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What's the difference?
Jaguar has announced that by 2025 it will only make and sell electric vehicles. That’s less than four years away and means the F-Pace you’re thinking about buying could be the last Jaguar with an actual engine that you ever own. Heck, it could be the last car with an engine you ever own.
Let’s help you pick the right one then, because Jaguar’s just called last drinks.
A few years back, as part of Nissan Australia’s Warrior program, local automotive engineering company Premcar was given free rein to transform a good 4WD ute – the Navara – into a hard-core beast and the Navara Pro-4X Warrior was the result.
Now, it’s the Patrol’s turn.
The Patrol Warrior is bigger, wider and taller than the Ti spec Patrol on which it’s based and it has upgraded Aussie-tuned suspension, a Warrior-specific wheel-and-tyre package, a bi-modal exhaust system, tough-as-nails underbody protection, a 48kg increase in payload over the Ti (to 736kg), as well as a whole lot of other stuff intended to make the already legendary 4WD wagon into an even more appealing vehicle, on- and off-road.
But if you’re looking for any improvements to power and torque you’ll be disappointed because the Warrior has the same V8 engine as the standard Patrol.
So, is this lifted and loaded Patrol better than the non-Warrior version?
Read on.
The F-Pace has been gifted new styling, new engines and more practicality making it an even better SUV than it already was. You could seriously pick any of the grades and be happy with your purchase. Then there’s the question of the engine…
Jaguar says there’s a few more years left in the combustion engine yet, but we know exactly how many years – four, because the company has gone on the record announcing it will go fully electric by 2025. The question for you is – how will you ring out the end of an era – with a four-cylinder petrol, a six-cylinder turbo diesel, an inline turbo six petrol or a cracking V8?
The sweetspot in the range is the R-Dynamic SE 400, with just enough luxury and more than enough grunt.
The Nissan Patrol Warrior is nice to drive on-road for a big 4WD wagon. It’s refined, it’s comfortable and it’s also a very capable off-road vehicle and retains solid potential as an all-terrain touring platform.
And PremCar’s work has made a damn good 4WD even better.
All of that crucial conversion work, engineering upgrades and fitment of adventure-ready accessories is the kind of sensible and subtle work an experienced 4WDer would usually apply via the aftermarket.
But the difference is, all of that work on the Warrior is factory-backed and covered by a five-year, unlimited km warranty.
The very first F-Pace arrived in Australia in 2016 and even after all these years and the arrival of more rivals I still think it’s the most beautiful SUV in its class. The new one seems to look a lot like the old one, but the styling updates have kept it cool.
If you want to see instantly how the design of the F-Pace has evolved from the original to the new one, be sure to watch my video above.
Short story is, this new F-Pace has been given a pretty major styling overhaul inside and out.
Gone is the old F-Pace’s plastic beak. That sounds weird but the previous F-Pace’s bonnet stopped short of the grille and a nose cone had been fitted to cover the rest of the distance. Now the new bonnet meets a larger, wider grille and its flow from the windscreen down isn’t disturbed by a large join line.
Also more pleasing to the eyes is the badge on the grille. The snarling jaguar head is now larger and no longer mounted on a terrible looking large plastic plate. The plate was for the adaptive cruise control radar sensor, but by making the Jaguar badge bigger, the plate was able to be house in the badge itself.
The headlights are slimmer, and the tail-lights have a new design which looks futuristic, but I miss the styling of the previous ones and the way they dipped into the tailgate.
Inside, the cabin has been made over with a giant landscape screen, new chunky climate control dials, a new steering wheel and the rotary shifter has been replaced by a regular upright one which is still small and compact, with cricket ball stitching. Again, take a look at the video I’ve made to see the transformation for yourself.
While all F-Paces have a similar look, the SVR is the high-performance member of the family and stands out with its giant 22-inch wheels, a tough body kit, quad tailpipes, a fixed SVR rear wing, and bonnet and fender vents.
For this update the SVR has been given a new front bumper and larger cooling vents flanking the grille. But it’s more than just tough looks, the aerodynamics have been revised to decrease lift by 35 per cent, too.
What hasn’t changed are the dimensions. The F-Pace is a mid-sized SUV measuring 4747mm end to end, standing 1664mm tall and with the mirrors out is 2175mm wide. That’s not huge, but make sure it’ll fit in your garage.
The Nissan Patrol Warrior is 5269mm long (with a 3075mm wheelbase), 2079mm wide, 1990mm high, and it has a kerb weight of 2884kg (72kg heavier than the Ti).
It’s 94mm longer than the Ti at 5269mm, and 84mm wider at 2079mm.
The Warrior looks very impressive in the metal. It’s a tough-looking blocky behemoth, like a Patrol on steroids.
