2023 Nissan Patrol Warrior still coming

A 2023 on-sale date appears increasingly likely for the much-anticipated Nissan Patrol Warrior.

While Nissan Australia managing director Adam Paterson wouldn’t confirm that timing for what will be the ultimate off-road version of the full-size SUV, he told carsales the regular Nissan Patrol – the most logical competitor to the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series – is experiencing record demand and that a locally-engineered Warrior version is a priority.

“We’re still working towards it,” said Paterson. “It is still a priority for us. We’d still love to make it happen – the sooner the better.

“[But] it won’t be here this calendar year.”

The 2023 Nissan Patrol Warrior is a joint exercise between Nissan Australia and automotive engineering consultancy Premcar, and follows on from the Nissan Navara Warrior program.

“Premcar is still working with us developing the concept and we still do see a market for it,” Paterson said.

Paterson was notably more upbeat in his language about the Warrior’s prospects than when he last spoke publicly about the program as recently as May.

Limited supply and big demand for Patrol and the complexities of gaining HQ approval for a local engineering program have been issues for the Warrior SUV.

But carsales understands a lot of the most challenging obstacles have been dealt with, clearing the way for a launch in 2023.

While an official green light is not yet believed to have been issued, that is a formality that often doesn’t occur in vehicle development programs until every detail is sorted.

As with the Nissan Navara Warrior – which is available as an entry-level SL or more highly-appointed PRO-4X – the Patrol Warrior would feature suspension and wheel updates with the aim of improving its capability in rough terrain.

Already the engineering team working on the Warrior package has released a sketch teasing the look of the new model.

Like the Navara Warrior it appears to get black wheel-arch flares and unique wheels wrapped in chunkier all-terrain tyres.

The design sketch also shows side exit exhausts, which are a rarity in SUVs (only the Mercedes-AMG G 63 gets a similar treatment).

It’s unclear whether those side exhausts would make it to the production version – and whether they would be accompanied by performance upgrades.

The Navara Warrior had no changes to its diesel engine, and with the Patrol’s 5.6-litre petrol V8 already making 298kW and 560Nm it could be argued that additional kilowatts are not a priority.

But some extra noise would no doubt be appreciated by those likely to splash out big bucks on what would become the hero of the Patrol line-up.

With the rival Toyota LandCruiser now utilising a V6 turbo-diesel, it leaves the Patrol with a marketable edge of having a V8.

News that the Patrol Warrior is getting closer comes as Nissan struggles to keep up with the demand for the regular version of the large SUV.

Buyers are already waiting upwards of six months for the 4WD that is priced from $82,160 plus on-road costs.

“The order rate – or the enquiry – has accelerated on Patrol over the course of the last 12 months at a rate that has been far higher than we’ve ever had with the vehicle,” said Paterson.

In 2022 the Patrol is on track to double its 2021 sales and it has occasionally outsold the fresher Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series – a result that speaks more to supply challenges than genuine demand.

Nominating Nissan as one of the brands most severely impacted by supply chain shortages – Nissan’s market share is now just 2.8 per cent and it risks falling out of the list of top 10 sellers – Paterson says supply is “far better with Patrol”.

He says returning Nissan to healthier sales volume is a focus once the brand can get hold of more vehicles.

“Our performance … is a result of our supply challenges,” he said. “We’ve got aspirations to get back to [market] shares that we were able to deliver previously. Our goal is definitely to be in the top 10 brands.”

- with Bruce Newton

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