Nissan Note Reviews

The Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is preparing for an all in brawl.The big, bad and brawny SUV is king off the road, but it is about to have a lot of new competitors that’ll bring luxe interiors, potent performance wearing new and iconic names.One new entrant has already landed in showrooms while two more big names are expected in the next two years.Here are the biggest challengers lining up to take on Australia’s default big 4WD.The LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol have been in a Rocky and Apollo Creed-style slugfest for decades.Now a new version of the Patrol, dubbed Y63, has been revealed and is due in Australia towards the end of next year.The bruising off-roader switches out its V8 engine for a potent 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, which makes 317kW and 700Nm.Those outputs trump the LandCruiser’s 3.3-litre diesel twin-turbo motor that pumps out 227kW and 700Nm.Nissan has also assured us it will be 24 per cent more efficient than the outgoing V8, which puts its usage about 11L/100km that will ease some of the pain at the bowser.It'll be swimming in new tech and have proper off-road ability.The return of the Pajero completes the big three of Japanese 4WDs, which dominated Australian regions for so long.The new Pajero hasn’t been confirmed yet by Mitsubishi but big blocky 4WD test vehicles have been spotted around the world, including in western Victoria by CarsGuide.The new vehicle will replace the now defunct Pajero Sport off-roader, and it is believed it'll drop the Sport name and be simply called Pajero.There are still a lot of unknowns, but it is believed to be based on the current Triton ute, which means a rugged ladder frame and diesel grunt.Expect it to use a version of 2.4-litre bi-turbo-diesel engine, but it could make more than the 150kW and 470Nm in the Australian-specification Triton.The door has been left open for the new Pajero to use an SUV-like monocoque platform like the Pajero’s of old, but it is more likely to be based on the Triton.It is expected to be revealed this year with Australian sales to follow not long after.This one delivers the biggest curveball to the big three Japanese 4WDs.Denza, which is a sub-brand of BYD, has just launched the B8 and slightly smaller B5 off-roaders in Australia.Denza Australia’s COO Mark Harland told CarsGuide people are trading in a range of vehicles including LandCruisers and Prados as they switch to the new Chinese entrant.The B8 has a lot going for it.It uses a plug-in hybrid set-up that combines a turbo-petrol 2.0-litre engine with twin electric motors for a total 425kW and 760Nm.Denza claims that is good enough to propel it from a standstill to 100km in 4.8 seconds. It is fitted with a circa-37kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery, which delivers a claimed EV-only driving range of 100km.It is also cheaper than the LandCruiser, starting at $91,000, before on-road costs.The B8 has a braked trailer towing capacity of 3500kg and a wading depth of 890mm. The base seven-seat version only gets a rear diff lock, while the more expensive six-seater variant features a front and rear diff lock set-up. Wading depth is 890mm.

The new 2026 Nissan Navara is based almost entirely on the Mitsubishi Triton, but with altered suspension from Australian firm Premcar.The base SL starts from $53,348, before on-road costs, and includes basics like an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen across the range with digital radio as well as (wired) Android Auto and (wireless) Apple CarPlay.Its 150kW/470Nm four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, sending power to the rear wheels or all four depending on 4WD settings.From the Navara’s 75L diesel tank, the 7.7L/100km consumption claim from Nissan means you should be able to drive more than 900km theoretically. Allow for shorter distances in the real world.Crucially, the distance of 1135mm between wheel arches in the tub means it won’t fit an Australian pallet, but a Euro one will fit fine. The overall tub is 1555mm long, 1545mm wide, and 525mm tall.The new Navara inherits the Triton’s maximum five-star ANCAP rating, which was tested in 2024, thanks to eight airbags and a list of safety kit including a surround-view camera, forward collision warning and AEB, front and rear cross-traffic alert, driver monitoring and traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors and trailer sway control.Nissan’s 10-year/300,000km warranty is fantastic but applies only if you service with Nissan. It’s five years with no kilometre limit otherwise. There’s five years' of flat-price servicing at $499 per visit, every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.Roadside assist is also free for a decade if you service with Nissan, or a year otherwise.

Nissan’s new Navara lands about a year after the Triton it’s based on, but some extra local engineering work on the ute sees the brand calling the D27 generation of this model more suited to Australia. We head to its local launch in Canberra to see if that really is the case.

