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What's the difference?
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.
Volvo is a brand that has some strong images associated with it. High-end safety, five km/h below the speed-limit-driving-styles, sitting close to the steering wheel, sweater-sets, ‘bloody Volvo driver’ expletives… ahem (present company excluded, of course).
Those who are watching the brand closely know those images are almost defunct because that’s old Volvo and this is new Volvo.
Comfort and safety still appear to be at the top of the brand's priority list but style is being retuned to make this medium-sized SUV a true competitor against its luxury rivals, the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Lexus NX.
I’ve been family-testing the new Ultimate B5 Bright grade for the last few weeks and have thrown road-trips, kids and pets at it!
In this review I’ll unpack how the XC60 has handled life with my family of three.
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 Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright is a fine example of a family car that actually caters to families. There are plenty of practical features inside to help everyday living and it has a good amount of occupant and boot space for the class. I like how it handles on the road and its running costs are reasonable for a luxury SUV. It's not as flashy as its rivals but it's still stylish.
My husband and son spent a lot of time in the XC60 and they have enjoyed a high-level of comfort on our journeys together. We all love the built-in booster seats in the back row because of the independence they offer.
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 XC60 looks mature and graceful with its wide stance and well-proportioned body. The pronounced bonnet and stylish grille confirm its luxury SUV credentials.
The LED headlight design has been inspired by ‘Thor's Hammer’ (gotta love that Scandi heritage!) and the chrome accents around the windows accentuate the optioned darker tint.
Despite having a stately kerb-side presence, it’s not a boring looking car. The 20-inch dual-coloured alloy wheels and sleek body panelling help the XC60 appear almost sporty. Overall, its exterior design looks like it will age well.
The interior style of the XC60 can be summed up in two words - understated elegance.
The cabin isn't as flashy or wowing as some of its rivals and that might be because it lacks the visual impact of customisable ambient lighting, or because the chunkier dashboard looks more solid and dependable than sleek and fancy.
Regardless, the high-quality leather-accented upholstery and trim options elevate the space to earn the 'luxury' tag.
There is a plethora of soft-touchpoints throughout the car and visual highlights like chrome accents, an illuminated crystal shifter by Orrefors and a solid-feeling steering wheel.
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.
Families will appreciate the XC60's cabin. Both rows of seating are roomy for the class and the front seats are supportive and comfortable with multiple adjustments available.
However, there is an electric toggle dial that controls the lumbar-, side-, and under-thigh supports as well as the massage function, but flipping between modes can be a bit confusing at first.
I enjoy having the practical two-position memory function on both front seats, as I’ve been travelling a lot with my husband and the heat/ventilation features on the front seats have been great during a recent run of strange weather.
The back seats are well-cushioned and the bench is wide with three adults being able to sit without too many grumbles.
I have plenty of room for my 168cm height and my seven-year old is able to get in and out without any trouble thanks to the higher ground clearance.
Our absolute favourite feature is built-in child booster cushions in the outboard seats. They have two height positions to accommodate different heights/weights and it’s been wonderful for my son to have the autonomy of buckling himself in. But also just awesome for my husband and I because it’s one less thing to think about!
Storage throughout the car is good for the class with the front enjoying a mid-sized middle console, large glove box, two cupholders and two large drink bottle holders. The extra-large storage bins in the front doors are also very handy.
In the rear, you have two retractable cupholders in the fold-down armrest, two map pockets and two drink bottle holders in each door.
The other amenities are great with the individual climate control and four sets of directional air vents – ideally located on the back of the centre console and on the B-pillars.
Charging options are solid with both rows enjoying two USB-C ports and the front also getting a 12-volt outlet and wireless charging pad. The boot has a 12-volt socket, too.
Onto the other technology, the 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system is responsive and relatively easy to get around once you spend some time with it. Along with the Google subscription, you also get wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster shows the navigation map and the head-up display incorporates directions, which is great.
The cluster itself isn’t customisable, though, and I like fiddling with things like that to personalise the driving experience.
Another practical feature is a secondary key fob which can be programmed to control the maximum speed the car can travel and the audio volume.
I'm sure this would be handy for parents of any P-platers out there who often borrow the family car.
