Ford Bronco vs Nissan Patrol

What's the difference?

In many respects the reasons the Bronco is not available to Australian buyers are clear and understandable - demand remains high in the US market and it’s unclear just how many Ford Australia could sell. A pessimist would point to the modest sales of the Jeep Wrangler but an optimist would point out the sales gap between the Ford Ranger and the Jeep Gladiator and ask why Ford doesn’t think it could out-sell its competition.

Having spent so much quality time with the Bronco it’s clear it would have some major appeal to Australian buyers. The strong sales of the Ranger and Everest, as well as the entire off-road SUV market - the likes of the Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, etc - it’s obvious we love a rugged, adventurous vehicle.

Ford’s strength in that area, with the Ranger/Everest combination, would seemingly strengthen the case for the Bronco to join its ‘T6’ siblings, but only time will tell.

Having spent an extended period behind the wheel I’m more convinced that the Bronco would find a strong market in Australia. Both with the off-road set and those who like a Land Rover Defender to take the kids to school. 

This is an SUV with capability and personality and that should be enough to make it a success in Australia. But for now, we need to play the waiting game…

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Nissan Patrol Warrior is a very capable 4WD, it’s a refined, comfortable all-rounder with plenty of potential as a touring vehicle.

PremCar’s work here – as on the Navara – has made a good 4WD even better.

All of that conversion work, engineering upgrades and fitment of accessories is the kind of sensible work an experienced 4WDer would apply via the aftermarket. The bonus here is that it’s all factory-backed and covered by a 10-year/300,000km warranty, albeit with conditions. 

If you can cope with the fuel bills, this big V8 4WD remains a refreshingly old-school style of off-roader – relying more on sheer grunt than touchy tech – and the latest round of cabin updates has added more appeal to what is already a very appealing vehicle.

While we don’t have a history with the Bronco in Australia, it’s an iconic model in the US that was introduced in the 1960s to compete with the likes of the Jeep CJ-5 and Toyota LandCruiser.

It evolved throughout the 1970s, ‘80s and into the ‘90s eventually becoming an F-150-based SUV before being discontinued in ‘96.

For this revived Bronco Ford has gone back to its roots, taking inspiration from the ‘60s and ‘70s but also creating a car that is also very much contemporary.

It’s a great example of using retro design elements without getting lost in nostalgia.

It’s also hugely functional, with a removable roof and doors, which is a popular feature in the US where it’s legal to drive without the doors in place, and has deliberately short front and rear overhangs for improved approach and departure angles.

The Heritage edition takes this a step further with its pumped out Sasquatch flared guards, which are both functional and add to the chunky look of the Bronco.

Notably, the Bronco does not feature a Ford ‘blue oval’ badge, instead it only uses the ‘F-O-R-D’ on the grille and the rest of the badges are the ‘bucking Bronco’ - an alternative take on the ‘striding Mustang’ logo used for the iconic pony car.

The interior of the Bronco is interesting, showing very little commonality with the Ranger and instead embracing its unique history and design language.

The Heritage version also pops with its Oxford White dashboard inset, complete with bright red ‘Bronco’ lettering in front of the passenger.

The Nissan Patrol Warrior is 5269mm long (with a 3075mm wheelbase), 2079mm wide, 1990mm high and it has a listed kerb weight of 2858kg. It’s 94mm longer and 84mm wider than the Ti.

Though this latest round of range updates have been mostly limited to the multimedia system, that’s a-okay because this Warrior has more than enough heavy-shouldered presence on- and off-road and not simply because it’s a chunky behemoth.

While other large 4WDs, such as the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, have bowed to contemporary-taste pressure and become a bit softer around the edges, the Warrior retains some of the blocky stature of 4WDs past.

Inside, the interior has benefitted from the new bigger multimedia system which sits atop the dash and dominates real estate up front. The interior feels slightly fresher than in previous iterations, but still comfortably familiar.

The Bronco is a big vehicle so you do need to climb up into it, but Ford has considered that and integrated handles into the side of the dashboard to help you in.

