Nissan in the Middle-East has brought back Itās legendary GU Patrol, otherwise known as the Y61, from the brink of death with a bit of a special-edition rebirth. And it has their most-loved engine under the bonnet. No, itās not the ZD30 or TD42. And no, it isnāt the 298kW V8 that the Y62 has.
We arenāt getting it in Australia, however. Itās getting axed here, and is being sent off with a āLegendā special edition.
Itās the petrol 4.8 litre GU Patrol, described as āone of the most coveted off-road vehicles ever sold in the regionā, and weād believe it. Itās kind of like the love of later 4.2 diesel Patrols that still go for big money in Australia, but over there, itās a little bit different, here are a few reasons why itās so loved.
1: The driveline:
Moving bits on these on these things are built like a tank. Diffs, gearboxes and driveshafts can put up with an exorbitant amount of power and torque before letting go. Which means itās perfect for the Arabian obsession with psi, and lots of it.
2: The engine:
Where Australians love the TD42, Middle-Easterners go weak-at-the-knees for the petrol derivatives: namely the 4.8-litre TB48. Itās straight-six injected petrol engine, which makes 185 kW @ 4800 rpm 420 NĀ·m @ 3600 rpm. The beauty of it, however, is that itās built like a diesel, which means it is capable of so, so much more power. Using so, so much more fuel while doing it. Add boost, and watch the magic happen.
3. Modifications:
These are perfect for their propensity to drive really, really, quickly in the desert. You can turbo this engine to silly.com proportions, and the rest of the car can handle it. This is why itās so loved.
The model is called a āSuper Safariā, which is a bit of a top-spec monster. It has a centre-cooled fridge, electric leather seats and a fair amount of electronic driver aids. When when youāre doing 200km/h sideways up the lee of a 50-metre sand dune, you can check your tyre pressures easily as well with the onboard TPMS, sipping from your cool ice tea. So handy.
āWe know this vehicle will appeal to many customers who have grown up with the Super Safari brand, and as new generations come to know the Patrol Super Safari, they too will appreciate its legendary capability and appreciate its deep-rooted heritage in the regionās culture,ā said Samir Cherfan, managing director of Nissan Middle East. This is what he means:
Nissan leveraging off their culture of vehicles loved by enthusiasts? Blow me down, what a good idea.
This article was originally posted by Mr 4Ć4.