Nissan’s latest seventh generation Patrol, internally designated as the Y63, is the brand’s longest continuously running model nameplate, having been in use since 1951, 75 years strong.
Roughly half of total annual Patrols (and its derivatives) are sold in the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC Region of the Middle East. In the UAE alone, the Patrol is the market leader in its segment. In the rest of the GCC it competes head-on with its key rival (and eternal arch-nemesis), the Toyota Land Cruiser.
Due to its immense importance in car culture in the Middle East, it has been dubbed as The Pride of Arabia, a favorite among royalty, sheikhs, oil barons, and the old rich of the Middle East.
As such, the latest seventh generation has very big shoes to fill. Sharing its platform with the upmarket North American Infinity QX80 and the Nissan Armada, it is the biggest model in Nissan’s global line-up. With the R35 GTR’s recent departure, the Patrol now stands as the brand’s flagship. There is even a NISMO variant with upgraded powertrain, suspension, trim and brakes.
The latest Y63 Patrol uses a revised body-on-frame chassis that’s stiffer yet lighter as well, improving on-road dynamics. The suspension consists of front double-wishbone arrangement while the rear uses a multi-link system that endows the Patrol with very impressive on-road vehicle dynamics. It’s sharper, more responsive and more willing to change directions. Yet the Patrol is also blessed with greater stability and is more composed at highway speeds.
Its heart is a 3.5 liter twin turbo direct injected V6 gasoline replacing the old naturally aspirated V8. Aside from being lighter and thus more fuel-efficient, the smaller engine is more powerful, with 425 Horsepower and crucially, 700 Newton-Meters of turbocharged torque.
Consumption? Around 11km / liter on the highway, 3.7km / liter in the city and overall average of 6.0km / liter. If that bothers you, this isn’t for you.
Drive is sent to all four wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission while a 2-speed transfer case helps give the luxurious, road-biased Patrol surprisingly impressive off-roading abilities. The Adaptive Air suspension, with height adjustability provides even more assistance: lower it for easier entry and exit, or raise it to improve ground clearance, all the way to the tune of 244mm. It’s also got 700mm of water wading ability, perfect for traversing rivers and streams while touring your newly purchased estate. When parked, the suspension defaults to its lowest setting, a boon for aging plutocrats.
The clean lines, the pronounced V-motion grill and the Range Rover-esque front fascia looks more sophisticated than the somewhat tacky outgoing model. The new Patrol feels more cohesive, more elegant and finally fit for royalty.
Inside, the interior is opulent. That’s the only way to describe it. The perforated two-tone light and dark tan seats with diamond quilted stitching,
the piano black trim, and the chunky 3-spoke steering wheel are ever so premium. It’s as if the wild beauty that is the Y63 Patrol went to a Swiss finishing school for Royalty.
The massive Monolith screen display consists of two 14.3 inch LCD screens side by side, one for the infotainment system and the other for the driver’s instrument panel giving it a futuristic vibe. Well designed, clean and modern. Not to be left out, there are even two 12.8 inch LCD monitors for the rear seat occupants.
With five adults plus gear to stow in the voluminous trunk (3rd row seats down of course) you have 1,413 liters available. Raise the third row and it’s still a decent 467 liter. But drop both 3rd and 2nd row seats and you have a cavernous 2,623 liters.
As a flagship, the Patrol has loads of tech fitted as standard: Nissan’s ADAS PROPilot Assist Suite includes, among other things 360-degree cameras, adaptive intelligent cruise control, steering and lane-keeping assist, autonomous emergency-braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert and forward collision mitigation, plus many other featurers are fitted.
There are also ABS-EBD brakes, 7 airbags and vehicle dynamics control (basically traction and stability control combined and working together) Then there’s the Drive Modes which have road biased settings (Eco, Normal & Sport) plus Off-Road focused settings (sand, snow, mud, rocks), living up to its Pride of Arabia moniker. Fit more aggressive all-terrain tires and your Patrol becomes a proper sand sled.
Sadly we never got to try the Patrol off-road as there wasn’t enough time, nor did we want to risk damaging it. On paved roads, where 99.9% of buyers will use it, the Patrol shines.
Firstly, power is urgent, abundant and easily accessed. Tip in and the Patrol is eager to leap ahead. A far cry from the previous V8-engined Patrol that felt lazy, laggy and cumbersome. The Y63, despite being bigger in every direction, feels far more athletic. It helps that it looks sleeker even if it’s larger.
The Patrol rides on the soft side, which is fine. It moves around quite a bit, so hustling a gargantuan 7-seat SUV that measures over 5 meters in length (5,350mm to be exact!) is a challenge. But the soft suspension is also controlled: the Patrol doesn’t wallow and is consistently predictable in its behavior.
Even with considerable chassis roll, pitch and squat are surprisingly minimal, and the steering, though light, has decent feel but crucially very accurate and well-weighted as you pile on more lock.
It feels capable on the fast and winding bits, engaging and exciting to drive as much as soaking in the royal experience as a passenger in the back.
The Patrol offers a lot of feedback for the driver; as a daily it would be tremendously enjoyable to use thanks to its responsiveness. That is, if occupying two regular car slots with a sole occupant (plus chauffeur) in the car doesn’t bother you. But if you are unbothered, then sit back and enjoy the ride while listening to the amazing audio form the Klipsch-powered surround-s0und system.
The Patrol has real presence, its aura imposing and authoritative. It is packed with so much features, it makes you wonder why you would bother to get anything else. Despite it’s ~5.385M price tag, the Patrol represents amazing value.
Space, pace, performance and panache. Few full-size SUV’s offer the same overall package in a very futuristic body. It’s truly made for the open plains of Arabia, where it will sell in prodigious numbers. But it’s equally at home amidst the modern skyscrapers of the urban jungle, ready to conquer all.
(thank you to Coby de Lara for the photos)