The F-Pace was always practical with a big 509-litre boot and great rear leg and head room for even me at 191cm tall, but the cabin re-design has added better storage and usability.
The door pockets are larger, there’s a covered area under the floating centre console and in a victory for common sense and practicality the window switches have been relocated from the window sills to the armrests.
This is along with a deep centre console storage area, and two cupholders in the front and another two in the rear fold-down armrest.
Parents will be happy to know that all F-Paces come with directional air vents in the second row as well. And there are ISOFIX outboard child-seat anchors and three top-tether restraints, too.
All in all, the Nissan Patrol Warrior cabin is quite a practical space, but with a healthy dose of premium feel.
It’s a Ti interior – plush, spacious and very easy to spend time in – with a few ‘Warrior’ touches as mentioned earlier and for this reason it is comfortably familiar, and I like it, but it does feel old.
Up front, a Warrior-specific gloss black centre console and gloss black centre multimedia fascia have replaced the standard Ti Patrol’s 1970s-style woodgrain-look panelling, but the expanses of soft-touch surfaces remain.
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 pocket debris.
The 8.0-inch touchscreen is too small and, as mentioned, there is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, which is very disappointing in this day and age. And I struggled to establish Bluetooth connectivity with my phone, as has happened in the past in standard Patrols.
The centre console is a confusion of buttons, dials and knobs, and if you haven’t spent much time in a Patrol then, initially, it’s not quite clear what you should press or twirl to operate things. But if you are familiar with a Patrol’s in-cabin machinations you’ll easily work it out.
Second-row passengers get very 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, and map pockets in the seat backs and bottle holders in the doors.
The second-row seats have a top tether point and an ISOFIX point on both outer seats.
The third-row seats are flat and hard compared to the other seats and, in terms of space, are really only for kids, or adults for very brief stints.
All three rows get air con – there are roof-mounted vents – and there are a few handy storage spaces in the third row, but no cupholders.
The third row has one top tether anchorage point.
The rear cargo area has cargo 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.
The Patrol has a solid reputation as a touring platform and in terms of packability, nothing has changed.
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.
There’s a Jaguar F-Pace for every budget as long as your budget is somewhere in between $80K and $150K. That’s quite a large range in price.
Now, I’m about to take you through the grade names and I need to warn you that it’s going to be messy and confusing a little bit like white water rafting, but not as wet. Life jacket on?
There are four grades: the S, SE, HSE and top-of-the-range SVR.
They all come standard with the R-Dynamic pack.
There are four engines: the P250, D300, P400 and P550. I’ll explain what this means in the engine section down below, but all you need to know is 'D' stands for diesel and 'P' for petrol and the higher the number the more grunt it has.
The S grade only comes with the P250. The SE comes with a choice of P250, D300 or P400. The HSE only comes with the P400 and the SVR has exclusive rights to the P550.
Following all this? Great.
So, the entry grade is officially called the R-Dynamic S P250 and it lists for $76,244 (all prices listed are MSRP - before on-road costs). Above this is the R-Dynamic SE P250 and it lists for $80,854, then there’s the R-Dynamic SE D300 for $96,194 and the R-Dynamic SE P400 for $98,654.
Almost there, you’re doing super.
The R-Dynamic HSE P400 lists for $110,404 and at the top is King F-Pace – the SVR with the P550 listing for $142,294.
There you are, wasn’t so bad was it?
Coming standard from the base grade up is the new 11.4-inch touchscreen, sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, there’s keyless entry, push-button start, dual-zone climate, power adjustable front seats, leather upholstery, LED headlights and tail-lights, and an auto tailgate.
The entry-level S and the SE above it come with a six-speaker stereo, but as you step into the HSE and SVR more standard features appear such as a 13-speaker Meridian sound system, plus heated and ventilated front seats. A fully digital instrument cluster is standard on all grades apart from the entry S.
The options list is extensive and includes a head-up display ($1960), wireless charging ($455), and an Activity Key ($403) which looks like an iWatch that locks and unlocks the F-Pace.
Paint prices? Narvik Black and Fuji White are standard at no extra cost for the S, SE and HSE. The SVR has its own standard palette and includes Santorini Black, Yulonhg White, Firenze Red, Bluefire Blue and Hakuba Silver. If you don’t have the SVR but want these colours it’ll be $1890, thank you.
The Nissan Patrol Warrior is an eight-seat 4WD wagon with a price-tag of $101,160, excluding on-road costs.
Standard features include a 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (without Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto), three-zone climate-control, front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.
Warrior-specific interior 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.
Warrior-specific suspension modifications include Warrior-tuned 'Hydraulic Body Motion Control' suspension (front and rear), front Warrior red springs, rear Warrior multi-rate red springs, and Warrior rear bump-stop.
