4x4 Shed: 2017 Nissan Patrol Ti-L part 1

THE Mercedes-Benz G-Professional has left the shed, and filling its place in the carpark is this shiny, new Nissan Patrol.

The Patrol copped a mild refresh toward the end of last year, scoring a new grille and front bumper to try and update its look; but, in reality, the look of the Y62 has remained largely the same since it launched here in 2013.

It still has that stonking, great 298kW 5.6-litre V8 engine, backed by a seven-speed auto and on-demand all-wheel drive with low range. It’s a brilliant driveline for a big off-road wagon, even if it doesn’t offer the efficiency of a diesel engine. Plus, there’s a lot to love about that V8.

Being the top-spec Ti-L model, this Patrol is loaded with features and creature comforts: heated and cooled leather seats; sat-nav; Bose audio; a fridge in the centre console; rear-seat DVD screens; 360-degree around-view cameras; and all the electronic safety add-ons you could ever dream of.

It’s a far cry from the Spartan G-Professional we came out of, yet at $88,990 it’s close to $30K cheaper. Some of these features work better than others. Things like the cameras, lane departure warnings and blind spot monitor are all good, but the forward collision warning beeps all the time and the Intelligent Distance Control is annoying. Thankfully, the default for the IDC is off and you need to switch it on if you want it.

Nissan made a fuss about the inclusion of the intelligent rear-view mirror on this updated Ti-L, as the mirror uses the rear-view camera to give the driver an unobstructed view of what’s behind the vehicle, which could be handy if you have a cabin full of passengers or luggage obscuring the view. Again, this can be switched on or off as desired.

I’ve been trying to get used to it, but, like anything on a monitor, the image doesn’t seem real to me and I prefer to rely on what I can see with my own eyes. I will continue to give it a try to see if I get used to it, but I find that every time I need to reverse the car, I reach to switch it off.

All Patrols now come with the Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) system that delivers the best performance both on- and off-road from the full independent suspension set-up. In fact, it’s quite astounding how well the Patrol transitions from uneven off-road-terrain to mountain-road curves.

We’ve only put a single tank of fuel through the Nissan over the holiday break and it averaged 16.06L/100km, while the OBC told us it was 14.5L/100km. The driving at this time was around town but with a fair amount of freeway driving as we escaped town to the Bass beaches a few times.

The Patrol asks for premium fuel, so we’ve been running 98RON in it. Thankfully the nice big 140-litre tank should still get us 1000 or more highway kilometres between fills, which will prove handy as we head off on an interstate road trip this month, before we take it off-road once the holiday period is out of the way.

4x4 Shed Log: 2017 Nissan Patrol Ti-L
Current mileage: 1162km
Date acquired: Dec 2017
Price: $88,990 + ORC
Mileage this month: 667km
Average fuel consumption: 16.06L/100km

What we love: The big car feel; ride quality and comfort; great bang for your buck; V8 engine!
What could be better: Calibration of collision warning system; cheap-looking interior trims and chrome; seat coolers don’t blow enough air.