A Nissan executive says the next-generation Patrol will stick with its hefty V8 petrol engine rather than switching to diesel or hybrid power.
Speaking to Drive, Ismail Sethi, deputy general manager of product marketing at Nissan Middle East, revealed the Japanese brand would continue using its 5,6-litre V8 petrol engine in the next Patrol, albeit with some modifications.
However, he could not say exactly when the replacement for the sixth-generation (Y62) Patrol would arrive.
“The company is working on it. There is no timeline, but the car has been in the market for eight years now and of course the lifecycle needs to be refreshed and the company is going to be working towards that,” Sethi said.
“But again, the lifecycle in the segment is usually longer – for example, our competitor the [Toyota] Land Cruiser [launched in] 2008 and for us, 2010 [is when] we launched.”
Sethi said the fact the Patrol’s main markets were the United States and the Middle East meant a diesel powertrain was unlikely to be developed.
“No, it’s going to remain petrol. It is gasoline right now, it will remain gasoline because that is the bigger demand in where the Patrol sells,” he told the Australian publication.
Sethi went on to explain why an all-electric or hybrid powertrain would not suit the Patrol.
“Hybrid and EV, it’s a very important subject for Nissan because most of the European markets are heading towards it. If you get an EV in this [Patrol] first of all it will need a lot of battery power, a lot of cells – because of the weight, because of the usage.
“And hybrid as well, the customer is basically going in for a V8, it is a gas guzzler and it’s basically going to remain a gasoline, it’s going to be an ICE [internal combustion engine] naturally aspirated.
“Of course, the company may study turbos or whatever,” he said, adding that a turbocharged V6 “could be a possibility but we’re not sure of it right now”.