Exterior changes include a red bash plate with Warrior branding, front Warrior-embossed bumper valance, black grille, Patrol Warrior decals, black side mirror caps, an upgraded exhaust system with bi-modal valve and exhaust tip, 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 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 the new full-size alloy spare wheel.
Exterior paint choices include the no-extra-cost 'Gun Metallic', or premium paint jobs such as 'Brilliant Silver', 'Black Obsidian' and 'Moonstone White'.
But the big news is the more than $15,000 worth of crucial conversion work, engineering upgrades and fitment of adventure-ready accessories brought onboard to turn the Patrol into a Warrior.
And as such the Warrior wagon has a re-engineered version of Nissan’s Hydraulic Body Motion Control 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 (323mm, +50mm) and wheel track (1735mm front and rear, +40mm).
Jaguar’s engine names sound like forms you have to fill in when you apply for a home loan.
The P250 is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine making 184kW and 365Nm; the D300 is a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo diesel producing 221kW and 650Nm; while the P400 is a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo petrol with outputs of 294kW and 550Nm.
The P550 is a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 producing a colossal 405kW and 700Nm.
The SE grade gives you the choice of the P250, D300 and P400, while the S only comes with the P250 and the SVR of course is powered only by the P550.
The D300 and D400 are new engines, both are straight sixes and replace the V6 engines in the old F-Pace. Superb engines, they are also found in the Defender and Range Rover.
Jaguar calls the D300 and P400 mild hybrids, but don’t be misled by the terminology. These engines are not hybrids in the sense that an electric motor is working to drive the wheels along with a combustion engine. Instead, a mild hybrid uses a 48-volt electrical system to help take the load off the engine by helping it start and running the electronics such as climate control. And yes, it does help save fuel, but not stacks.
There’s plenty of grunt from all these engines no matter which you choose, they all have eight-speed automatics and all-wheel drive.
You are also very likely looking at the last combustion engines to go into an F-Pace. See Jaguar has announced that it will only sell electric vehicles beyond 2025.
Four years and that’s it. Choose wisely.
The Warrior has the Patrol line-up’s 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine – producing 298kW at 5800rpm and 560Nm at 4000rpm – and that’s matched to a seven-speed automatic transmission.
This is a solid combination, but it lacks a dynamic edge, which is fine with me because it yields a driving experience that’s equal parts relaxed, assured and undemanding.
The Patrol has full-time four-wheel drive with high- and low-range modes.
It doesn’t make sense that Jaguar has announced that it will be going all electric by 2025 yet doesn’t offer a plug-in hybrid in its Australian line-up, especially when there is one available overseas.
Jaguar says it doesn’t make sense either, but by that they mean business sense, in bringing one to Australia.
So, for fuel economy I’m marking the F-Pace down. Yes, the D300 and P400 use clever mild-hybrid tech, but it doesn’t go far enough to reducing fuel use.
So the fuel consumptions, then. The official fuel consumption for the petrol P250 is 7.8L/100km, the diesel D300 will use 7.0L/100km, the P400 is stated to sip 8.7L/100km and the P550 V8 petrol will drink 11.7L/100km. Those figures are "combined cycle" numbers, after a combination of open and urban driving.
The Nissan Patrol Warrior has an official fuel consumption figure of 14.4L/100km (on a combined cycle).
I recorded 23.2L/100km on this test. I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing but the Warrior never seemed to be working too hard.
The Patrol has a 140L fuel tank capacity, so, using our on-test consumption figure you could reasonably expect a full-tank driving range of about 603km.
My two test cars at the Australian launch of the new F-Pace were the R-Dynamic SE P400 and the R-Dynamic S P250. Both were fitted with the road noise cancellation system which comes with the optional $1560 Meridian stereo and reduces the level of road noise coming into the cabin.
Which would I rather? Look, I’d be fibbing if I didn’t say the SE P400 with its smooth inline six that has seemingly endless shove, but it’s $20K more than the S P250 and neither engine is low on grunt and both handle and ride almost identically.
That ride has been improved in this new F-Pace with the rear suspension being retuned so that it’s not so firm.
Steering is still on the sharp side, but body control feels better and more composed in this updated F-Pace.
On the twisty and quick country roads I tested the S P250 and SE 400, both performed superbly, with responsive engines, great handling, and serene cabins (thanks to the help of the noise cancelling tech).
The second part of the test was driving both in city traffic for the best part of an hour each which isn’t pleasant in any car. The now wider F-Pace seats were comfortable and supportive, however, the transmission seamlessly swapped gears and even rolling on 22-inch wheels in the SE and 20-inch alloys in the S the ride was excellent.
At its Patrol heart the Warrior has all the solid reliable four-wheel drive mechanicals, plenty of torque over a wide rev range and it has a rear diff lock.
