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Infiniti QX80 showing itself soon as preview of next Nissan Patrol
Current QX80 and Patrol will both be replaced after nearly 14 years, though no longer powered by a V8 engine or a diesel option.
Split headlight design will be a first for the QX80 and most likely, also the Patrol. Image: Infiniti
Sporadically spied last year in preparation for its long awaited market reveal in 2024, Nissan’s upscale division, Infiniti, has announced that the production version of the QX Monograph will retain the QX80 designation when it debuts in the United States on 20 March.
What to expect
Showcased as the mentioned concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August last year, the QX80 will in effect provide the preview of the next generation Nissan Patrol that has been in reported development since 2019.
ALSO READ: Concept Infiniti QX Monograph debuts as hint of new Nissan Patrol
Set to replace the current Y62 that bowed in 2010, the internally named Y63 will represent a significant departure as, apart from being the first all-new Patrol in more than a decade, will wave goodbye to the 5.6-litre VK56 V8 petrol engine in favour of a downsized twin-turbo V6.
Last updated in 2019, but with different interiors for the Middle East and Australian markets, the latter applying to South Africa, the Patrol, and for that matter the QX80, will both be motivated by a new twin-blown 3.5-litre bent-six reportedly connected to an equally new nine-speed automatic gearbox.
Back to six
A setup that replaces the V8 and seven-speed automatic ‘box, the first Patrol to revert to six-cylinders, albeit with turbocharging for the first time, since the 4.8-litre straight-six engine Y61, will continue to keep the low range gearbox and body-on-frame platform, but with new levels of capability according to Nissan’s Product Strategy and Planning Head, Ivan Espinosa.
“I think the customers, the moment they drive a twin-turbo V6, they discover a new universe,” Espinosa told Australia’s drive.com.au on the sidelines of the Tokyo Mobility Show last year.
“The capability, the performance, the acceleration, the power delivery – the customer will smile, I’m sure of it. It will outshine the V8 in all those metrics”.
‘Greatly improved’ but no diesel
Confirming not only a new chassis but also “greatly improved” steering, Espinosa also told the publication that immediate electrification won’t be applied to the Patrol or QX80, while a diesel engine will remain off limits as it has been in the Y62.
Expected to differ from the QX80 on the exterior front, the Patrol, which will continue to be sold under the Armada name in the United States, will incorporate styling most likely from the Frontier bakkie as opposed to a variation of Infiniti’s own Artistry in Motion.
Described at the time of the QX Monograph’s reveal as the “anti-wedge profile”, the provided teaser images of the QX80 shows a rear facia little changed from the concept and, as indicated by spy images, a split headlight design with the upper light cluster comprising 10 individual LED diodes.
Interior still unseen
What continues to remain a mystery is the interior as no images were showcased at the QX Monograph’s unveiling, or seen by any spy photographer so far.
According to a report by Automotive News though, a 24-inch display will take prevalence inside in addition to sensors capable of automatically adjusting the climate control after scanning an occupant’s body temperatures.
Whether this will be fitted to the Patrol remains unknown, although it will most likely be standard on higher-end versions of the QX80.
More soon
Penned-in to make its maiden public showing at the New York International Auto Show on 29 March, predictions are that more details, still in teaser form, will emerge within the next weeks leading up to 20 March.
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