That’s just one of several small but thoughtful touches around the cabin that show the company has been very considered in designing the Bronco.

The option to have either removable soft- or hard-top is another one of those design touches that show Ford was determined to ensure the Bronco appealed to a broad market of buyers.

It does mean some peculiarities, though, such as the window and mirror controls being on the centre console, instead of the doors.

It also cuts down on small item storage space, as the doors only have small netted areas rather than any meaningful space.

In fact, small item storage is limited to just two cupholders and two small areas up front and in the car there are no cupholders at all in the rear.

Instead, rear passengers are left with the small nets in the doors and nothing else. However, rear passengers do get a USB and power outlet which will no doubt come in handy for owners.

Back in the front the instrument display combines an analogue speedo with a small digital screen that displays the rest of the information.

It’s not a particularly clear layout, with a vertical rev counter next to several other readouts making it tricky to glance at on the move, and unfortunately it cannot be changed like some other digital displays.

The 8.0-inch media screen is a good size and offers Ford’s intuitive SYNC 4 operating system, which is a plus.

In terms of space the Bronco offers reasonable interior room, albeit less than you might expect when you look at how big it is outside.

The front seats are comfortable and offer good visibility of the road ahead, while the rear offers adequate legroom and generous headroom thanks to the tall and squared-off roofline.

The boot measures a very healthy 1008 litres according to Ford, which seems generous based on our real world experience.

It certainly coped well, accommodating several large suitcases and smaller bags, though, so it doesn’t lack for luggage capacity even if its on-paper claim may be grandiose.

Obviously there’s the full-size spare mounted on the rear tailgate in case you need it. The tailgate itself opens in two parts, with the lower half coming out to the side while the glass lifts up, which is necessary because of the removable roof (with the glass section coming off with the top).

The Warrior cabin is essentially a Ti interior – as such, it’s roomy and plush, with expanses of soft-touch surfaces. Due to plenty of ‘Warrior’ touches and the most recent updates as noted earlier, the cabin feels made-over yet instantly recognisable. 

The centre console is no longer the confusion of buttons, dials and knobs it previously was and there are plenty of storage spaces for driver and front passenger – glove box, cupholders, bottle holders in the doors etc – as well as some concealed spaces (with pop-up lids) for keys, phone and other everyday carry gear.

Second-row passengers get comfortable seats, as well as two USB charge points, and temperature and fan controls in the back of the centre console. Those in this row also have access to the back of the centre console. 

There are cupholders in the fold-down armrest, map pockets in the seat backs and bottle holders in the doors. 

Second-row seats have a top tether point and an ISOFIX point on both outer seats.

Third-row seats are flat and hard compared to the other positions and, in terms of space, are better suited to children or adults for brief stints.

All three rows get air con – there are roof-mounted vents – and there are handy storage spaces in the third row, but no cupholders. 

The third row has one top tether child seat anchorage point. 

The rear cargo area has load tie-down points and a 12V socket, as well as tyre-changing tools under the floor. The new full-sized spare tyre is underslung at the rear.

With the third-row seats in use, boot space is listed as 467L. With the third row stowed away, there’s a claimed 1413L of cargo space. With the second and third rows stowed there’s a claimed 2623L.

The Nissan Patrol Warrior is a eight-seat 4WD wagon with a price-tag of $105,660, before on-road costs.

Standard features include a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and sat nav), as well as a new 7.0-inch driver dash display, wireless charging and an off-road monitor.

Other features onboard include front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera view and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.

The more than $15,000 worth of carried-over Premcar conversion work, upgrades and fitment of accessories include a re-engineered version of Nissan’s 'Hydraulic Body Motion Control' (HBMC) system, a 50mm total suspension lift with new springs front and rear increasing vehicle height to 1990mm (+50mm over the Ti), and increased ground clearance to 323mm (+50mm) and wheel track to 1735mm front and rear (+40mm).

Warrior-specific suspension modifications include not only the Warrior-tuned HBMC (front and rear) but front Warrior red springs, rear Warrior multi-rate red springs and Warrior rear bump-stop.