So, you are pretty much covered for anything you want to tackle.
On road and on dirt tracks, the Patrol Warrior is a bit tighter, more controlled and more composed than its standard stablemates.
And that's largely due to its upgraded suspension and Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) system.
HBMC essentially acts as a sway bar and sway bar disconnect equivalent and combines with the Aussie-tweaked suspension to rein everything in when you're on bitumen and loosen everything when you're on dirt or off-road.
And out on the open road or a quiet back country road you get the opportunity to appreciate how comfortable and refined the Patrol Warrior is.
The Warrior’s fully independent suspension features springs specifically designed for this vehicle all around. They're longer at the front, softer at the back and offer various rates - soft, firm and extra soft.
And, while that's not such a big deal when you are low-range 4WDing, it really comes into play when you're on a dirt track travelling at speed.
Especially if there are light to moderate, even extreme corrugations and you're trying to fly across the top of that stuff without ruining your spine.
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.
There's more ground clearance in the Warrior (323mm, +50mm over the Ti), so approach (40 degrees) and departure angles (23.3 degrees) are an improvement over the standard Patrol.
Ramp-over angle is not listed, neither is wading depth but I reckon the latter is about 700mm.
The tyres – Yokohama Geolandar 15 All Terrain tyres (295/70R18) – are bigger and offer more grip, so they provide the Warrior with plenty of traction on terrain where a standard Patrol may struggle.
The HBMC system, which works so well on-road, provides more articulation off-road as well as a little bit more wheel travel through difficult sections of ground that require highly technical low-range 4WDing.
And the cluey thing about Premcar’s work here – the conversions, the modifications, the engineering upgrades and the fitment of accessories – is it’s all the kind of stuff a sensible experience 4WDer would have done to their Patrol if there wasn't the option to climb into something like the Patrol Warrior straight out of the showroom.
What Premcar has done is that clever.
But while all of these Warrior-specific changes are so clever and so welcome, it doesn't make this vehicle a perfect four-wheel drive.
For one thing, it's still a big vehicle and at 2884kg you have to drive it with that in mind, all the time.
It fills the track off-road and with its wider wheel track, you have to be mindful of wheel placement.
The Patrol’s off-road traction control doesn't feel as dialled in, as sharply tuned as, for example, the system in the 300 Series Toyota LandCruiser.
It's not atrocious, in fact, it’s very effective, but it just doesn't feel as dialled-in as other systems.
When you get into a Patrol Warrior, make sure you appreciate that bi-modal exhaust with two exhaust tips underneath the right-hand side step.
It’s nice and quiet during general driving but opens up in audio terms if you flip to manual on the auto shifter or give it a heavy right boot. You hear that engine growl. It’s unreal.
The bi-modal exhaust is awesome, but those little exhaust caps that stick out underneath the Warrior's right-hand side step are a too vulnerable to potential damage for my liking.
They compromise the vehicle's ramp-over angle, so you have to drive with careful consideration, especially if the Warrior tips 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, dirt or a tree stump.
The Patrol is a well-respected towing platform and the Warrior’s 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.
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.
But unfortunately when our videographer’s HiLux became bogged in a mudhole I discovered my stamped 4.0-tonne bow shackles were too big for those points.
So, I had to do a snatch-strap recovery of his vehicle using the tow bar hitch pin, which is not ideal, but still effective.
The lesson here? Recovery points are great, but make sure you have the correct bow shackles – at least stamped 3.25 tonne bow shackles – in your vehicle-recovery kit.
The F-Pace scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2017. Coming standard is advanced safety tech such as forward auto emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot assist, lane keeping assistance and rear cross-traffic alert.
This tech is great, but in the five years since the F-Pace first arrived safety equipment has moved on even further. So, while the AEB can detect pedestrians, it’s not designed to work for cyclists, there’s no reverse AEB, nor evasive manoeuvre systems, nor a centre airbag. All are items which weren’t common in 2017 but are now on most 2021 five-star rated cars.
The Nissan Patrol range does not have an ANCAP safety rating because it has not been tested.
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, adaptive cruise control and more.
At the launch of the new F-Pace Jaguar announced that all of its vehicles would be covered by a five-year unlimited/kilometre warranty, a step up from the three-year coverage it used to offer.
Service intervals? What are they? The F-Pace will tell you when it needs maintenance. But you should sign up for a five-year service plan which costs $1950 for the P250 engine, $2650 for the D300, $2250 for the P400 and $3750 for the P550.
The Nissan Patrol Warrior has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, and comes with five years of roadside assistance.
Servicing is scheduled at 12 month/10,000km intervals, and capped price service rates apply, averaging about $626 a year over the warranty term.
A five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty also applies to all of Premcar’s work.