Universal Motors Corp. unveils 2007 Patrol Super Safari

The face is all-new but the intimidating, almost military-like bearing is oh-so-familiar. Anyone who has ever been compelled to move to the next lane to let a Nissan Patrol pass will not fail to recognize the 2007 Nissan Patrol Super Safari from Universal Motors Corporation (UMC).

The bold chrome grille, the large mean-looking headlamps and the massive-looking front bumper are new. The rear taillight clusters boast an angular and very contemporary new design. The 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels are likewise new.

Inside the new Patrol’s sumptuous and opulent wood grain-and-beige leather-swathed interior, one will find a completely new dashboard and a new multi-meter gauge.

The changes are enough to present a completely fresh new vehicle but, depending on your point of view, the iconic hulking stance and intimidating factor is very much familiar.

"The Nissan Patrol has steadily built its reputation of being the undisputed luxury 4WD SUV of choice of the powerful, influential, statesmen and celebrated citizens. With the wide acceptance of this celebrated luxury 4WD SUV, we sold more Nissan Patrols in the Philippines than the model did in its home country, Japan," stated Elizabeth H. Lee, UMC’s SVP for Marketing in her speech.

First manufactured in Japan in 1950, the Nissan Patrol has more than 57 years of history, expertise, and technology behind it. In many countries in Asia and the Middle East, it is the military’s choice as the all-purpose vehicle. Various United Nations agencies use it as their official car.

So what else is new from this veteran off-roader? A powerful, new 252-horsepower 4.8-liter gasoline-fed engine, that’s what. This highly refined new motor is mated to a likewise-new 5-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift mode for greater driver control.

Diesel engine loyalists, however, still have Nissan’s fuel-efficient, tried-and-tested ZD30DDTi 3.0-liter turbo-diesel engine. Other new features pf the 2007 Patrol Super Safari are power-folding side mirrors and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

But more than a new truck, the focus of the evening’s festivities were people.

"The 2007 Nissan Patrol Super Safari is all about people…accomplished and influential people who have arrived and yet continue to strive to make a difference and change their world for the better – such is the typical profile of a Nissan Patrol buyer," says Lee.

She likens the Patrol, being tough on the outside and exquisitely supple on the inside, as the embodiment of the most inspiring of individuals.

"After all, we are not just about selling vehicles. Fundamentally, we’re about people, with the underlying principle of making a difference in other people’s lives through the products that we carry," she adds.

In fact, the 2007 Nissan Patrol Super Safari’s upcoming campaign is a call to move the human race forward.

Individuals who were cited by Universal Motors Corp. during the event include a real estate mogul, a dentist, a noted cardiologist, a commercial model, a corporate chairwoman, an internationally renowned jeweller, and a single mother-turned-broadsheet publisher – all of whom were active in various socio-civic programs for the needy and the less fortunate.

"And it is they, whom the Nissan Patrol Super Safari celebrates – people who transcend power from raw strength to personify power with a purpose," declares Lee.

The new Patrol Super Safari starts at P2,408,000 for the diesel M/T (P2,505,000 for the diesel A/T) and tops out at P2,697,000 for the top-of-the-line gasoline A/T.