Y62 Nissan Patrol sales soar

At the same meeting where Nissan announced the axing of the Y61 (GU) Patrol, Nissan Australia CEO Richard Emery said the newer and very different Y62 model is selling like hotcakes. As of March, the Y62 Patrol is outselling the old Y61 model but is being limited by supply issues.

“By being honest with ourselves and our dealers with where that car [Y62 Patrol] was and what it was capable of, we repositioned and respecified that car, and really priced and specced it at what the market expectation was,” said Emery of the current model. “And surprise, surprise, people started buying it in droves to the point now where we can’t build enough of them. It’s still in small volumes, because it is a big, petrol in a diesel market, so it’s not as if it’s running away selling 200 cars a month.”

Emery went on to confirm there are presently no plans to introduce a diesel engine variant to the Y62 Patrol range. That range continues with just the $69,990 Patrol Ti and the $86,990 Patrol Ti-L.

Opposed to the traditional old Patrol that had live axles front and rear, a ladder frame chassis and choices of petrol and diesel engines throughout its 19-year history, the high-tech Y62 uses independent suspension front and rear and is powered exclusively by a stonking 5.6-litre petrol V8 engine that makes 298kW and 560Nm. It also utilises some clever technology, such as the Hydraulic Body Motion Control system (HBMC) that stiffens the shock absorbers up at speed for on-road dynamics and loosens them off-road to improve wheel travel. About the most high-tech part of a GU Patrol was its wireless.

The Y62 is coming up to seven years old and we don’t expect it to live as long as its predecessor, given the relatively fast model turnaround we see now. We can only live in hope that the next generation is engineered with Australia in mind (not just the US and Middle East) and will include a diesel engine and, heaven forbid, a ute!