The Nissan Patrol 2025 made its first appearance on the global stage at a gala event in Abu Dhabi. The new arrival is a complete upgrade, being taller and wider than any of its predecessors. And, despite this rejig, it is still "unmistakeably Patrol", to use the brand’s own phrase.
Nissan says this is a car designed, engineered and built for the Middle East. On an exterior level, the extra girth is obvious right from the off. Anyone who has stood next to a Patrol before will undoubtedly notice the size upgrade.
The body shell has been significantly softened – the block form of previous models has been reduced, with the introduction of several rounded corners, particularly around the rear. You might even call it curvy in places.
Mind you, that doesn’t stop the new Patrol looking assertive – it’s an attractive vehicle, but there is nothing overtly cutesy here. In fact, along those lines, Nissan has pulled off something clever, creating a vehicle with a typically fearsome edge that looks strangely refined at the same time.
A good example is the dashboard, which is a long, drawn-out affair. A bold design statement, for sure, but also one that looks very definitely on the pretty side.
You get a similar effect with the new headlight and grille set-up. The traditional C-shaped Patrol front lamps have morphed into a pleasing double-C shape but, conversely, the main air intake has been darkened and made more menacing.
In terms of power, the new base Patrol has a 3.8-litre naturally aspirated V6 with a nine-speed automatic gearbox and, though exact specifications are as yet unavailable, you can apparently get some serious forward motion over any terrain you’d care to tackle with that.
You will, of course, be able to get more than a base model though. The new Patrol was revealed at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, with the unveiling being split into two sections.
Media from around the world were given an early chance to see the new vehicle, followed by a covers-off session open to all – some in person, others tuning in online – a few hours later.
Those lucky enough to get behind the wheel suggested a treat was afoot for those who hadn’t.
How the car actually performs remains to be seen, of course, but, if past versions are anything to go by, fans of the Middle East beast are unlikely to be disappointed. After all, it has been popular in the region for decades now, so the brand must be doing something right. The car will be available later this year, with prices starting at $65,000 (Dh238,000) in the UAE.
THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
Attacks on Egypt’s long rooted Copts
Egypt’s Copts belong to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans.
The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypt’s 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo.
Egypt’s Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes.
More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016.
The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States.
Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years:
November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.
May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.
February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month.
December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility.
July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud.
May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob.
New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people.
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
