It turns out the recently-revealed Nissan Patrol Nismo may not be exclusive to the Middle East after all.
While not confirmed just yet, Nissan Australia has indicated it’s in talks with head office about the performance-focused Patrol, and that it’s definitely interested in bringing a similar product to our market.
“We’ve been in some talks to discuss what that would look like in terms of bringing it to Australia,” said Stephen Lester, Managing Director for Nissan Australia. “But, nothing to confirm on that [at the moment].”
Nissan’s global press release for the Patrol Nismo explicitly states the beefed-up off-roader is being offered solely to the Middle East. Hopefully, that’s set to change.
Revealed some three weeks ago, the updated Patrol Nismo gets a more powerful 319kW/560Nm 5.6-litre naturally-aspirated V8, up 21kW over the standard model.
It also gets a range of racy add-ons inside and out courtesy of the Nismo performance division.
There are lighter 22-inch two-tone alloy wheels, Bilstein shock absorbers, a larger rear roof spoiler, larger brakes and a full body kit with red accents.
Additionally, there’s an F1-inspired rear fog light mounted in the diffuser.
Inside, there’s a model-exclusive red/black colour scheme incorporating quilted leather and suede combination upholstery throughout, Nismo headrest embroidery, contrast red stitching just about everywhere, and a swish suede/carbon-fibre steering wheel.
The press images also show a Nismo instrument cluster with red tacho dial.
Like other Patrol models in overseas markets, the Nismo also gets the updated dual-screen infotainment setup with stacked displays and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto capability – something that hasn’t made its way Down Under just yet.
Currently, the Nissan Patrol is offered in Australia in Ti and Ti-L guises, wearing a facelifted exterior but carrying on with a largely identical interior to the pre-facelift model, unlike left-hand drive markets like the Middle East and North America.
It runs a 298kW/560Nm version of the 5.6-litre V8, with prices ranging from $78,910 for the Ti to $93,365 for the Ti-L – both excluding on-road costs.
A Nismo model would likely wear a price tag of around $100,000 which would still undercuts the likes of the diesel-powered Toyota LandCruiser 200 Sahara ($124,396) and conceptually similar Lexus LX570 S ($168,767).
Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest, and let us know your thoughts on the Patrol Nismo in the comments.
