Wrong turn? The new Nissan Patrol/Armada will look like a Range Rover

Nissan's flagship SUV was shown to US dealers last week, which means that the world public premiere is just around the corner .

The current Nissan Patrol of the Y62 generation debuted in 2010, its version for the North American market is named Armada — it has been produced since 2016, the related premium Infiniti QX80 with its own factory Z62 index is in service with 2010. The trio are preparing for a generational change: Infiniti's new flagship SUV was announced on August 17 in the form of the QX Monograph concept, and the new Nissan Armada, according to Automotive News, has already been shown to American Nissan dealers during a private presentation in Las Vegas.

The United States is the world's main consumer of large SUVs, but it was the Nissan Armada that never enjoyed rush demand here, the peak of sales of the Y62 generation SUV here occurred in 2017, when 35,667 copies were sold. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global shortage of microchips, sales have dipped heavily, but are now recovering: in the first six months of this year, Nissan Armada sold 13,187 units in the US, which is 190.5% more than in January-June 2022 th, Infiniti QX80 over the same period also «grew up» — 6130 units were sold. (+113.8%).

Current Nissan Armada for the North American market 1/3 Current Nissan Armada for the North American market 2/3 Current Nissan Armada for the North American market 3/3

February rumors that the new Nissan Armada will not receive a V8 engine have been confirmed: the new generation SUV will be equipped with a 430 hp V6 gasoline bi-turbo engine, while the naturally aspirated 5.6-liter V8 on the current Nissan Armada produces 406 hp, the Middle East «charged» Patrol Nismo is only slightly more powerful — 428 hp. Toyota followed the same path two years ago when it launched the Land Cruiser 300 without a V8. The 7-speed hydromechanical automatic transmission on the Nissan Armada will give way to a 9-speed one when changing generations. Whether the new V6 will have any kind of hybrid add-on remains to be seen.

As for the design, one of the dealers who saw the car claims that the new Nissan Armada will be similar to the Range Rover and that it is noticeably larger and more brutal than the current generation SUV. The interior has become much more modern, has received large screens and a more refined finish.

Meanwhile, many were waiting for the new Nissan Patrol/Armada to succumb to the vogue for a return to classic off-road styling, as exemplified by the new Ford Bronco and Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. A return to the aesthetics of the Patrol Y61 or even earlier versions of the model would have been met with applause by Nissan fans, but marketers seem to have relied on luxury rather than nostalgia. By the way, in Australia, the outgoing Patrol recently got a hardcore off-road version of the Warrior, but even the current bodywork is too glamorous for it.

Nissan wants to earn more on each model and get rid of the vicious practice of permanent discounts, due to which it manages to remain more or less a major player in the US market. The Infiniti brand, which has been heavily devalued in recent years, should return to the leaders of the premium segment.

We add that the renewal of the Nissan model range was greatly delayed due to the management crisis in the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, but recently the alliance was restarted, and now the new Nissan will fall like a cornucopia. Premiere dates for the new Nissan Patrol/Armada and Infiniti QX80 have not yet been announced, but both models and their local variations are likely to be completely declassified within a year.