New 2027 Nissan Y63 Patrol is almost here and this is why it is the arch nemesis of the 2026 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series in Australia

Over six generations since 1961, the Nissan Patrol has been a thorn in Toyota’s side.

While the latter’s mighty marketing machine constantly reminds us that the LandCruiser has been part of Australia since 1958, the Patrol has also been around long enough to have people reaching for the clichés.

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In the lead up to the Y63 model that's finally due in the first quarter of next year, we take a look at how and why, for nearly two-thirds of a century, the Patrol has mattered more than Toyota would care to admit.

The Simpson’s original opener

Some 64 years ago next month, in September 1962, a Datsun G60 Patrol became the first motor vehicle to cross the Simpson Desert, according to Nissan. There was even a Marg on board. Though not with an e. D'oh!

It drove a family of four, headed by geologist Reg Sprigg and wife Griselda, on a 12-day trek right in the heart of Australia.

Among other obstacles, Nissan states they encountered 1100 sand dunes, in what must have been an excruciatingly dull “I spy…” to wile the hours away for the kids bouncing about in the back seat.

The other child was named Doug. Which might have been appropriate given their average speed was just 5km/h during the ordeal. This stuff almost writes itself!

But don’t worry, Toyota fans. In the latter stages of its construction, the Snowy Mountains Hydro scheme called upon the earliest LandCruisers imported to Australia, thus also forging an early bond with this country.

But a Patrol was first to conquer a formidable desert.

The oldest new passenger vehicle in Australia comes to an end

Sadly, for lovers of old technology, the current Y62 has reached the end of the line – quite literally, since the production line in Japan will switch to its Y63 replacement this month.

For the record, the outgoing Patrol was unveiled all the way back in 2010, and has been on sale in Australia since early 2013, with a facelift coming later that decade.

Fun fact! The current model did not receive factory fitted Apple CarPlay until May, 2025!

Happily, for lovers of old tech, there’s always the Toyota 70 Series LandCruiser, which is technically way older than the Nissan since that first appeared in Australia in 1985.

But, unlike the 78 Series utes and 79 Series Troop Carrier, the 76 Series five-door passenger wagon only arrived in 2007 and has been subjected to “pauses” due to high demand, model changeovers and other production constraints that Toyota deemed necessary, while the Patrol has hung around like a Simpson Desert bush fly.

So, the old Datto gets the guernsey.

Look who’s turning 65!

Nowadays, and for good reason, it’s Chinese vehicles that have the reputation for copying others’ designs.

But some of the earlier Japanese models were masters of plagiarism, allegedly, and the original Patrol was no exception.

This was a Jeep knock-off, pure and simple, launched in the home market in September, 1951. The similarities were obvious, down to the boxy design, squared-off wheel arches, and multi-bar grille flanked by a couple of circular headlights.

Perhaps Nissan needed to one-up Toyota, since the Willys Jeep-sanctioned Toyota Jeep “BJ” was displayed in January of that year as a prototype, as a precursor to the LandCruiser.

But that didn’t enter production until 1953, so Nissan beats Toyota again.

And, since arriving in 1960, over one-quarter of a million Patrols have been sold in Australia alone - though that's against over 1.15 million LandCruisers, so we know who's having the last laugh here.

Australia’s actual first family SUV

To suggest that the fourth-generation, Y60 (GQ series) Patrol stormed the market in 1987 would not be an overstatement.

With its handsome design, chunky yet elegant proportions, coil-sprung suspension and car-like interior at a time when most 4WDs were workhorse basic, it scared the hell out of Toyota and made Australia Nissan’s second-biggest Patrol market globally over its 10-year run.

What the GQ achieved should not be underestimated, since it transcended segments with its civility, flexibility, quality and capabilities. And purists still can’t shut up about the indestructable TD42 engine.

This is why the SUV revolution actually started right here, years before the original Suzuki Vitara and the Toyota RAV4 it inspired swept across the world.

Along with the Y61 GU from 1997 that succeeded GQ, we're talking peak Patrol here.

The government-decreed Ford version

If you think today's popular Everest that is based upon the Ranger ute is Ford’s first body-on-frame 4WD wagon sold in Australia, you’re way off.

Earlier in the 1980s there was the F100-derived Bronco two-door wagon (that was actually assembled locally), but that paled compared to the Maverick, which was a GQ Patrol in all but badge.

A by-product of the Federal Government’s Button Plan designed to rationalise excess Australian car production, the Maverick filled a gap in Ford’s line-up left by Bronco, and it worked.

In fact, the Blue Oval Patrol was considered more of a success than some of the other badge-engineered model-sharing twins of the era, like the Holden Commodore-based Toyota Lexcen and the disastrous Nissan Pintara-derived Ford Corsair.

This would have endlessly miffed Toyota, giving it another reason to despise the Patrol.

The last relatively affordable V8 SUV

For now, at least, there will be no affordable full-sized body-on-frame 4WD wagon available new in Australia with V8 power once the Y63 Patrol finally lands .

That’s probably no bad thing given the excessive thirst of the peachy 5.6-litre V8 that is central to the Y62's appeal. Especially to oil companies. Even the trip computer struggled to keep the average fuel consumption under 20.0L/100km during our last outing with several last year.

But there are buyers out there that would demand nothing less than the orchestral bellow of eight cylinders, especially in the superior Warrior version and its trick side exhaust.

Much to Toyota’s chagrin, it’s also likely the Patrol probably snared some LandCruiser buyers once the V6-based 300 Series arrived in 2021.