Fuel prices are soaring across the board whether it is petrol or diesel. Some drivers are being more affected than others as lower fuel efficiency contributes to higher refuelling costs. Here are the most expensive cars to run currently in Australia based on fuel efficiency. Other contributing factors to the high fuel costs on this list include the fact many of the cars have big fuel tanks and require premium fuel.Fuel prices have been calculated using the average prices for fuel in New South Wales and at an average of 15,000km driven per year. Among the heaviest guzzlers is the Nissan Patrol four-wheel drive, with its 5.6-litre V8 drinking fuel at a rate of 14.4L/100km. Its 140-litre fuel tank and requirement for premium unleaded petrol means it costs $364 per fill-up and a total yearly cost of $5617.28. The Patrol will move to a more efficient 3.5-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol, which is expected to reduce fuel costs. The Ford Mustang sports car is another V8 on this list, with its 5.0-litre unit registering average fuel efficiency at 13.6L/100km and a yearly cost of $5310.27.Ford’s other representative is the Ranger Raptor high-end ute, powered by a twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol engine costing $4482.76 per year. The Ineos Grenadier off-roader is the most expensive model to run and costs $5618.50 a year to run, in part due to it being diesel, which has been the fuel type that has increased the most. The Lexus GX550 has refuelling costs of $208 per fill-up currently, costing $4800 for the year, along with nearly $3000 for the Jeep Gladiator, which unlike many on this list can run off E10 fuel.The 6.2-litre petrol V8 found in the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pick-up has an economy of more than 12 litres per 100km, costing $4,356.30 over the year.  Genesis’ GV70 luxury SUV costs more $4400 per year in fuel, a similar figure to the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 variants of the Land Rover Defender. Highest fuel efficiency new vehicles on sale under $150,000 

Nissan Australia is waiting for more information before making any guesses about what the increasing conflict around the Persian Gulf might mean for Australian deliveries of its iconic 4WD.The new-gen 2026 Nissan Patrol is anticipated to be extremely popular in the Gulf region, in particular the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in line with its historic popularity there.But given the increasing effects of the US-Israeli war on Iran, there’s a possibility the UAE won’t be as interested in the full-size 4WD when it launches later this year.It raises the question as to whether, even though the UAE is a left-hand drive market and Australia a right-hand market, Nissan might shift its priority to supply Australia as the other major destination for the Patrol until the demand for Patrol in the Arabian Peninsula is clear.Nissan’s outgoing Managing Director for the Oceania region, Andrew Humberstone, told CarsGuide he doesn’t foresee the conflict affecting Australia’s supply of the Patrol yet.“In theory? No,” said Humberstone.“In theory, we have a product line that's coming, left-hand drive market, right-hand drive market.“So it's planned for when we're getting our product, the unveil is officially around September, October, end of the year.”In 2025, the ageing Y62 Nissan Patrol was the second-best selling model behind the Toyota HiLux, with 16,769 sales to its name. In Australia, 6263 sales over the same period saw it tail the Toyota LandCruiser by half alone excluding the 70 Series pick-up.Given the anticipated demand for the new-gen Y63 Patrol and the larger historical sales volume in the UAE, even a slight shift could mean much more comparative supply for Australia.“Is there a chance to anticipate ? I would welcome it. As a market, we would welcome it. “Yes, there's a lot going on in the Middle East. There's a lot of volume in the Middle East. “If that allows us additional productivity, let's see if they can do anything quicker.”While Humberstone didn’t foresee major changes to the plans already in place, he added the caveat that a protracted war in the region would obviously mean different circumstances that he wouldn’t be drawn to estimate.“But it's early days. It's only six-seven weeks. If it becomes three or four months, it'd be a different conversation, too early for me to say, and it's way above my pay grade. “But I would welcome the idea.”

