Nissan Patrol 2010 Review - International

Name: Nissan Patrol 2010 Review - International
Brand: Nissan

Evolution is all well and good, but Nissan knew a revolution was needed in creating its all-new Patrol

Nissan Patrol

Middle East launch
Muscat, Oman

What we liked

>> Smooth, potent V8/seven-speed drivetrain
>> Refinement, on-road poise, effortless cruising ability?
>> Comfortable, spacious cabin

Not so much?
>> Looks like a soft-roader from the rear
>> Diesel option unlikely
>> Not as easy to modify as its predecessor

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0?
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0?
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0?
Safety: 3.5/5.0?
Behind the wheel: 3.5/5.0?
X-factor: 3.5/5.0

Think Nissan Patrol and what comes to mind? Chances are you're visualising a mechanically uncomplicated brick-on-wheels that's built to withstand virtually anything short of a nuclear blast.

Rugged and utilitarian, the Patrol has always been the wheeled equivalent of a blacksmith with beefy forearms but little in the way of social graces. With truck-like solid axles and an equally truck-like body-on-frame construction, it's hardly surprising that it drives like... er, a truck.

Thing is, this was never really a problem for the traditional buying demographic, who wanted a true go-anywhere, do-anything all-terraine and never mind the refinement. However, changing usage patterns (the typical SUV nowadays spends more than 90 per cent of its working life on the blacktop rather than off it) means it was becoming a dinosaur.

Little surprise Toyota's LandCruiser (especially in its current 200 Series iteration) has been killing it in the sales charts, as its all-terrain ability doesn't come completely at the expense of on-road refinement.

Nissan hasn't taken half-measures with its riposte -- and this is evident as soon as you lay eyes on the tapered, rounded non-Patrol-like bodyshell that cloaks the newcomer (known by the designation P61G).

It's a comprehensive revamp that shares almost nothing with its Y61 predecessor. Indeed, the new Patrol has also grown appreciably. Measuring 5140mm long (+70mm), 1995mm wide (+55mm) and 1940mm high (+75mm) it dwarfs even the 200 Series LandCruiser. As if to add weight to the argument, Nissan claims the new Patrol offers 92mm more rear knee-room than the 'Cruiser.

The company splurged in excess of $US500 million in developing the P61G Patrol, and more than 40 labcoats from the engineering department in Japan were deployed on the project.

Although the revamped Patrol is now on sale in the Middle East, we won't see it here until 2011, according to Nissan Australia corporate communications manager, Jeff Fisher.

Local spec levels are also yet to be confirmed, but Fisher said it was likely Australia-bound vehicles will use the same 5.6-litre petrol V8 as the Middle East version. Incidentally, Nissan claims this unit is more frugal than the 4.8-litre six that powers the existing GU model.

What Nissan is not talking about is the diesel powerplant that will feature in the new Patrol. Indeed, the future of any diesel variant is far from settled. This will not please local patrol fans.

Given that the new Patrol is pitched principally at the Middle East market, this is where much of the prototype testing took place -- 13,265 hours of it, to be exact.

In a wholesale rethink, the Patrol's trademark solid axles have made way for a fully independent set-up with double-wishbones at the front and rear -- a shift that's bound to enrage hardcore offroad junkies as this severely limits the scope for lift kits and other aftermarket mods.

Working in concert is a newfangled HBMCS (Hydraulic Body Motion Control System) that replaces conventional sway bars with hydraulic cylinders located at each wheel.

These allow for infinitely variable roll stiffness, and the payoff is that you get maximum wheel articulation when you need it -- such as when rock-crawling -- yet you also get taut, roll-free handling on the tarmac. It's similar in principle to Toyota's Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), but the latter just disengages the sway bars in rough terrain, rather than eliminating them altogether (as is the case with HBMCS).

The new Patrol's box of tricks also includes an All-Mode 4x4 system in lieu of its predecessor's old-school lever-operated set-up.

All-Mode is basically Nissan's take on Land Rover's easy-play Terrain Response and you simply choose the appropriate setting (Sand, On-Road, Rock or Snow) and select 4H, 4L or Auto (automatically switches from 2WD to 4H when required)... then just brake, accelerate and steer.

The range-topping Patrol also has a switch-activated rear diff lock for occasions when the rest of the electronic traction aids run out of ideas.

The range-topping (for the Middle East) Patrol LE's 5.6-litre petrol V8 is a derivative of the unit that powers the gargantuan US-market Titan truck and Armada SUV. The addition of variable-valve timing and direct injection has yielded outputs of 298kW and 560Nm, putting it at the pointy end of the field in its segment.

The seven-speed auto -- based on the 370Z's transmission -- also eclipses anything else in its class as none of its direct rivals has more than six ratios. That said, the entry-level Patrol SE makes do with a five-speed auto and a 237kW version of the V8.

So much for the theory, does it actually work?

