Reviews
Gallery 8
CLEVER driver-assist technology comes to the Nissan Patrol including a rear-vision mirror that can see through rear-seat passengers.
WHAT IS IT?
Nissan’s four-pot diesel-only Y61 Patrol is dead, leaving only the bigger V8 petrol Y62 Patrol on sale. An entry-level Ti costs from $71,990, with the top-spec Ti-L attracting a $88,990 recommended retail sticker.
Late last year it had an update that introduced a range of driver assist technologies. One is a rear-vision mirror that can see past the rear seats even if they’re occupied to let a driver know what’s behind the big off-roader.
Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series VX petrol
THE WHEELS VERDICT
Something this big and heavy shouldn’t do the stupid things your right foot asks of it, but the Nissan Patrol does. The driver assist technology is welcome, given this thing’s ability to lift its skirts when needed, and its ability to defy the laws of physics is awe-inspiring.
THE WHEELS REVIEW
A CAMEL was once the default ship of the desert. But camels are unpleasant creatures that bite and smell, and make a noise similar to what you’d expect from a male walrus in the height of mating season. Thankfully, the camel’s role is now taken up by overtly large off-road vehicles, the likes of our subject here, the Nissan Y62 Patrol.
That “Y62” is an important distinction. Sock-tanned off-road enthusiasts Australia-wide are still crying into their campfire-fresh Bedourie-cooked damper rolls at the loss of the GU Patrol, a tough, rugged, diesel-engined workhorse as old as grandpa’s father’s uncle’s axe that was killed off by tightening Australian vehicle emissions standards. For the Y62 has gone soft in comparison, you see.
And it will fill the rear-view mirror quite quickly. Under that shovelnose bonnet is a VK56 90-degree 5.6-litre atmo V8 producing 298kW and 560Nm, and connected to a surprisingly short-travel throttle. Flex the right Blundstone and the Patrol will leap from a standing start, a distinctive V8 warble accompanying the surprisingly linear and brisk acceleration that should bring a grin to the maw of many a disciple of displacement. The Patrol is an automatic all-wheel drive with on-demand, push button/twist dial four-wheel-drive, but in default mode most of the torque is biased via the seven-speed automatic down to the rear, with the front axle stepping in when needed. Put a load on – we tried the Patrol with four people on board and towing a catamaran – and at freeway speeds the seven-speed auto will hunt through the gears as it chases the engine’s 4000rpm torque peak. On the freeway the Patrol sat on 15.3L/100km; on the city cycle we saw that soar to 22.4L/100km.
New to the top-spec Patrol are active cruise control, which leaves too big a gap to the car in front, and Intelligent Distance Control that will automatically jam on the brakes if the active cruise control isn’t set and stop you from snotting the new-look grille and foglamp housings on the back of the car in front. They’re a welcome addition, even if you’re perched so high in the driver’s seat – you climb, rather than hop in – that you have a commanding view over the traffic in front, giving switched-on drivers a chance to see what’s happening ahead rather than rely on the electronic nanny.
Inside, the Patrol feels wide, not helped by large, flat seats and a skinny-by-comparison centre console that in our test car had a cool box fitted between the front seats that can even be opened from the second row. There are headrest-mounted multimedia screens (they will play audio from a smartphone but not show the picture) for second-row occupants that hook into the DVD player, and room for up to eight adults via a 60:40 split-fold third row that doesn’t lie completely flat when stowed. From the driver’s seat, the small monochrome digital display is limited in function and doesn’t even include a digital speedo.
The Nissan Patrol isn’t an obvious choice as a commuter car, and you’re going to need a strong and specific reason to buy one. Whether that sonorous V8 is enough reason, you can be the judge.
SPECS
Model: Nissan Patrol Ti-L Engine: 5552cc V8, dohc, 48v Max power: 298kW @ 5800rpm Max torque: 560Nm @ 4000rpm Transmission: 7-speed auto, AWD Weight: 2750kg 0-100km/h: N/A Economy: 14.4L/100km (claimed) Price: $88,990 On sale: Now