In a press conference the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association has declared the country’s once-dominant national car industry is “on the brink of survival”.The body said collaboration between Japan’s automakers was becoming more important than competition amongst each other, as it faces never-before-seen external challenges.It admitted that the “international competitiveness” of its members had to be brought into question.Speaking as part of a panel, JAMA Vice President and CEO of Honda Toshihiro Mibe said: “The global competition environment is becoming more fierce every day. Against this backdrop, the automotive industry in Japan is now posed with the question of whether we will be able to survive or not.”“Looking back, the structure of the automotive industry has worked well. There was the structure of Keiretsu which indeed worked for the last few decades against that environment. But we believe the existing areas of collaboration are not enough.”The Japanese term “Keiretsu” refers to the unique connection between Japanese companies, with cross shareholdings and shared business goals, which promotes stability and financial resilience, as well as faster and more efficient supply chains. It allows companies in these networks to engage in long-term planning and keeps money in Japan.A result of this interdependence means a brand like Toyota (widely recognised as the head of one of the largest Keiretsu networks) has vast shareholdings in brands which would normally be its competitors, as well as deep ties with Japanese parts suppliers.But it seems this system is struggling to be competitive in an environment of aggressive and often state-backed Chinese automakers making technological leaps and bounds and sales progress across the world.“So, the area of collaboration is required with a sense of speed. I think it is going to be key.” Mibe said. “We need to dismantle the old structure or else we will not be able to create new areas of collaboration.” Some areas earmarked by the organisation for focus were hiring more “software-related personnel” with Japanese automakers focusing too much on the “hardware part in our history.” according to Mibe.The group also earmarked the future use of artificial intelligence and more robotics in order to address what is expected to be a 20 per cent shortfall in the number of available workers to staff manufacturing plants in Japan.However, the JAMA members also re-committed to a “multi-pathway” strategy as the “winning pathway” in order to stay on the right side of both tightening emissions regulations, and a tough tariff environment in Europe and the US in the face of a surge of electrified Chinese models.“This is not just about how we compete with China, but how Japan can make a contribution to each country in a way which is suited to the local community,” said JAMA Chairman and CEO of Toyota Motor, Koji Sato.As to the recent Middle East crisis, Sato said 800,000 vehicles were currently exported to the region, and that would be the bare minimum economic impact, but also some shipping costs would double as routes remained closed around the Middle East.A larger concern is the sourcing of aluminium and raw materials required for plastics.“About 70 per cent of it comes from the Middle East, so if the issue is prolonged, needless to say we’re going to have a procurement problem.” Sato said.Locally, a Toyota spokesperson said it is not anticipating any impact from the war in Iran on supply or costs for Australian-delivered vehicles at this time.Meanwhile a seismic shift has taken place in the Australian sales charts, with Japan being unseated as the top country-of-origin by China.This is against a backdrop of BYD, GWM, MG and Chery all occupying spots in the top-10 best-selling automakers in Australia, unseating old favourites from Japan such as Nissan, Subaru and Isuzu.Mitsubishi, which is clinging to eighth position, is expecting to drop out of the top-10 this year as it faces a reduced range of vehicles, and more expensive new-generation offerings soured from Europe.

Nissan Australia has confirmed sweeping changes to its model line-up effective immediately, as formerly key models are axed in favour of a more hybrid-focused product mix.The 2026 Nissan Pathfinder large SUV and the Nissan Juke small SUV will be the last of their kind sold in Australia indefinitely, while the brand is also putting a hold on the arrival of the new Nissan Leaf electric small SUV until further notice.Along with dwindling sales, the models’ powertrain options make them incompatible with Nissan Australia’s hybrid-heavy plan, the outgoing regional boss has said.Nissan Oceania Managing Director Andrew Humberstone told CarsGuide the Pathfinder and Juke are being given the axe while the new Leaf, which in its new form is a small SUV, won’t arrive in showrooms for the foreseeable future either.That plan, he said, involves a lot more e-Power electrification to, presumably, balance out the effects of the incoming diesel-powered D27 Nissan Navara ute and the rather large Y63 Nissan Patrol in terms of Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which bring fines for models that pollute more and award credits for selling low-emissions vehicles.With Juke and Pathfinder out, Nissan’s line-up is down to six badge names: Qashqai and X-Trail, the small and medium SUVs with hybrid ‘e-Power’ options, Navara and Patrol which fall under the light commercial vehicle category, plus the electric Ariya and the low-volume Nissan Z sports car.“We're going to see a natural dispersion between product and what's coming in, what's going out,” Humberstone told CarsGuide, “so we have to manage that in order to make those tough decisions now for the future.“Juke will no longer be in market, Pathfinder will no longer be in market. Leaf, we're going to, in essence, indefinitely delay at this moment.“We’ll continue to bring in, obviously Navara, which is more NVES-appropriate than the previous version, as is the new Patrol.”Behind Mazda Australia, Nissan is in second place for the largest looming fines as of the most recent February 1, 2026 figures.According to the NVES Regulator, Nissan Australia racked up $10.76m in potential fines between July 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. Nissan must offset this by selling more low-emission vehicles, or buy credits from other manufacturers, in order to avoid the fines becoming a reality.The plan, according to Humberstone, is to create a model line-up that consists of mostly hybrid variants, thus the introduction of the e-Power-only Qashqai range last year.In addition, a more affordable version of the Nissan X-Trail is set to arrive with 2WD e-Power hybrid in the hopes of increasing hybrid sales of the model.“In addition to that, in the bridging strategy we're focused on when we see circa 75 per cent of all the registrations being, which is within the EV/hybrid space, and that's where we're putting all our energy in the short-term.“So that means the full range of Qashqai now is coming with e-Power technology, which is our hybrid. We’re seeing it with X-Trail… we now want to expand that with a 2x4 hybrid version.”Nissan’s financial situation has been the subject of much speculation, but Humberstone says one of the final things he leaves Nissan Australia with before his departure to a posting in France from April 2026 is this plan to future-proof the model line-up.He said the tumultuous state of the industry means difficult short-term decisions are needed to put the business in a better position in the medium- and long-term.“I would say even within the next six, seven months, you're going to start seeing the benefits of the work. The natural cleansing needs to be done. The sooner you do that, the better. “I believe our timing was perfect, given the volatility of what's been going on all over the place, and the number of competitors and more recent stuff that's going off at the moment around the globe.“We're here to stay in Oceania, and we're committed to the market. There's product investment being made. It's done. So there's no speculation on that.”Humberstone’s replacement is Steve Milette, who was President of Nissan Canada for more than five years, and is currently Division Vice President for Dealer Network Development, Customer Resources, Training and Customer Experience for Nissan and Infiniti’s entire North America region.He takes up the much shorter title of Managing Director of Nissan Oceania on April 1, and is expected to continue overseeing the plan to increase Nissan Australia’s hybridisation of the model range.