First things first: the new Patrol's on-road composure and refinement is astonishingly good -- and I mean Range Rover good. Superbly quiet and stable at even 180km/h (a not uncommon cruising speed in the Middle East), it's actually hard to fathom this thing wears a Patrol badge. The V8/seven-speed combo serves up effortless acceleration, yet Nissan says the new Patrol consumes less fuel than its 4.8-litre six-cylinder predecessor.

No need to read too much into Nissan's "it handles like a sportscar" claim, but the newbie does corner remarkably well for something that stands almost 2m tall and weighs 2.8 tonnes. Okay, the steering is too light and almost completely devoid of feel, but other than that it's very capable on-road.

This is all well and good, but the burning question is obviously whether the P61G Patrol is any good off-road. Critics would obviously point to the all-independent suspension and say Nissan has sold out and gone soft. They'd be wrong. The drive program at the launch couldn't truthfully be described as hardcore, but there was enough in it to form at least a general impression.

Starting off from the Omani capital of Muscat, our Patrol convoy wound its way through wadis (dry riverbeds) strewn with sharp rocks, and there was the odd creek crossing (roughly 400mm in depth) to contend with. No major challenges there, but the comfort and surefootedness this was dealt with boded well.

The next off-roading test came on the ascent to the Jebel Hajar Mountains south of Muscat. Gaining over 1100m in altitude on a narrow, winding gravel track, the Patrol's massive torque made relatively easy work of even the steepest sections.

A handy new feature is Hill Start Assist, which holds the vehicle stationary for two seconds if you brake to a standstill on an upslope. The downward leg provided an opportunity to test the Hill Descent Control, which limits speed to 4km/h in Low Range, and 7km/h in High Range. It was overkill for the terrain we were traversing, but at least we now have conclusive proof that it does what it says on the box.

The grand finale, which was actually a bit of an anticlimax, came in the form of a Mickey-Mouse off-road course that Nissan had set up in a vacant paddock. One of the few enlightening elements was a mogul section that had diagonally opposite wheels dangling in mid-air. Interestingly, Nissan's engineers say the P61G Patrol actually makes better progress over such terrain than its solid-axle predecessor.

Its 275mm ground clearance also gives the new Patrol the on-paper edge over the oldie (210-230mm, depending on spec), but its approach angle of 35 degrees is slightly inferior to its predecessor's 37.5 degrees. Buyers in the Middle East who aren't too concerned about approach angles can specify the optional "City" bumper, which sits lower to the ground and is more angular in appearance.

The company has thrown every bit of gadgetry at its disposal at the new Patrol, and this is reflected in the available kit -- six airbags, stability control, lane-departure warning, intelligent cruise control, a forward-collision warning system, an individual multiscreen DVD system, 9.3 GB hard drive, sat-nav, a 360-degree camera monitoring system and a power-operated, top-hinged tailgate (in contrast to its predecessor's side-hinged barn doors).

The company is claiming 'world-first' bragging rights for the 'Curtain Air Vents' (which blow cool air onto the windows to create an insulating barrier between the cabin and exterior), as well as for the tyre pressure monitor with inflation sensor (beeps when the recommended pressure is attained).

Also billed as a world-first is the Hydraulic Body Motion Control System (HBMCS).

Nissan execs said feedback from customer clinics had prompted them to keep the "Patrol-ness" of the vehicle, but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. The massive chrome-laden nose mimics the Armada and Pathfinder, while the rounded derriere has clearly been influenced by the 200 Series LandCruiser. There's even a small Land Rover tribute in the form of the chrome-trimmed fender vents.

It's almost as though Nissan's design team fed a whole bunch of SUVs into a giant blender, and the new Patrol is what came out the other end.

The cabin is a massive step forward from the Y61 Patrol, not only in terms of driving position (Nissan execs concede it was somewhat wonky in the outgoing model), but also in its overall layout, trim quality and packaging. It's successfully made the transition from workhorse to luxury SUV.

The new Patrol may not be warmly embraced by its traditional demographic (who will moan ad nauseam about its independent suspension and softened-up styling), but these few will still be able to buy the trusty Y61 (read GU) model, which will remain in production for the foreseeable future.

The vast majority who want a more cosseting and civilised package will be well catered to by the new-gen Patrol. It's a genuinely impressive all-terrainer that beats the 200 Series LandCruiser in terms of power, refinement and handling -- yet it's given away little, if anything, in terms of off-road ability.

All those dollars and man-hours spent developing it haven't been wasted. It's the new king of the hill.

FAST FACTS

NISSAN PATROL

Engine       5.6-litre V8
Power       298kW
Torque       560Nm
Transmission   Seven-speed auto
0-100km/h   8.0sec (estimate)
Top speed   210km/h

Length       5141mm
Width       1994mm
Height       1943mm
Wheelbase   3075mm
Ground clearance   275mm

Approach angle   35 degrees
Departure angle    26 degrees
Wading depth       700mm
Kerb weight   2795kg (approx)

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Nissan Patrol 2010 Review - International

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