2004 Nissan Patrol Reviews

Ewan Kennedy reviews the GQ, GU and Y62 Series Nissan Patrol from 1996,1997,1998,1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 as a used buy.

I have finally shaken the guilt and justified the existence of the city-slicker beast in my driveway by learning some off-road ropes.The mystery of that extra stick near the coin tray in my car is revealed. And what fun it is to play with.It moves you to lumpy, bumpy highs and lows where its strangely bigger partner dare not go.My new-found experience is based upon a recent rough-road romp through the Grampians in a Nissan Ti Patrol.It was part of a "frill-seeking" adventure to these mountains, combining extreme nature and five-star luxury. You know, not quite the whole bush experience.The Nissan Ti was the perfect partner to this pursuit with the adventure and frills all rolled into one. It's the lavishly fitted top cocky of Nissan's substantial 4WD crop.Over hill, over dale, fearing my tyres might pop at any moment as I traversed loose rocks, through dusty ditches and through sections where the road was covered in water hiding who knows what, my trepidation turned to relief. It's not so scary. I can do this.And what's more, I can do it in comfort. Perfect.A bit like a tent with en-suite, hairdryer power point and all.Now, I will design holidays around more of this fun, honestly. I'll impress my kids (who were glad paranoid mum wasn't there to spoil the thrills on their last 4WD outing with dad). I'll show them, mum too can drive on the edge. In my dreams, I might one day do it in my very own $77,490 Ti.The new Patrol has some marked changes which will interest the blokes. Things like a revised front fender and bonnet, integrated rear bumper and new 17in alloy wheels.OK. Outside it is smart and tough – built to take a beating. But inside, the tackle gets interesting.A must-have, standard in the Ti, is a sophisticated satellite navigation system with a screen fully integrated into the centre dash. The thing that really impressed me is that this gadget doubles as a rear-facing camera. In reverse mode, you get a pretty picture of everything behind you. The city-slicker in me thinks of all the little people nipping behind me that are now completely safe, but it also was very handy when backing up between two trees Mother Nature had neatly placed just millimetres wider than my vehicle.I also enjoyed sinking into the all leather and woodgrain trim. Roughing it, doesn't mean going shabby! And there was plenty of room for all the paraphernalia an adventurous girl must keep at her fingertips.Now all I need for the days I just enjoy sitting high above city traffic is a sign saying: Damn the critics, I do take this beast off-road.LOVE IT LEAVE ITNissan Patrol Ti 4.8 LOVE ITTHE rear camera cures the problem of reversing blind. The blend of sheer comfort when "roughing it" and I just like being up high where nobody can argue with me.LEAVE ITTHE rear flip-down table could be more user-friendly. Seven seats is great, but eight would be even more useful.

It's about 30 minutes off the road to York but could be a thousand kilometres away – such is the feeling of isolation.On the top of the hill, where authorities have set up a neat little picnic area with tables, chairs and toilets set in zones marked by stones, the view sweeps over an ocean of trees atop rolling hills.The track is actually quite rough, over rocks and water-eroded inclines, through a natural spring with a muddy base that clawed at the Patrol's tyres, and past small areas where bushfires had blackened the earth.It was a good test for Nissan's latest Patrol, the big 4WD that ostensibly competes with the Toyota Land Cruiser, even though you'd be hard pressed to pick this as much different from the outgoing model.Nissan can be quite explosive when it comes to styling, such as the latest Maxima and the 350Z, but designers on its workhorses use cereal boxes as templates.The new Patrol, identified primarily by the big chrome grille and giant red tail lights despite every body panel being changed, retains the simplicity of old but with a brighter interior.The cabin is prettier, the seats more comfortable, there's more space for personal gear and the dashboard has excellent ergonomics and welcome simplicity.But the oily bits are pretty much the same as before.That's good in the sense that they are well-sorted and reliable, poor because there's a certain crudeness to their delivery.The 3-litre turbo-diesel in the ST-L tested is a strong mill that also sees duty, without an intercooler, in the Nissan Navara ute.In the ute, the four-cylinder engine gives sterling performance. In the Patrol, it has confidence-sapping weakness at low revs – revs where diesel engines are supposed to thrive.The bulk of the reason is just that – bulk. At 2.4-tonnes without occupants, the Patrol is a porker.But get the engine to spin above 1500rpm, preferably above 2000rpm, and it sings. The fuel economy is brilliant – 11-litres/100km is damn good, especially from the oilfield-sized tank.The five-speed manual gearbox has slow changes but feels indestructible.On the gravel tracks the suspension is very compliant and takes a lot of beating.On smooth bitumen the ride is quiet and smooth but where the asphalt is rough, the ancient live axle front and rear suspension reacts by shaking the steering wheel and attempting to self-steer.This, as I indicated before, is the price of such strength.It is an admirable beast but I reckon the engine could do with more oomph for duties such as caravan towing.Here the petrol-engine 4.8 is a better, though thirstier, alternative.