The incoming D24 Nissan Navara ute may not be the only ute model in Nissan Australia’s line-up for long, according to suggestions from the local arm’s top brass.Nissan Australia has only just launched the new-generation 2026 Nissan Navara, but there’s an international sibling waiting in the wings to join the Australian-focused ute.The Chinese-built 2027 Nissan Frontier Pro, which borrows the Frontier name used for the Navara in the US, has a possibility of joining the new Navara here to fill the electrification gap currently seen in the ute space.With the popularity of the BYD Shark 6, it would also make sense for Nissan to offer a rival plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute here in Australia.The Frontier Pro is a similar PHEV ute, developed by Nissan’s Chinese partner Dongfeng, which sells it in China as the Z9 GE.Rather than replacing the diesel-powered (for now) Navara, it seems there’s room for both models in Nissan Australia’s showrooms.Outgoing Nissan Oceania Managing Director Andrew Humberstone says the strength of the Navara nameplate is just some of the reason there’s scope for the two products to coexist.“Navara as a nameplate is very strong, it’s like Patrol,” he told CarsGuide. “The powertrains can potentially change, but the product name Navara and its heritage here is very strong.”“There’s five generations… it’s got a long history. It’s a trusted brand on its own. We’ve built Warrior on the back of that as well, so we have a real Australian heritage with what we’ve done with this one.“The strength of Navara is something I would not underestimate. If I could use the Navara name or the Patrol name over another name I almost certainly would.”But with Nissan Australia not yet fully committed to the Frontier, it’s unclear whether the brand will look to bring that model here or wait for electrification in the Navara to be a possibility.Even if Navara does end up with hybrid (or any other kind of electrification) in its line-up, Humberstone says the two utes aren’t a case of ‘one or the other’.“I would see them as very different products… if you look at the design. Could those run parallel? Potentially, yeah, there’s no commitment on that product coming in yet, but at the national partner meeting we did discuss it at length.“We think it’s a great product, there’s lots of investment committed to that product. Going forward the markets will be named that are getting that within the next two to three months. And then once we have that we can potentially share more details.”Humberstone has previously said - in mid-2025 - he would like to see both models land Down Under, but this more recent suggestion that both would work in the line-up as parallel offerings shows the brand is gathering more information while keeping it on the cards.

