The Nissan Patrol four-wheel-drive – one of the last vehicles on sale in Australia under $100,000 with a V8 – could switch to twin-turbo V6 power for its next generation, according to a report out of the Middle East.
Instagram user cars_secrets – citing internal Nissan sources in the Middle East – claims Nissan has been developing a new 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 since 2017.
While the reports are unsubstantiated – and Nissan is yet to comment on the report – it is claimed the new twin-turbo V6 petrol engine will be used in the company’s next-generation full-size pick-ups and SUVs with a nine-speed automatic transmission.
In addition to the Infiniti QX80 luxury SUV and US-market Nissan Titan pick-up, the list of vehicles expected to adopt twin-turbo V6 petrol power includes the next-generation ‘Y63’ Nissan Patrol.
If the top secret plans come to fruition, it would become the first Nissan Patrol in the nameplate’s history to use a twin-turbo V6 as its flagship engine (a non-turbo 4.0-litre V6 is currently available in the Middle East, as the base engine below the V8).
While the engine swap is yet to be confirmed, the switch from V8 to twin-turbo V6 power would fall in line with industry trends towards smaller, turbocharged engines – which are more efficient and produce fewer harmful emissions, while offering similar or improved performance to big capacity V8s.
Launch timing for the next Nissan Patrol is yet to be announced – though given the continued popularity of the current-generation Y62 Patrol in the key US and Middle Eastern markets, it’s possible the Y63 may not arrive until 2025 or later in the decade.
New engine families typically take at least three years to develop – and given the positioning and integration of the engine in a vehicle’s chassis must be locked in early on in the new-car development process, an all-new Nissan Patrol is likely still a few years away.
Power and torque outputs for the new 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine are not listed in the Middle East report, however it would likely outgun the 298kW and 560Nm of the current Y62 model’s 5.6-litre V8.
The Middle East report says the engine will be paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission – developed by Mercedes-Benz, but also made available to Nissan – with a choice of full-time or part-time four-wheel drive.
The part-time system would likely be reserved for the next US-market Nissan Titan pick-up (with two- and four-wheel-drive modes), while the Y63 Patrol and its Infiniti QX80 twin (no longer sold in Australia) would gain the full-time system, as per the current model.
It’s worth noting this new twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine is claimed to be all-new, and not related to the ‘VR’ family of twin-turbo V6 engines fitted to the Nissan Z sports car and Nissan GT-R supercar, in 3.0-litre and 3.8-litre forms respectively.
A 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 for the next Nissan Patrol would bring it in line with its Toyota LandCruiser rival, which in other markets made the much-publicised switch from a 4.6-litre and 5.7-litre petrol V8s to a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 (technically a 3.4-litre) for its latest 300 Series generation.
The Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series 4.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8 diesel was also axed in favour of a 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel in markets such as Australia.
For now, there’s no indication a diesel engine will return to the Patrol for the Y63 generation, given the Middle East and the US are the two most popular destinations for the vehicle – and they are predominantly petrol markets.
No other details of the next-generation Nissan Patrol are known, however given the lack of industry rumours or spy photos, it’s believed the new model won’t launch until the second half of this decade.
Keyword: Next Nissan Patrol could switch to twin-turbo petrol V6 – report