Nissan has been quietly readying its contender to take on the popular global mid-size body-on-frame SUV segment which is currently dominated by the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and the Ford Everest (Endeavour for India). The company will most likely unveil its all-new SUV at the upcoming Shanghai motor show next year.
Likely to be called the Nissan Paladin, this new SUV will – like its rivals – be based on the Navara pick-up truck platform but will have unique exterior design in order to have a unique identity of its own. A first set of leaked images have surfaced on the internet confirming the SUV and its final design, which is quite attractive. Up front, the nose has typical Nissan family look with a large bumper, including a wide air dam and medium-sized headlamps with a kink in them. Moving on to the sides, the new Nissan SUV features a large glasshouse with an upward sweeping theme that’s seen on other Nissan SUV/crossovers on sale globally. At the back, the design is a bit simple, with horizontal larg-ish tail-lamps and chrome trim on the tailgate. Overall, the new Nissan SUV has a butch stance and looks ready to take on the competition. It is expected to come with three-rows of seats.
Under the hood, this new SUV will come with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder motor mated to manual as well as automatic gearboxes, similar to the ones seen on the Navara pick-up. There are talks of the new SUV being launched first in the Chinese market, which could mean there will be a petrol version as well. Though, there is no news of it making it to our shores anytime soon. Nissan is, however, gearing up to launch its new Kicks crossover next year.