V8 engines in Australia have been on the decline with increasingly stringent emissions requirements and changes in production and demand.It has seen the recent departure of V8 favourites such as the 4.5-litre twin-turbo diesel found in the Toyota LandCruiser.The options are continuing to fade with the next-generation Nissan Patrol ditching its 5.6-litre diesel V8, in favour of a twin-turbo six-cylinder set-up.For those wondering though, here are all the new cars still on sale in 2026 with a V8 engine.  Aston Martin  Aston Martin uses the Mercedes-AMG tuned 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 across most of its range. This includes the Vantage coupe and convertible models, producing 489kW and 800Nm. The engine is also found in the DB12, which is a V8-exclusive model. Previous DB generations have had the 5.9-litre V12, such as the DB9 and DB11.The DB12’s V8 produces slightly more power than the Vantage at 500kW, and has the same 800Nm.Aston Martin’s DBX SUV is the other model to house a V8 engine, which produces 405kW and 700Nm. The juiced up DBX 707 has 520kW and 700Nm. Audi Audi has a petrol V8 in four models, across both its sedan and SUV range. The top-spec limited edition RS6 Avant GT is the most expensive Audi model on sale in Australia, starting from nearly $400,000 (before on-road costs), although even the regular RS6 is a smidge over $250,000.Its 4.0-litre V8 engine produces 463kW and 850Nm, which is the same as in the related RS7.The standard versions of the SQ7 and SQ8 SUVs have lesser power outputs at 441kW/800Nm, while the range-topping RSQ8 Performance produces 471kW/850Nm.  FordFord has three V8 models on sale for its Mustang GT sports car, which all employ 5.0-litre unit, producing up to 347kW and 550Nm.  Bentley  The Flying Spur and Continental GT luxury grand tourers both have V8 power, with the Continental GT, a V8-exclusive. Bentley’s VW-group sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 has been given some hybrid assistance in the top-end version of the Continental GT, boosting performance to 575kW and 1000Nm.The ultra high-end Bentayga SUV meanwhile shares its powerplant with the aforementioned Audi models, a 4.0-litre twin-turbo without plug-in assistance producing 478kW/850Nm.BMWBMW has one V8 petrol engine which features in five models on sale in Australia. The M5 adds a plug-in hybrid set-up to its V8, producing 535kW and 1000Nm. The M8 uses the same 4.4-litre engine, but it does not have an electrification, so it 'only' produces 460kW and 750Nm. This V8 is also found in several performance-oriented SUVs from BMW’s line-up, such as the X5, X6 and X7, as well as the full-size XM, which also employs a plug-in hybrid set-up. It was recently reported BMW has plans to continue its production of V8 engines in the carmaker’s Hams Hall facility in the United Kingdom, with North American demand continuing to be strong despite emissions laws closing in around the world. Mercedes-Benz The 4.0-litre V8 engine continues to be available on several Mercedes-Benz models, such as its luxury limousine S-Class and Maybach. It gets a plug-in hybrid twist on the ballistic GT63 SE, taking figures to a staggering 620kW and 1400Nm. The petrol-only GT63 has the same 4.0-litre engine, producing up to 450kW and 800Nm.Mercedes’ latest generation C63 sedan only features a twin-turbo hybrid 2.0-litre four-cylinder set-up, which has proved an unpopular swap compared to the previous V8. Like BMW, Mercedes also employs its V8 across high-end variants in its SUV range. Land Rover Land Rover installs two V8 engines, which feature as part of its Defender and Range Rover line-ups. The biggest V8 on offer is a 5.0-litre example, producing up to 368kW and 610Nm in the top-spec Defender model. There is also a 4.4-litre hybrid unit found on many of the P-Series and Sport Range Rover variants, with a maximum of 467kW and 750Nm. Lamborghini Lamborghini has one V8 engine, which is available on its Temerario coupe and its Urus SUV. It is a 4.0-litre example, producing up to 588kW and 950Nm. Ferrari  Ferrari offers a 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 engine on its Roma and Roma Spider two-door sports cars. Both cars have 456kW and 760Nm.The SF90 Stradale has a bigger 4.0-litre unit, which gets the assistance of a plug-in hybrid system to produce 574kW and 800Nm.Nissan The Nissan Patrol 4WD currently on sale in Australia comes with a 5.6-litre V8 (298kW/560Nm), but that is about to change with the next-generation model.The incoming Patrol will launch in late 2026 with a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 replacing the V8. 

For 25 years and four generations, the Nissan X-Trail has been an okay mid-sized SUV choice. But the e-Power extended-range electric vehicle hybrid has been a standout since arriving in 2023. Fast, refined, sophisticated and fun, it redefined class standards, though buyers were slow to realise. Now, a minor facelift brings improvements, but are they enough for the Nissan to finally break through?