Exterior changes carried over into this Warrior iteration include a red Warrior-branded bash plate, front Warrior-embossed bumper valance, a black grille, Patrol Warrior decals, black side mirror caps, plus an upgraded exhaust system with bi-modal valve and a unique exhaust tip.

There's also a black flare kit (with grained finish), Warrior towbar (towbar cross member, tongue, harness only, all modified to fit the new, bigger full-size spare), two rear recovery points, Warrior rear bumper valance (with grained finish) and a black chrome tailgate Warrior badge.

The Warrior wheel and tyre package is the Yokohama Geolandar 15 All Terrain tyres (295/70R18) on 18 x 9 J cast-aluminium Patrol Warrior black machined-face alloy wheels.

The Patrol Warrior has a specially modified space for a full-size alloy spare wheel.

Inside, carried-over Warrior-specific touches include an Alcantara Warrior embossed garnish, clear-coated gloss black centre console and centre multimedia fascia as well as leather-accented and Alcantara door trim.

Exterior paint choices include 'Gun Metallic', 'Moonstone White', 'Brilliant Silver' and 'Black Obsidian'.

What you get in a Warrior for the price compares favourably, especially when cross-shopped with something like a GMC Yukon Denali, another eight-seat 4WD wagon with a V8 – as its price-tag is $174,990, excluding on-road costs. 

The Heritage edition is powered by Ford’s EcoBoost 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and can be paired with a 10-speed automatic. 

However, our test car was equipped with a seven-speed manual gearbox, but not in the way you might think. Instead of seventh gear being an overdrive for highway cruising, the extra ratio is actually for extremely low-speed off-road use.

Known as the ‘Crawler’ gear Ford says it makes the Bronco ‘almost unstallable’ when you find yourself in a tricky spot.

Specifications for the engine aren’t quite as straightforward as you’d like, with Ford offering power and torque figures for US standard and premium grade fuels.

With the former the 2.3-litre makes 205kW/427Nm, while if you put better petrol in you’ll get 223kW/440Nm - so it will pay to spend a bit more at the pump.

The Warrior has a 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine producing 298kW and 560Nm, matched to a seven-speed automatic transmission.

This solid combination lacks a dynamic edge, but the Warrior produces such a supremely relaxed and assured delivery of power and torque – it feels almost lazy – that you forgive it for not being the zippiest thing around.

The Patrol has full-time four-wheel drive with high- and low-range and a rear diff-lock.

Not surprisingly a large SUV powered by a relatively small, turbocharged petrol engine is not particularly fuel efficient.

The USA’s Environmental Protection Agency estimates the EcoBoost four-cylinder will use 11.7 litres per 100km on the combined urban/highway cycle.

That didn’t ring true in our real-world test, which did include long highway stretches as well as a lot of urban running around, with the car’s trip computer saying we’d used 13.6L/100km.

While that’s not particularly miserly, at least there’s a 64-litre fuel tank to provide a driving range of nearly 550km, so you can cover some distance.

The Nissan Patrol Warrior has an official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel consumption figure of 14.4L/100km.

I recorded 21.4L/100km on this test. I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing – but the Patrol was never working hard.

The Patrol has a 140L fuel tank capacity, so going by our on-test fuel-consumption figure you could reasonably expect a full-tank driving range of about 654km.

The Bronco is designed for off-road use, it isn’t a ‘soft-roader’ and has been created specifically for those who enjoy getting off the beaten path.

Ford claims an approach angle of 43.2 degrees, a breakover angle of 29.0 degrees and a departure angle of 37.2 degrees, plus 294mm of ground clearance and up to 850mm of water fording capability. 

We, unfortunately, didn’t get a chance to drive the Bronco that way, instead spending three days behind the wheel driving it through US cities, along highways and winding our way through some picturesque mountain roads.

But despite being out of its element, the Bronco felt perfectly at home.

The fundamental qualities of the ‘T6’ platform, that makes the Ranger such a capable and popular offering with Australian buyers, shines through with the Bronco, too.

It steers with accuracy and has nicely weighted steering, rather than feeling too heavy and slow as some off-roaders can.