The revamp of the venerable wagon sees a bigger, bolder grille and squared-off, add-on flares over the front and rear guards. The bonnet is new and the rear bumper's been revised.And there are new 17-inch alloy wheels for seven-seat Patrols.The rear barn doors are still split vertically into a one-third, two-thirds arrangement.This Patrol is now a little larger at 5050mm long, 1940mm wide and 1855mm high.Inside there's a new dashboard, revised trim and reworked seats. Rear seat passengers in some versions score a flip-down table fitted to the rear of the front seats.There is a five-speed automatic option for the 4.8-litre petrol engine and a host of safety, comfort and convenience extras as the models move upmarket.Yet while Nissan reckon every body panel apart from the roof is new on the seven-seaters, this is still one big and tough-styled machine.That shows around the town. Backing and filling around the suburban carpark needs some care. Jostling for lane space down Ipswich Rd needs some patience.There remain three engine choices – the six-cylinder 4.2-litre turbo diesel and 4.8-litre petrol, which remain as before, plus a reworked four-cylinder, 3-litre diesel.And while this revised 3-litre, turbocharged diesel is a sweet powerplant down the highway and through the scrub it does take some understanding.Minor changes to the injection pump, injector nozzles and exhaust system sees this motor score an extra 2kW. Peak torque of 354Nm still arrives at 2000rpm but is better spread between 1500 and 2500rpm.It still requires a little patience around town when moving 2420kg off the mark.The new instrument panel and dashboard is good, a bold look with a little less truckers' approach. But it looks like those cup holders in the centre console were designed for those thinner Japanese cans of drink. There is no room for a stubby of ginger beer. Or a can of coke!The ST-S is a new variant for the line-up, sitting at third in the range between the ST and the ST-L versions.It arrives with power windows, driver and passenger airbag, CD player, Alcantara seat trim, ABS braking plus the seat back table.Satellite navigation and a rear facing camera is available as an option on the ST-S.For all the changes, the Nissan Patrol is still a big and capable wagon in the rough.Heading up the highway, there is a bit of patter and chatter from the front wheels back through the steering wheel and the Patrol likes to understeer wide if allowed. The front end can be a bit of a wrestle when pushing on over broken bitumen and through the hills.The ride comfort is fine up front, back seat passengers often feel that rear beam axle tramping over the lumps.The Patrol retains all the gear and the platform that makes this a very capable machine in the rough.When the creek starts rising and the paddocks turn to slush, there is confidence and comfort in the wagon's part-time four-wheel drive system (high four-wheel drive can be grabbed on the move), big and strong chassis plus 210mm of ground clearance.Perhaps the Patrol is not always as elegant as others when clambering through the tough stuff but it is always capable and feels bulletproof. Nissan have long held a decent reputation for strong axles and drivetrains.Yet the world is turning.In the US, Nissan's efforts are concentrated on the larger Armada wagon and the smaller Pathfinder.With next year's Pathfinder offering seven seats and more cabin space than today's Pathfinder, plus promises of all-new levels of on-road refinement, the Patrol may be left out in the cold without a total remake.And machines such as next year's Land Rover Discovery will showcase new levels of both on-road comfort and off-road ability, with seven seats, in this class.The Patrol's strengths remain in the strength and durability stakes, especially in the real rough patches and over long, hard distances. It is starting to miss out in the on-road area – despite the cosmetics worked on this 2005 Patrol – yet with the 3-litre diesel turbo engine it remains a value package.