New Nissan Patrol takes shape with force-fed V6
Next-gen Y63 Patrol’s posh new Infiniti QX80 sibling has been shown to US dealers with a 336kW petrol V6 under the bonnetThe disappearance of V8 engines from Australia’s new-car market looks set to continue following a recent Infiniti dealer event in North America, where the next-generation Infiniti QX80 was reportedly confirmed to bring a twin-turbo petrol V6 in place of its familiar 5.6-litre V8.
That’s relevant to Aussies because although it’s no longer present here, Infiniti remains Nissan’s premium brand in the US – in the same way that Lexus is to Toyota – and the Infiniti QX has long been the sister model to the less luxurious Nissan Patrol.
Much like the relationship between the upcoming new Lexus GX and Toyota Prado, development of the new QX80 is being watched keenly by the industry for hints as to the next-generation Y63 Nissan Patrol, especially in terms of its powertrain.
Unsubstantiated reports out of the Middle East have previously claimed the next Patrol will be powered by a twin-turbo 3.5-litre petrol V6, but that’s now been backed by a fresh report from authoritative US industry website Automotive News, which claims the force-fed petrol V6 destined for the new QX80 will churn out 450hp (336kW) – 31kW more than the similarly-sized V6 in the Lexus LX.
No torque figure was provided in the report, but the intel comes from a recent Infiniti dealer conference in Los Angeles, attended by some of the brand’s (and Nissan’s) highest ranking officials, where the new QX80 was shown to retailers and locked in for a mid-2024 launch.
Other key QX80 details to come out of the event include recessed door-handles, automatic air suspension and a “Mercedes-Maybach GLS-like” cabin layout headlined by a ‘sweeping’ 24-inch display.
How any of these features apply to the next Patrol – or Nissan Armada, as it’s known in the US – remains to be seen, but the inclusion of a twin-turbo petrol V6 aligns with previous reports and speculation.
The new QX80 was described by Automotive News as being “beefier than its predecessor, with the blocky proportions of a Range Rover” – both pointers that align with what we’ve seen in recent spy shots.
We’re yet to hear anything about diesel-powered Patrol, which never eventuated with the current Y62 and is unlikely to do so with the Y63 as Nissan slowly phases out diesel from its global line-up in favour of its electric-drive e-POWER hybrid system.
Electrification was another hot topic of discussion at the forum, where US dealers reportedly expressed concerns that Infiniti was roughly three years behind its competitors as the Japanese luxury brand focuses on combustion powertrains while the market ‘warms up’ to electrification.
However, Nissan now seems ready to skip hybrid power for heavy-duty off-road vehicles like the next-generation Patrol and Navara ute, and go directly to offering EV versions of both models with the help of solid-state battery power, as part of its plan to release 27 electrified vehicles including 19 EVs by 2030.
Related: New Nissan Navara and Patrol to go solid-state EV
Related: SPY PICS: New Nissan Patrol hiding under Infiniti QX80 camo
Related: SPY PICS: 2024 Nissan Patrol
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Related: Nissan Patrol 2021 Review
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