Rent Nissan Patrol 2020 in Dubai

White is the colour most people picture the moment someone says Nissan Patrol, the shade parked outside every mall valet stand and leading every Hatta convoy in this city. This Nissan Patrol 2020 comes in exactly that colour, and it isn't just tradition: white bodywork runs a few degrees cooler than dark paint after hours in July sun, which counts for something on a five-metre SUV you're about to climb into. We get it to your door within one to two hours of booking. Under the paint sits the outgoing Y62 generation's naturally aspirated 5.6-litre V8, the engine most people actually mean when they ask for a Patrol, and this page settles whether that classic pairing, the expected colour and the old-school engine, fits the week you have planned.

The 5.6-litre V8 behind this Patrol's reputation

This is the facelifted Y62 Patrol, the body-on-frame wagon Nissan sold across the GCC through the 2020 model year, not the redesigned car that replaced the V8 with a turbocharged six a few years later. The engine is a 5.6-litre naturally aspirated V8 making 400 hp at 5,800 rpm and 560 Nm at 4,000 rpm, sent through a seven-speed automatic to Nissan's All-Mode 4WD system with a genuine low-range transfer case rather than an electronic setting that only pretends to change anything.

There's no turbo to wait for. Press the pedal and the power arrives straight off idle, which is most of why this generation still has a following even with newer engines now on the market. Nissan quotes 0-100 km/h in around 6.6 seconds for something north of two and a half tonnes, and it holds a claimed 210 km/h if the road ever allows it. On Sheikh Zayed Road that reserve shows up as an overtake with no downshift and no run-up. Switch into low range near Hatta and the difference from a soft-road crossover is obvious on loose sand, though dune driving still rewards dropped tyre pressures and a second vehicle along for company, not confidence alone.

One thing worth confirming before you book: a share of 2020 Patrols in the region carry a smaller 4.0-litre V6 instead of this V8. It's a fine engine on its own, just noticeably calmer, so if the V8 is the reason you want this year, ask us to confirm which one your unit carries.

Seven seats that hold up in practice, and what it means for the boot

Seven seats, and the middle row backs up the number rather than just listing it. It's wide enough for three across, or two adults with room to spare, and it slides and tips forward on its own, so nobody climbs over folded seatbacks to reach the third row. Adults can sit back there for the drive to Abu Dhabi, not just the ten minutes to school.

Luggage is where you plan rather than assume. With all seven seats up, the space behind the third row takes a couple of soft bags and a stroller, not a stack of hard suitcases for a full car. Fold one side of the third row down and you get a proper load bay for cases while five or six people still travel. Take the whole row out of the equation and it swallows a big family's luggage for a week with room left over. The day that catches renters out is the one demanding every seat filled and every case packed at once, and most bookings, city errands, a school run, an airport pickup, never ask for both.

What white paintwork buys you against a Dubai summer

Nissan's combined figure sits around 14 L/100km, and it undersells a two-and-a-half-tonne V8 worked through Dubai traffic with the air conditioning running hard. Real consumption tends to land closer to 16 or 17. The 140-litre tank absorbs that gap well, buying several days of ordinary driving before you're back at a station.

Mileage is the number to plan around more than fuel. The daily allowance on this Patrol is 250 km, and every kilometre past that costs AED 0.5. City errands, school runs and airport pickups sit comfortably inside that limit, but a full day out to Hatta and back can close the gap faster than people expect, so it's worth tallying the route before you leave. You'll need to be 25 to take the keys, and Salik tolls plus any RTA fines land on you as the renter, the same as on any car we hand over.

The white paint does real work once you're back at the car. Pale bodywork reflects more heat than dark paint, so after hours in an open July car park the panels and glass run cooler to the touch, and the cabin starts from a slightly better position than the same Patrol in black. That advantage stops at the windscreen, so a couple of minutes of the front vents working hard is still normal before the cabin feels right, and properly fed rear vents mean the third row isn't stuck breathing whatever warm air drifts back from the front. Size shows up at the mall and the tower car park more than the colour does. At just over 5.1 metres long, the Patrol wants a full bay rather than the gap near the trolley return, though 275 mm of ground clearance means speed bumps and steep ramps stop being something you slow down for.

Big groups get real value here, solo errands don't

Book this Patrol if you're a large family or a group travelling with real luggage, or if your week genuinely mixes highway distance, seven seats and a day heading toward the dunes. The V8's reputation as the default choice in this class isn't marketing. It's built on years of exactly this kind of trip, and the white paint is the practical choice, not just the popular one, for a car that spends its afternoons parked in the sun.

Size down if it's one or two of you running errands with the odd airport pickup. You'd be parking a five-metre SUV built for seven and feeding a thirsty V8 for a job a mid-size crossover handles on a fraction of the fuel and none of the parking stress. This Patrol earns its size back on the week that actually needs seven seats and a run into the sand, not as a default pick because it's the name everyone expects to see.