We purposely waited to publish this story later in the day so you would not think it was an April Fool’s joke. The famed Nismo badge is saved for high-performance models such as the GT-R (check out our GT-R anniversary article here), so it was quite a surprise to see the Nissan Patrol Nismo Edition debut press release land in our mailbox.

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Large and in charge

The Nissan Patrol is the big daddy of the company’s SUV line-up. This go-anywhere model counts the Toyota Land Cruiser and Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen among its rivals, which is why it is odd to see a Nissan Patrol Nismo Edition break cover. However, what isn’t odd is that the car was unveiled in the Middle East.

Check out our exclusive gallery of images taken at Nissan’s Heritage collection at this link.

Off-roading, as you can imagine, is a big pastime in that part of the world. As a result owners and enthusiasts have been modifying the heck out of the large SUV for as long as they have been available in the Gulf. We hear that it’s not uncommon for Patrols to boast well in excess of 1 000 bhp to tear up the dunes.

Upgrades

The Nissan Patrol Nismo Edition is based on the top-spec V8 LE Platinum City derivative. Changes include a new facia, with a honeycomb three-dimensional mesh, along with new front lamps and horizontal chrome lines with a Nismo badge. The rear features a roof spoiler, a bumper with dark chrome inserts and new tail lamps as well as LED fog lights which are (in their words, not ours) inspired by the Nissan Formula 1 car. A signature Nismo red strip underlines the new styling.

Check out the upcoming Nissan Z car by clicking here.

22-inch, two-tone aluminium wheels help reduce unsprung mass and add some machismo. The SUV’s suspension features Bilstein dampers for improved handling. The Patrol’s V8 engine has been tuned by the same specialists who work on GT-R engines. Their efforts have resulted in 319 kW of power and 560 N.m of torque.

Interior treatment

The interior features front seats that are covered in Alcantara with leather bolsters. Black Alcantara is also used on the steering rim, which features red carbon-fibre inserts. Technology upgrades to the Nissan Patrol Nismo Edition include Apple CarPlay connectivity, wireless charging and USB-A and USB-C ports.

Before you rush off to your local Nissan dealership you should note that this model has been created specifically for the Middle East. You can learn all about the newcomer and Nismo in the video below.