The key fobs are easily distinguishable. too. The spare for our test vehicle is a bright orange colour, so there are no 'whoops, I grabbed the wrong key' arguments, either.
The boot space is a great size at 483L offering plenty of room for holiday luggage. The back seat has a 60/40 split and a ski-port to open up storage options.
The loading space is level and there is a temporary spare tyre underneath the floor. You can adjust the height of the car using the air suspension and I love a powered tailgate.
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).
There are four variants for the XC60, split evenly between the B5 petrol engine and the T8 plug-in hybrid. Our test vehicle is the top-spec Ultimate grade coupled with the B5 petrol engine.
Without any packages, this combination will cost $80,990, before on road costs, which is a $1000 price hike for the 2024 model year.
The standard features list for the XC60 is robust and there are some great premium features, like the electric and heated front seats that feature electrically adjustable under-thigh support, lumbar support and side-bolster support.
The front seats also have a two-position memory function, which I find helpful whenever I share the driving with my husband as there is no hassle for me to get back to a comfy driving position after he drives!
Other premium features include a heated steering wheel, pre-entry climate control (perfect for those super-hot days), premium leather-accented and high-quality trims to choose from.
The technology highlights include a complimentary four-year subscription for the built-in Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play Store which are accessed via the portrait-style 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system.
There is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a very handy four-zone climate control system.
Other practical features include a handsfree powered tailgate, keyless entry, keyless start, coloured head-up display and a ticket holder on the windscreen, for those odd occasions where you have a physical ticket!
Now, here come the optional packs our model has been fitted with. There’s the 'Climate Pack' for $150 that adds headlight cleaners and a 'Lifestyle Pack' for an additional $13,800.
The latter sounds expensive but you get some lovely features in the pack, like a panoramic sunroof, improved Bowers & Wilkins sound system, Nappa leather upholstery, front seat ventilation, front seat massage function, air suspension and tinted rear windows.
Add on $2050 for the 'Thunder Grey' paintwork and it slides in at $96,990, before on-roads. and that places it towards the top-end of the market compared to its rivals, but the BMW X3 xDrive30i M Sport still just beats it with a $97,900 price tag.
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.
Volvo is aiming to offer only fully-electric powertrains from 2026 and the new XC60 B5 petrol variants feature a mild-hybrid element designed to improve fuel economy, especially in stop-start traffic.
Our test vehicle has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol powertrain with a maximum power output of 183kW and 350Nm of torque. It’s an all-wheel drive and has a smooth eight-speed auto transmission.
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.
The official combined cycle fuel figure is 7.6L/100km and my real-world usage averaged 8.1L/100km.
That’s pretty economical given that I cover a good mix of open road and urban driving and am not precious with the power.
Based on the combined cycle number and the large 71L fuel tank, expect a driving range of around 934km. To give you an idea of time between fills, I drove it for 14 days before having to fill up.
You can’t sneak in any blends or lower grade fuel though as Volvo recommends a minimum 95 RON premium unleaded be used.
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 XC60 is a relaxing car to drive, it does what you expect it to do most of the time. It has enough power to handle open-road touring with ease and while the suspension is on the firmer side, the ride feels well-cushioned.
The only time it skips a beat for me is when you're easing off the accelerator, slowing down, but then need to pick up speed again.
Say, when you find a gap in traffic and begin to merge. There can be a short delay before acceleration happens and it feels somewhat clumsy. But these moments are few and far between.
The cabin is quiet, with minimal wind and road noise. Our family had no issues chatting. It only gets loud inside when heavy rain hits that big panoramic sunroof.
Adaptive steering makes the XC60 feels nimble and horribly tight city streets less daunting. It’s easy to manoeuvre in a small car park, as well.
The clear 360-degree camera system and sensitive front and rear parking sensors also help to make light work of a parking.
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.
It’s not often common to associate a luxury brand with reasonable on-going costs but the Volvo XC60 is offered with very competitive pricing and terms.
The five-year/unlimited km warranty is normal for the class but you can pre-purchase a three-year/45,000km or a five-year/75,000km servicing plan.
The three-year plan is priced at $1750 (averaging $583 per service) and the five-year plan is priced at $3000 (or an average of $600 per service). Both plans are cheaper than a pay-as-you-go option and are inexpensive compared to some rivals.
Servicing intervals are good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.