Nissan Patrol

The Japanese flagship has hit the sweet spot when it comes to Emiratis. We find out why

U“USUALLY A COMPANY manages its products, however the Patrol manages us.” That is how Ismail Sethi, the DGM of Product Marketing at Nissan introduced Nissan's flagship SUV. The Patrol truly has a cult following, especially here in Dubai where size matters more than anything else. In a country where every second vehicle sold is an SUV, while every sixth car comes with a luxury car badge (including the likes of Audi, BMW and even Bentley), the Patrol has managed to carve a niche in the market for itself, which is a tremendous achievement. And we were given a go in the Patrol V8 not only on the streets of Dubai but also on a short desert trail near Umm Al Quwain to find the reasons.

There's only one word to describe the Patrol when it comes to aesthetics – ginormous.