Rent Nissan Patrol 2025 in Dubai

Every so often a renter calls to ask why the online listing for the Nissan Patrol 2025 in Dubai still shows a 4.8-litre V8, because the car we actually hand over at the gate carries nothing of the sort. That figure belongs to the outgoing model. This is the all-new Patrol, the first one on our fleet built without a naturally aspirated V8 anywhere near it, and in its place sits a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6. We deliver it to your hotel, villa or terminal, usually within one to two hours of booking. What the swap actually changes once you're behind the wheel, rather than on a data sheet, is what this page is for.

What the twin-turbo swap does behind the wheel

Nissan retired the old 5.6-litre V8 for this generation and replaced it with a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 rated at 425 hp and 700 Nm, sent through a nine-speed automatic. If a listing anywhere still quotes 4.8 litres and 280 hp, it's describing the previous Super Safari, a simpler, much older truck that has nothing to do with the car we hand you the keys to. The new engine gets a two-and-a-half-tonne SUV to 100 km/h in about 6.7 seconds, and it does the work with less delay than the old V8 ever managed, because the turbos are already spinning by the time you ask for the power. Closing a gap on Sheikh Zayed Road becomes a squeeze of the pedal rather than a downshift and a wait.

None of that extra refinement comes at the cost of the hardware underneath. The Patrol stays a genuine body-on-frame 4x4 with a low-range transfer case and terrain modes for sand, rock, mud and snow, so the smoother, quieter drive hasn't traded away the capability that made this truck a desert regular in the first place.

Space, the boot and the daily use

Seating is seven or eight depending on whether the middle row is set as captain's chairs or a bench, and the difference between this and most three-row SUVs shows up in the back. The third row here takes a grown adult on a real trip, not just a child for twenty minutes to the mall. Folding it down or sliding the middle row out of the way is quick enough that nobody argues over who sits where before a group heads out.

Luggage is the honest trade-off. With every seat up, the space behind the third row is modest, enough for the weekly shop or a few soft bags, not a stack of hard cases for a full car. Fold that row flat and the boot opens right up for an airport run with cases for four. Needing every seat and every case at the same time is the one combination that doesn't work here, and it rarely comes up for most renters.

Living with the footprint day to day is the other half of the daily-use question. At 5,205 mm long and 2,030 mm wide, the Patrol asks for patience in a tight multi-storey bay or a Marina tower ramp, and a mid-block U-turn takes a wider sweep than a smaller SUV needs. The payoff is 273 mm of ground clearance, so speed bumps and steep mall entrances that catch a low sedan are a non-event here.

What the twin-turbo drinks, and how the cabin cools

This one comes off our fleet in black, and a black cabin runs hotter than a lighter one after a few hours in an open July car park, simply because the body soaks up more heat before you ever open a door. The first minute back inside is rough, same as in any car left out here, but the system is sized for the volume it has to cool and pulls the cabin down quickly once you're moving. Vents run strong front and rear, so a full car doesn't leave the third row waiting on whatever cold air drifts back from the front.

Running a two-and-a-half-tonne SUV costs more than running a smaller one, and it's worth budgeting for. Nissan quotes 9.9 L/100km combined, but a week of Dubai stop-start traffic with the AC working hard will sit above that figure in practice. The 97-litre tank still buys a long range between fills, so you're not at the pump constantly, even if each fill is a bigger number than you'd pay in a hatchback. Salik tolls and any RTA fines during the rental are on you as the renter, and in a car this comfortable to drive far, the kilometres add up before you notice them.

The renter this new-generation Patrol suits, and who should wait

Rent the 2025 Patrol if you need what the size and the new engine actually deliver: a big family or group with real luggage, a third row that seats adults rather than just kids, or a trip that includes a genuine run out to the desert. The V6 makes it quicker and noticeably quieter than the V8 model it replaces, and the 4x4 hardware underneath means the capability is real rather than a badge on a soft crossover. Just remember that dune driving is a skill, not a setting, so drop your tyre pressures, carry recovery gear, and go with someone who knows the route if you're leaving the tarmac.

Skip it if it's one or two of you doing city errands and the odd airport run. You'll spend the week parking a five-metre SUV and feeding a thirsty tank for a job a mid-size SUV or a sedan does cheaper and with far less fuss in a tight bay. The included allowance is 250 km a day, then AED 0.5 for every extra kilometre, and you need to be 25 to take the keys. Rent it for the space and the capability, not for the badge.