The ride is comfortable, too, which isn’t too surprising as it rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with huge 35-inch tyre, with bumps soaked up with ease.

Ford’s drive select system has modes for on-road - 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Eco' - as well as off-road - 'Mud/Ruts', 'Sand' and 'Rocky' - so you’re covered whatever you want to do.

As for the powertrain, the EcoBoost engine does an admirable job most of the time, feeling powerful enough around town to move this sizable SUV.

However, there are times it will struggle and labour, most obviously when needing to overtake or climb a hill. There were several instances when we found ourselves shifting down from sixth to fourth gear to keep momentum up.

This latest update is cabin-centric so it’s brought no powertrain changes or any improvements to 4WD mechanicals or driver-assist tech. And that’s fine because the Warrior is pretty darned impressive, as is.

On-road and on dirt tracks, it’s all smooth sailing. The Patrol Warrior is tighter and more composed than its standard stablemates, and that's mostly due to its upgraded suspension and HBMC system.

HBMC acts as a sway bar and sway bar disconnect equivalent and combines with the Aussie-tuned suspension to rein everything in when you're on bitumen and loosen everything when you're on dirt or off-road. 

The Patrol as standard is a nice wagon to drive, but the Premcar work undertaken to create the Warrior – all the conversions and upgrades – have made it that much better. 

On the open road you have the opportunity to appreciate just how comfortable and refined the Patrol Warrior is. 

And as for 4WDing, well, the Warrior is a Patrol at heart so it has reliable four-wheel drive mechanicals, plenty of torque over a broad rev range and a rear diff lock. 

There's more ground clearance in the Warrior over the Ti at 323mm (+50mm ), so approach (40 degrees) and departure angles (23.3 degrees) are an improvement over the standard Patrol.

The Warrior’s tyres – Yokohama Geolandar 15 All Terrain tyres (295/70R18) – are bigger and offer more grip, so they provide plenty of traction on terrain where a standard Patrol may struggle. 

Premcar has modified the towbar position to accommodate the new bigger full-size spare wheel and tyre.

Another good thing is the fact the Patrol Warrior has two recovery points at the rear.

The HBMC system, which performs so seamlessly on-road, provides more articulation off-road, as well as a bit more wheel travel through difficult terrain.

And, as I’ve noted before on other tests, one of the impressive points about Premcar’s work here – the conversions, the modifications, the engineering upgrades and the fitment of accessories – is that it’s all the kind of common-sense upgrades an experienced 4WDer would apply to their Patrol. 

But, even in something this impressive, the news is not all good.

The Warrior is a big vehicle and at 2858kg you have to drive it with that in mind, all the time. It fills the trail and with its wider wheel track, you have to be focused on wheel placement, even more so than usual.

The bi-modal exhaust is awesome, but those exhaust caps (underneath the Warrior's right-hand side step) are too vulnerable to damage.

They compromise the vehicle's ramp-over angle, so you have to drive with careful consideration, especially if the Warrior rocks even slightly to the right-hand side going up or down a steep rocky hill, because there’s a risk of grinding those exhaust tips against rock steps, dirt or a tree stump. 

The Patrol is a towing platform of note and towing capacities remain as 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked).

The Warrior's GVM (gross vehicle mass) at 3620kg is 120kg more than the Ti Patrol’s.

The Nissan Patrol range does not have an ANCAP safety rating because it has not been tested.

That said, as standard it has dual front airbags, front-side and curtain airbags that cover all three rows, as well as two ISOFIX points and two top tether points in the second row.

Driver-assist tech includes AEB, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning/intervention, blind-spot warning/intervention and adaptive cruise control.

These are questions for another time unfortunately, with Ford Australia still unlikely to add the Bronco to the range in the near future.

All new Patrols have a 10-year/300,000km warranty when the vehicle is serviced with Nissan and the Premcar work is covered for the same amount of time – with the same conditions applied.

Five years of roadside assistance also applies – with the same conditions.

Servicing is scheduled at 12 month/10,000km intervals, and capped price service rates apply for five years. That means each of the first five services will cost you $499.