Harder, tougher, better: Nissan says Australia's 2026 Y63 Patrol is tougher than the Armada as brand details changes that make our Patrol the best of all worlds from towing to ride to toughness

They make look similar, but Nissan says it has made the Y63 Patrol tougher than its American Armada twin, as it knows hows how hard Middle Eastern and Australian buyers will be on the 4WD when off-road.

In fact, the differences are such that Nissan doesn't even consider the two vehicles to be riding on identical platforms, with the Y63's chief product specialist, Antonio Lopez, telling CarsGuide that the Patrol features more strength and reinforcement in its chassis than the Armada for better durability off the road.

"This one is unique, it's only for Patrol. The Armada and Patrol, the chassis is not exactly the same, the chassis is not the same," Mr Lopez said.

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"This (Y63) vehicle, from a durability point of view, it's a little bit more engineered for the usage in the Middle East."

While the frame is tougher, the ride is also softer – at least in the Middle East, where the roads can be billiard table-smooth – while the US Armada gets a more compliant ride that our right-hand-drive Patrol will adopt.

"This vehicle more concentrates on the suspension, which is more for better roads, while in the US the right-hand-drive (setup), they have tougher roads, so the for longer distance it's a little different suspension."

Asked whether the Y63 Patrol's chassis features extra reinforcement, Mr Lopez answered "exactly", before pointing out that Australian vehicle's would also require a higher tow rating.

"Your region is special. You need the same toughness as this (Middle Eastern) model, but you have the towing. That needs to be reengineered," he says.

In the USA, the all-new Armada has a tow rating of 8500 pounds, which is around 3.8 tonnes. In the Middle East, however, the Patrol is rated to just two tonnes braked.

But it's here again that Nissan will take the best of each vehicle to deliver the right outcome for Australia, with Mr Lopez confident our figure will match America's.

"Australia will most likely be the same like the USA," Mr Lopez says.

As we learned this week, the Y63 will use the highest output engine — in terms of toque — that Nissan has ever produced.

2025 Nissan Armada Pro-4X

Replacing the Y62’s 5.6-litre V8 is a new 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 closely related to the engines in the Nissan GT-R and Nissan Z.

That means big power.

While the Y62 made 298kW and 560Nm, the Y63 monsters those outputs, producing a mega 317kW and 700Nm. That grunt is channelled through a new nine-speed automatic complete with paddle shifters, before being fed to all four wheels.

Unfortunately, there is a wait ahead of us to see Australia's Patrol, with production scheduled for 2026 and deliveries due in the final quarter of that same year.