Confirmed! All-new Y63 Nissan Patrol will include hardcore NISMO variant to take on the Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport

Nissan will bake a hardcore NISMO program into the Y63 Nissan Patrol program, giving the brand a factory alternative to models like the Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport and the homegrown Patrol Warrior by Premcar.

That's the word from Nissan's VP of product planning, and one that's echoed by its design chief, both of whom say they were blown away by the popularity of Y62 NISMO, which existed exclusively in the Middle East. Other markets - including Australia - wanted their own NISMO, which has inspired the brand to bake in the program for the Y63.

"Patrol NISMO is something we will keep building on. It was really well received," says Ivan Espinosa - Vice president, Product Strategy & Planning, Nissan.

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"So yes, it's something we will of course keep doing. It's the flagship. And it could be (a more global application)."

Mr Espinosa's enthusiasm is shared by Nissan's design chief, Alfonso Albaisa, who says global markets were clamouring for the Patrol NISMO from the moment it was revealed.

"We made the NISMO here in Japan. That was intentional Nissan Motor Racing DNA. You feel like things are going to be successful, but that car? You can't actually find one, and the regions are asking," Mr Albaisa says.

"I was a bit surprised, to be honest. I felt that it was a very specific animal for very high-speed road conditions, and it's anti-Patrol in almost every way – it has no ramp angles, it's a beast, but it's a little out of context for Patrol.

"But people have seen it and thought that the beast looks good, and they wish they could get one. Obviously it's very successful, the people are in love with it, and we're finding a bigger audience than we thought."

The Y62 Patrol NISMO was unveiled for the petrol-loving Middle Eastern market in April 2021. And it was no sticker pack – Nissan's NISMO engineers had their fingerprints all over the flagship Patrol, working on everything from the engine outputs to the aerodynamics and suspension tune, and everything in between.

It began with the big V8 petrol engine, with the Nissan Patrol NISMO pumping out a sizeable 320kW and 560Nm - a sizeable upgrade on the 298kW (and 560Nm) offered by the regular Patrol.

Those power boosts were at the hands of the brand's "legendary Takumi craftsmen team" - the same four master engine builders who create the GT-R's engine at Nissan's Yokohama engine plant in Japan.

There were also key body changes, including 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, deliver better braking performance and high-speed handling.

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

The Y63 NISMO would no doubt undergo a similar treatment – albeit sans V8, with a twin-turbo V6 petrol now confirmed for that model – with Nissan's performance sub-brand to continue to focus on "high-speed performance" rather than making a vehicle tougher or more capable off-road.