Nissan Patrol Ti-L 2013 review

The Patrol has landed. Well, almost … After a wait of more than 18 months, we've finally had an impressive first drive in the sixth-generation Nissan Patrol.

It's bigger than before, with more heft and much more quality, and lines up nicely against the benchmark Toyota LandCruiser with a starting price promised from less than $85,000. But, and it's a very big one, the first customer deliveries are still more than four months away even though Nissan Australia has more than 6000 people with a confirmed Patrol plan.

The reason for the delay is simple: demand for left-hand drive Patrols in Russia and the Middle East was overwhelming, with more than 40,000 deliveries to date. Australia went on the back-burner and the lack of right-hand drive focus is even reflected in an automatic shift lever that's still set for left-hand driving.

Nissan Australia has high hopes for the Patrol and defends its local introduction, which includes a plan to sell the old and new models - officially the Y61 and Y62 - side-by-side. The old car continues as the diesel driver, as there is only one engine - a 5.5-litre V8 petrol - in the newcomer. 

"I'm not apologising," says Bill Peffer, managing director of Nissan Australia.

"There is no delay that is acceptable. But we have to follow the product lifecycle." Peffer says cumulative Patrol sales in Australia will top 100,000 next year, helped by the 14-year-old Y61. 

But the new focus is the Y61, "We're getting to the pointy end now. It's on sale officially in January but we'll have it at the motor show in Sydney," says Warwick Daly, model line manager for Patrol at Nissan Australia. "We've got a lot of interest and from the show onwards people will be able to place orders. It will basically be on sale from October."

Value

"The base will start from less than $85,000," Bill Peffer says simply. That means the new Patrol will go head-to-head with the latest Toyota LandCruiser, which currently starts at $83,490. Typically for Nissan, there are three model grades from the ST-L to the Ti at less than $95,000 and the fully-loaded
Ti-L for less than $115,000. Those prices are sharp for the class but there is more, as Nissan says it is aiming to conquest owners of luxury four-wheel drives up to the Range Rover and Porsche Cayenne.

To do that, the Ti-L gets everything up to leather trim and auto zircon to a 13-speaker Bose sound system, around-view monitor camera system, electric tailgate and tyre pressure monitor. The advantage for the Patrol is a seven-seater cabin - including a fold-flat third-row bench - although the two lesser models are full eight seaters.

Technology

The Patrol is still an old-school four-wheel drive, with a body that sits on a chassis frame and permanent four-wheel drive including low-range crawler gears. But its 5.5-litre petrol V8 is a thumper, and the base for Nissan's attack next year on V8 Supercar racing, making 298 kiloWatts and 560 Newton-metres of torque to ensure a 3500-kilogram tow rating.

But the weights are hefty, too, up to 2829 kilos. The suspension is fully independent, brakes are big four-wheel discs, and the four-wheel drive system has driver-selectable 'modes' for different terrain, low-range gears and a differential lock.

It has a range of other good stuff, lots of it for safety, but the highlight for many potential owners is the hydraulic body motion control system that applies pressure to keep the wheels in contact with the ground during off-road work and minimise body roll and improve cornering on the road. It's not on the bottom model.

Design

What can you say? The Patrol is a big, boxy, four-wheel drive that's designed to carry up to eight people and do heavyweight off-road and towing work. So it's no beauty. But it is way more stylish that the outgoing Patrol, with smoother edges and more - dare I say it? - LandCruiser looks.

Inside, the cabin is well equipped and roomy but the ambience is 1980s. There is fake wood trim across the board and chintzy fabric in the ST-L, with lots shiny highlights. It probably works for the target buyers, but it's not as stylish or sophisticated as the luxury 4wds that Nissan is targeting.

Safety

Nissan promises plenty of safety equipment, from front-side-curtain airbags and ABS brakes and ESP stability through to a rear-view camera on each model and the all-round four-camera system on the flagship. The Ti-L also gets blind spot warning and lane-departure assist, active cruise control, Xenon lamps and more.

Driving

At last, the Patrol is more than a workhorse that drives like a truck. It is everything I had expected, and feels far more like the latest LandCruiser than the primitive model it replaces. We only have a brief trial drive, because the first two Patrols in Australia are not certified for road use, but it proves the Patrol is hugely competent off-road and quite nice on bitumen.

It easily conquers a long uphill climb, where the torque of the V8 is more than enough for the conditions and the multi-mode grip compensates for rocks and loose sand. Then it's into a deep water crossing with no worries, with the transmission again matching its settings to the grip. It's definitely a Patrol and most owners will give up long before they approach the off-road limits of their car.

On the road, the new Patrol is hugely roomy, cushy-style comfortable and well equipped. It rides nicely enough and there is acceptable cornering grip, but I need more time at the wheel to make any final judgement. But I know I don't like the chintzy trim below the Ti-L, and the shift lever is a big stretch across the console and that's annoying. How much extra would it have cost to do the right-hand drive conversion properly?

For now, the Patrol looks good. But we need more time and a wider variety of conditions to give a proper Carsguide verdict.

Verdict

After 14 years the Patrol is finally new again. It's good, but probably not great.