Over, Patrol: A New Era Ford Maverick SUV, Introduced

ford has recommitted itself to the passenger car sector in Europe this month and the US automaker has announced a partnership with Renault to produce two cars based on the French brand’s electric vehicle platform.

While Renault’s architecture is also used by Nissan, A recent unconfirmed report claimed that Ford and Nissan were in secret discussions about sharing product platforms for the North American market.

However, this isn’t the first time Ford has partnered with Nissan to expand its offering.

In late 1989, Ford Australia and Nissan Australia announced a $100 million manufacturing partnership, with the two brands sharing several locally manufactured models in the 1990s – including a Nissan Pintara, which was renamed Ford, and a Ford Falcon ute, which was sold as a Nissan.

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The relationship also extended to Japanese-made vehicles, and arguably the most popular model from the collaboration was the Ford Maverick, which was nothing more than a badged Nissan Patrol.

Interestingly, around the same time, the Ford Maverick name was used in some overseas markets for a redesigned Nissan Terrano II.

But with Nissan set to launch the next-generation Patrol in 2026, artist Theottle created a digital illustration of a new Maverick – a possible outcome of the budding partnership – based on Ford’s latest SUV design language in the US.

Of course, Ford already sells the F-150-based Expedition in this segment in the US. And even if a new Ford SUV were based on the Patrol, it would be unlikely that it would carry the Maverick name, as Ford has already recycled the emblem for a small pickup truck in the US market in 2021.

While there is no evidence at this point that Nissan and Ford are collaborating on a Patrol SUV, there is little doubt that Ford’s local arm would be interested in having a product that can take on the Toyota LandCruiser 300 series.

As with the 300 series, Nissan has ditched the V8 petrol engine in the new Y63 Patrol, instead the SUV is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine producing 317kW and 700Nm. Coincidentally, the Ford Expedition also uses a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6.

It’s a far cry from the original off-road Maverick, as buyers can choose between two 4.2-liter six-cylinder engines – one petrol and the other diesel.

Despite weighing almost two tonnes, the petrol engine produced 125 kW, while the diesel only produced 85 kW – without either engine benefiting from turbocharging.