Nissan Reviews

Nissan updates its Navara with fresh looks and more equipment to keep it competitive against the market-leading Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, but has it done enough to attract attention from worksite warriors and weekend wanderers?

The current Nissan X-Trail has been around for a long time now and it's beginning to show in the interior and safety technology. However, it's still a very comfortable and easygoing machine with plenty to offer.

The all-new Juke ST+ is a comprehensively better small SUV than its funky but flawed predecessor, ushering in newly-matured road manners, a roomier and higher-quality interior, improved safety, a quieter ride, updated multimedia and excellent economy. But the 1.0-litre turbo's delayed acceleration response can make it seem sluggish and jerky, especially around town, so drive one before you buy.

The Nissan Qashqai is an established, if weird, nameplate now. Having been around for a while, this model has built its own presence in the small-to-mid-sized SUV market. But with so many options in this segment now - about 20 new models since the Qashqai launched - does the new Midnight Edition add anything worth considering?

Nissan's GQ Patrol was around in Australia from the late 1980s to the end of the '90s. Tough, no-nonsense, and highly capable off-road it's getting rarer, but remains a firm favourite in the second-hand market.

Toyota's LandCruiser 200-Series tends to steal the limelight as a second-hand, seven-seat, off-road SUV buy. But Nissan's V8-engined Y62 Patrol has a lot to offer.

Nissan's Patrol is probably the only thing stopping Toyota's LandCruiser getting a good night's sleep, but could you live with one if most of the time it's going to be on the bitumen?

We test the updated Nissan Patrol on- and off-road to see if it can regain ground in its traditional tussle for 4WD supremacy with long-time rival, the Toyota LandCruiser. The big Nissan wagon has more safety gear, but it also has a heftier price-tag, so it is worth your time and money?

So popular is the idea of going bush it has spawned a new breed of car capable of leaving the black top while retaining the attributes of a family sedan.  Most of these newcomers are sneeringly referred to by 4WD enthusiasts as soft-roaders for their limited offroad ability, but they offer acceptable around-town road manners and quite reasonable ability for the occasional dirt trip.Along with the Toyota LandCruiser, Nissan's Patrol is definitely not soft. Around town it's big and bulky, but it really comes into its own in heavy going.Nissan launched the GQ Patrol, also known as the Y60, in 1988. It was aimed fairly and squarely at Toyota's LandCruiser, which was the top-selling four-wheel-drive. The GQ was a traditional 4x4, designed for heavy-duty use in the bush or beyond.  It came in short wheelbase hardtop form or long wheelbase wagon and cab chassis.Its foundation, and the source of its great strength, was its separate chassis. Unlike softroaders, which are of unitary construction, the Patrol's body was perched on top of the chassis. As a result, getting into the cabin was quite a climb.There was a choice of three powerplants initially, a 100kW 3.0-litre petrol in-line six, a 125kW 4.2-litre petrol in-line six and an 85kW 4.2-litre diesel in-line six. They were all overhead-valve and carburettor fed.An update in 1992 brought a fuel-injected 4.2-litre petrol engine, which generated 129kW, and an 85kW 2.8-litre turbo diesel.  The standard transmission was a five-speed manual, and there was an option of a four-speed auto.Power was then delivered to the wheels through a two-speed transfer box. High-range two-wheel-drive was available for highway touring, with the choice of high and low-range four-wheel-drive once you left the blacktop behind. Coil springs were employed front and rear, with discs at both ends, and power steering.Models included the DX and ST Hardtops, and the DX7, ST, TI and ST3.0.  The entry-level DX had tilt-adjust steering, two-speaker cassette sound, cloth trim and vinyl mats. The ST also had airconditioning, power windows, power mirrors, central locking and four-speaker sound.Perched at the top of the model line-up was the TI, which had a leather sports steering wheel, woodgrain highlights, leather seats and seven-speaker sound. There were a number of upgrades before the arrival of the GU (Y61) in 1997.The trade gives the GQ Patrol the thumbs-up. There is little that goes wrong with them. The petrol engines are prone to cracked heads when run on LPG, but it's usually because the coolant has been low or lost. Gearboxes, drive lines and diffs give little problem, though leaks from the rear diff seals are common. Properly serviced, however, the leaks can be eliminated.Early Patrols were known to suffer from front-end shimmy, at 70 to 80km/h, but most were fixed under warranty. The fix was to remove the shims from the top and bottom of the steering knuckles, eliminating the free play. Generally, the body and body hardware stands up well.For more than a decade, John Thompson and his 1989 LWB GQ Patrol were as much a part of the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship as Peter Brock, Dick Johnson and the cars they raced.Thompson drove his long-wheelbase 4.2-litre petrol Patrol from one side of the country to the other towing a trailer laden with more than two tonnes of Shell track signs, flags and banners to every round of the championship. The Nissan has just ticked over 500,000km, and Thompson says he's delighted with it.It had bad wheel shimmy before the front end was realigned; has twice cracked cylinder heads; second-gear synchro went at 450,000km and it has blown a clutch.Tough and reliable heavy-duty off-roader for the serious off-road enthusiast, but a little big and beefy for anyone contemplating buying a four-wheel-drive for city duty.Tough and reliable off-roaderBig and bulky for regular around-town useSigns of heavy off-road useBig climb to get aboardCan have head problems