Confirmed: Nissan Patrol Warrior is go

After years of rumours, teasers and hints, the Australian-developed Nissan Patrol Warrior program has officially been given the green light, meaning the ultimate factory-backed Patrol will be available by the end of next year.

The announcement came this morning along with confirmation the Y62 Patrol’s gutsy 5.6-litre petrol V8 and seven-speed automatic transmission will be left untouched by Premcar, meaning all of the Warrior upgrades will focus almost exclusively on the chassis – as per the existing Nissan Navara Warrior range.

For reference, the big-bore bent-eight outputs 298kW/560Nm – more than enough to make the Patrol the most powerful Warrior model so far seen from Nissan and its local engineering partner, Premcar.

It’s important to note, however, that the lusty V8 will reportedly be replaced by a twin-turbo petrol V6 in the next-generation Y63 Patrol that’s expected to be launched in North America as the 2024 Nissan Armada late next year.

Nissan says the Y62 Patrol Warrior development process is expected to take Premcar around 12 months to complete and will be such a large project that the Melbourne-based engineering firm will need more staff and facilities to get the job done.

The expansion, extra investment and hard work will result in the most capable Patrol ever, says Nissan and Premcar, adding that it will also be the best riding and handling.

These key attributes will be delivered by a bespoke new suspension set-up comprising entirely different and uprated springs and dampers, as well as increased ground clearance, bespoke alloy wheels with wider tracks and more aggressive tyres, unique underbody protection and a couple of exclusive interior and exterior styling tweaks.

The beefier new wide-track wheel and tyre package will more than likely be housed within some bolt-on wheel-arch extensions and be matched by a winch-compatible bull bar as per the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior.

In confirming the long-awaited project, Nissan Australia managing director Adam Paterson said the brand’s collaboration with Premcar was “all about developing vehicles… perfectly suited to Australian customers and conditions”.

“I’m extremely excited to announce that a Nissan Patrol Warrior is coming, and I have no doubt that it will be a huge success,” he said.

“The Warrior program, our collaboration with Premcar, has already proven immensely popular in Australia, and a new version of the already hugely capable Nissan Patrol is a vehicle I, like many Australians, can’t wait to drive.”

More details of the Nissan Patrol Warrior – the fourth dedicated Warrior product after a trio of Navara Warriors – will be revealed closer to its expected launch in the second half of 2023.

In the meantime, we’ll get cracking on the plans for an epic Nissan Patrol Warrior v Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series GR Sport off-road battle…

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