Rent Nissan Patrol 2020 in Dubai

Rent the 2020 Nissan Patrol Super Safari and you get one of the last honest, analogue 4x4s still on the road, delivered to your door in Dubai within one to two hours. This is the Y61 generation, powered by a 4.8-litre inline-six with 280 hp, riding on a ladder frame with a low-range transfer case. It's the Patrol from before touchscreens took over, and that's exactly the point. This page helps you decide whether that simplicity is what you want for your week, or whether you'd be better served by the plusher modern car.

Why anyone still picks the old one

Newer isn't always the right rental. The Super Safari's appeal is that it's mechanical and predictable, with nothing between you and the drive. There's no clever turbo lag to manage and no fragile electronics to second-guess in the middle of the desert. The 4.8 TB48 six pulls with an easy, unstressed torque of 451 Nm, mated to a five-speed automatic, and it just works. For drivers who like a machine they can trust and understand, that counts for a lot.

It also puts a big, capable seven-seat 4x4 into your week at a sensible rate, which for a group heading out of the city can make more sense than a shinier, thirstier alternative.

Sand, tracks and the drive that follows

This is where the Super Safari belongs. Full four-wheel drive with a proper low range and around 225 mm of clearance means soft dunes, graded desert tracks, and the Hatta mountain roads are all fair game. Air down, engage low range, and it walks up sand that leaves lesser SUVs digging holes. The low, generous torque is tailor-made for it.

On tarmac it's a steady highway machine rather than a corner-carver. It cruises the E11 comfortably and gives you a commanding view over traffic, but it leans in bends and rides with the firm, busy feel of a body-on-frame truck. If your days are mostly smooth motorway and airport runs, know that going in. If they include real terrain, you'll be glad you have it.

Cooling a big cabin in a Dubai summer

From May through September this is a genuine concern, and a large older cabin is slower to recover than a modern one. Parked in the sun at 45 degrees, the Super Safari gets seriously hot inside, and while the AC is strong once it's going and the rear rows get their own outlets, you'll want to run it with the doors open for a moment before loading passengers. Set expectations here: it cools well, just not as fast as a car with the latest climate control. For a family with kids in the back, the rear vents are the detail that matters most.

Space for the group and their kit

Three rows, seven seats, and a second row that adults can use without complaint. The third row suits children or short trips more than grown-ups on a long haul, which is normal for a vehicle of this age and size.

On luggage, the rule is the familiar one for any three-row SUV. Everyone aboard and you've room behind the last seats for soft bags and a couple of cabin cases. Fold the rear row and the load area opens right up, easily enough for a desert weekend's gear or a holiday's worth of suitcases. Groups arriving at DXB or DWC with full cases should plan to fold the back and treat it as a roomy five-seater for the bags.

Fuel, tolls and the terms

A 4.8 six of this era drinks, plainly. Real-world use runs high, more so in stop-start city traffic or when you're working the car through sand with the AC loaded. The 135-litre tank is what makes it liveable, giving you long legs between fills even under heavy use, and cheap local fuel keeps the running cost reasonable for what the car delivers. Salik tolls are charged to you at each gantry, any RTA fine during the rental is yours, and we'll fit a child seat for under-fours on request.

The parking trade-off

At five metres long and close to two wide, this is not a car that flatters tight bays. Older mall car parks, Marina structures, and narrow ramps all take patience, and the boxy body needs careful placement. The tall stance and high clearance mean speed bumps and kerbs are never an issue, but if your week is downtown errands with daily parking, the size will wear on you. This car is at its best pointed at open road and open desert.

Who should rent it, and who shouldn't

Rent the 2020 Super Safari if you want a simple, tough, genuinely capable 4x4 for a week that includes the desert or Hatta, with room for a group of seven and a huge tank for the distances. It does the hard driving most rentals can't, and its old-school character is a feature for the people who choose it.

Skip it if you want modern refinement, quiet, and easy city manners, or if your driving is mainly urban, where the newer Patrol or a road-focused SUV will be calmer, more economical, and far easier to park. The Super Safari is a purpose-built desert tool. Match it to that purpose and it's excellent value.