When we got an invite from Nissan for the Nissan Carnival, we were quite excited. Nissan GTR makes people of this generation go weak in their knees. Nissan GT-R, the supercar slayer makes some extremely expensive exotic machines look pretentious. So while the GT-R creates the aspiration imagery for the performance oriented boy-racer, Nissan has an equally rich portfolio of hardcore off-roaders to delight the adventure enthusiast too. Thanks to the Pathfinder, the X-trail, the Xterra and the Patrol, the Japanese carmaker is known for its prowess in mud-plugging machines.
Nissan Patrol, the flagship Nissan SUV, is one such all-terrain machine which can tread uncharted territories without compromising luxury or comfort. We got a chance to sample the big SUV at the Nissan Carnival organized some time ago around a custom made track. So here it is – our first impression of this big SUV.
What would you call a 2.8 ton behemoth powered by an extravagant, 5.6L V8 Petrol engine these days? A Planet slayer? And that would probably not just be because of its huge engine but the fact that this beast can go anywhere and surprisingly, you will be cocooned in supreme luxury as you do it. And you realize how humongous the thing is only when you stand next to it. The car may conceal its girth well in the pictures, but get closer and the size becomes overwhelmingly evident.
There is heavy use of chrome on the car all round, from the signature Nissan Grille, to the fog lamps housings, the greenhouse lining, rub rails, fender vents, ORVMs door handles and rear license plate garnish – everything is drenched in high quality chrome. The car features soft bulges all across, there aren’t any sharp lines on the Patrol’s body, probably to exude controlled brawn – a blend of refined luxury with off-road capability.
The big windows give you an impression of a spacious, airy cabin. The dimensions, which read more than 5 meters of length, and a little less than 2 meters of height should not leave any doubt about the abundance of acreage inside.
During the Nissan Carnival, the media representatives were divided into three groups and we happened to be part of the group who got to experience the Patrol first. The Y62 Patrol has so much road presence and looks so menacing that as we approached it, my heart skipped a beat as I was completely overwhelmed by the size and presence of the 2.8 ton behemoth.
As we climbed into it, we were amazed by the luxurious cabin. Something the Patrols were not initially known for. Luxury was more the domain of the British Range Rovers which ferried footballers than doing any true off-roading. But two fun facts indicated towards this change. The spec sheet on Patrol’s global website was in Arabic and our test vehicles had Dubai license plates. In these times of increasing fuel prices, it’s the sheikhs who can really afford the fuel (well, they actually own the fuel) and they like to do things in luxury.
An old friend who went down under to Australia a few years ago was into serious off-roading in his Nissan Patrol. So much so that he got the latest generation Y62 in his wedding procession from Nissan Australia and he did not like it as much as his older Patrol because of the luxury. Hard as it may be to believe, Patrols are as popular, if not more, than the Range Rovers with the off-roading enthusiasts.
But has the Patrol lost it’s extremely focused go anywhere attitude, with the added luxury and amenities? We found out as we drove the car around the challenging off-road track.