.
Chassis changes are fairly extensive, with a custom handling setup, Bilstein gas shocks and new Rays 22-inch forged alloys on the options list. Custom exterior with all-new bumpers front and rear are aggressive and gorgeous. The red-accented lower sills all around are a delicious NISMO trait — executed simply but effectively here. Giant dual exhausts and deletion of most body chrome is nice, especially versus the very chrome-y Patrol in the Middle Eastern market. Most of what remains is dipped in dark tint — a bit like a black chrome, but with more browns and organic earth tones.
How do we know? This is the same finish used all over the 2015 Nissan QX80 Limited, the new super-posh flagship we tested this summer.
Inside, white leathers with unique grey woods and red stitching helps up the drama in the plush cabin of this monster truck.
So, two final thoughts:
— this flagship model was previewed via custom QX80 Eau Rouge renders from last year… right here on CRD.
— finally, will this chassis and style upgrade join the Infiniti range in the US of A? While it would certainly be possible to swap the grilles and other lux features to Infiniti-branded items, it is not a direct fit. First off, Infiniti does not currently run any NISMO products, and is not likely to. IPL — short for Infiniti Performance Line — was a short-running sports badge for the brand, as was Eau Rouge for the Q50 concept of the same name.
But these days, the S models are generally Infiniti’s sports upgrade. So will this come stateside? We’d give it 80/20 odds against…. but if it were to make the jump, it would likely wear a QX80S badge. We still hope they do bring it. NISMO is NISMO. People would understand it. We would help make sure they do =]
2016 Nissan Patrol NISMO
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.