Australia is keen! Nissan "actively pursuing" Patrol NISMO beast to act as V8 flagship to take down the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series

The Nissan Patrol NISMO is back on the cards for Australia, with the brand's local executives eyeing the V8-powered monster to act as a flagship model above the regular Patrol and the incoming Warrior.

It would give Nissan's iconic off-roader a serious point of difference against the new LandCruiser 300 Series, with the former sporting a big petrol V8 engine, and the latter expected to score a V6 diesel.

But the number of cylinders isn't the only difference. While the 300 Series will unashamedly focus on off-road capability - at least until a GR version arrives - the Nissan Patrol NISMO is all about the on-road performance.

You get the thumping V8 petrol engine, of course, which is now pumping out a sizeable 320kW and 560Nm (up from 298kW and 560Nm) offered by the regular Patrol. You can thank Nissan's "Takumi craftsmen" - the same people who work on the GT-R's engine - for the power boost.

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You also get a new side-duct to the front bumper that allows zero lift force, as well as higher heels and a new roof spoiler that the brand says, combined, deliver better braking performance and high-speed handling.

Speaking of handling, there's Bilstein shock absorbers, which the brand says "provide sportier and improved handling".

But while we thought the NISMO was off the table for Australia, with the locally designed Patrol Warrior expected to fill the gap, Nissan's position locally has shifted, with the brand now eyeing the box-shaped monster for our market.

"We are having conversations about what that looks like and what the possibilities are. It's still very early stages at this point, but certainly...we would actively pursue that."

Asked whether the lineup could step from Patrol, to Patrol Warrior to Patrol NISMO, relied: "Yes, it can do."

In the meantime, the Patrol Warrior is edging closer to reality, with the brand now promising "We will shortly be answering that in more detail."

The Patrol story, then, is just beginning in Australia. So watch this space.