Nissan Patrol Debuts In Abu Dhabi

Some say that the day of big SUVs are over - we say, don't count them out yet. There will always be a need for the big, spacious four-wheel drive beasts.

Nissan is announcing it's latest entry in the market, dubbed the Patrol. The company is covering both ends of the spectrum, with the tiny Juke revealed last week.

We know the Patrol in the United States as the Armada. There are varied reports as to whether the Patrol will be coming over in both Nissan and Infiniti guises, but anyhow it is a big improvement over the odd (and slow selling) design that was the Armada.

A look at the Patrol and you can tell it was influenced by segment stalwart the Toyota Land Cruiser in appearance. Especially the upright rear design and the slab-sided bodywork.

Overall it looks much better than the previous Armada, as well as its inspiration the Land Cruisder.

The Patrol is nicely updated and current looking - it even has a fender vent! The design should make a great basis for the Infiniti QX, which leaked last year. What's inside though is an even more dramatic and impressive change.

The Patrol really ups the luxury quotient by an order of magnitude, especially when compared to the current Armada, which has a lackluster interior design.

The center stack has been completely redesigned with the latest Nissan switchgear, and wood and aluminum accents now line the dash.

It is not limited to only visual changes though - legroom in the second and third rows have been increased.

Also, Nissan has developed what it calls the world's first a "curtain vent." Small vents are mounted in the ceiling above the side windows to direct cool air downward, serving as a barrier between the glass and the cabin.

This will be appreciated in extreme hot climates like the one the Patrol is debuting in. Overall, the Patrol looks and has the feature list of an Infiniti interior - we'll see what the company tries to do (if anything) to improve it for the Infiniti QX.

Nissan chose Abu Dhabi as the best place to launch the SUV, given the Patrol's past success in the Middle East where gas guzzling vehicles rule. Nissan says that 200 prototypes (a figure higher than most)  were built for dynamic evaluation at the company's Japanese Motegi, Oppama and Tochigi proving grounds.

After testing there, they were sent to the Middle East for testing in "(the) desert , rocky surfaces, highways and inner-city traffic."

As part of the upgrades for the new generation, a Hydraulic Body Motion Control System (HBMC) was added. The system keeps the car flatter with less body roll on the road and offers stability when gong off-road.

Perhaps most importantly, the suspension was upgraded from a rigid axle to a 4-wheel independent suspension, helping to improve off-road ability significantly.

Also new is the Patrol's V-8 engine, which gets a large displacement increase from the previous vehicle's 4.8 liter unit to  a new 5.6-litre V-8 engine that features VVEL (variable valve event and lift) and DIG (direct injection gasoline).

The engine generates 400 horsepower and about 405 pound feet of torque mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission.

It is clear that this is no small update - it is an all-new model. There are varied reports as to whether it will be coming to the United States as the Armada, but we do know the QX is getting replaced - and for the most part, you're looking at it.