Nissan Patrol 2016 Review

Nissan Patrol Ti
Road Test

Local manufacturing isn’t the only automotive era winding down to a close in Australia. In October the Y61-series Nissan Patrol heavy duty off-roader will end a sales run that traces back to the launch in 1997 of a model better known as the ‘GU’, primarily because its diesel engine falls victim to tightening emissions regualtions.

That will leave only the Y62-series Patrol to represent the nameplate in Australia. The Y62-series is a massive beast, measuring up 5140mm long, 1995mm wide, 1940mm high and weighing in at more than 2700kg. But it only comes powered by a 5.6-litre 298kW/560Nm petrol V8 engine and that is an important reason it’s a sales minnow in Australia.

This thing officially averages 14.4L/100km according to ADR figures and in the real world – even before you twist the dial to four-wheel drive low range – you’ll be lucky to drop that below 20.0L/100km.

So even with a 140-litre tank you’re not going to get that far into the true wilds of the Australian outback, which is a place where Y61-series are a common sight – well relatively common considering you’d be lucky to see more than a handful of vehicles each day even on popular routes like the Simpson Desert’s French Line.

Even a 3500kg braked towing capacity – which rivals its closest foe the Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series – isn’t adequate compensation for that fundamental shortfall.

The obvious question here is why does the latest Patrol not offer a turbo-diesel engine? Well, that can be traced back to the vehicle’s development primarily for the Middle East and North America markets, places where diesel is not popular. Australia pays the price for not being a big enough market to justify the investment in a diesel engine development program.

So having eliminated the vast bulk of the Australian audience Nissan then also over-priced the three-model Y62-series range when it launched in Australia in 2013, accompanying that with some BS about how it was a Range Rover competitor…

Move on to July 2015 and Nissan acknowledged its folly, dropping the entry-level ST-L model and slashing the pricing of the two remaining models, the Ti – being tested here – and the top-spec Ti-L.

And when we say slash we mean it. The pricing of the Ti (before on-road costs) dropped from $93,390 to $69,990, while at the same time there were some additions including an off-road monitor – which provides information on steer angle, tyre slip and tyre pressure – as well as a compass, and a traffic monitoring system, which provides real-time traffic updates to help avoid delays, integrated into the navigation system.

Speaking of navigation, that’s a feature the Ti added as standard at the same time, along with an around-view monitor and tyre-pressure monitoring.

Other standard equipment includes front and side airbags for front seat passengers and curtain airbags for all three rows, front and rear parking sensors, 18-inch alloys with Bridgestone Dueler A/T rubber and a full-size spare, leather trim, tri-zone climate control, cruise control, six-speaker audio with Bluetooth streaming, sunroof and side steps.

What it misses out on are the high-tech driver assistance systems such as intelligent cruise control and forward collision warning the Ti-L has, as well as second-row entertainment screens, a power tailgate and LED headlights.

The Patrol Ti’s mechanicals remain the same as before. At its core is a traditional hard-core ladder-frame chassis, to which is bolted the aforementioned VK56DE 5.6-litre V8 engine, a seven-speed automatic transmission and independent double wishbones front and rear working with Australian-developed Hydraulic Body Motion Control suspension that dispenses with orthodox dampers, spring and stabiliser bars. Brakes are ventilated discs all-round and power-assisted steering is rack and pinion.

The ‘All-Mode’ permanent four-wheel drive system offers auto, four-high and four-low choices, as well as the ability to refine the system for on-road, sandy, snowy or rocky conditions. There is also hill-descent and hill-start assist and a driver-activated lock for the helical limited-slip rear differential.

The Ti seats a maximum of eight people in a 2-3-3 formation, although row three is really for kids – and even then you’re drawing the short straw taking the middle seat. Everyone gets a lap-sash seatbelt and headrest. Rows two and three split-fold 60:40 and row two flips forward to allow easy access to row three. With both rows (almost) flat, luggage capacity is an elephant-swallowing 3100 litres.

The interior is high quality – the Patrol is built in Japan – even if it is encased in some quite loud Japanese wood veneer. There are also plenty of storage options front and rear.

But the seats are flat and the dashboard lacks the latest cutting edge finery, such as intricate coloured digital displays in the instrument panel. Instead there’s a relatively small media screen set into the centre stack.

The small rotatable info screen between the two gauges in the instrument panel doesn’t even offer a digital speedo. The steering rack is also meant to be reach as well as rake adjustable, but I couldn’t get it to extend. The foot parking brake is a reminder of days gone by.

Mind you, the high-riding driving position is epically good. To get a better and more imposing view over the traffic you’d need a prime-mover… or a helicopter.

You need that good vision because the Patrol stretches so far in all directions it’s a real challenge to keep it ding-free in tight situations both on and off-road. The around-view monitor is a blessing, as are the parking sensors and reversing camera.

On-road the Patrol is an unimpressive drive. It lolls and rolls, dives forward when the brakes are applied and steers lightly and slackly. There’s little if any sense of connection to the road, although you do have to reserve a little admiration for the way Nissan’s engineers and the HMBC have managed to corral so much weight and height. Just a little mind you; there aren’t too many vehicles that would be worse to use as a day-to-day commuter.

Perhaps its best feat on bitumen is its quietness, reflecting the fact this chassis was developed as the basis for the luxury Infiniti QX80, which is also now sold in Australia. The other big asset is that engine. It really does an impressive job grappling with all that weight and delivering strong acceleration – and a pretty cool soundtrack. The auto is pretty good at its job too. It’s hard to imagine any situation in which you’d bother changing gear manually, except when seriously off-roading.

Speaking of off-road, there’s no doubt the Patrol improves when the bitumen ends. On rougher roads the soggy suspension set-up and significant articulation make better sense, as does the slack in the steering. In fact, cruising the wet and slimy dirt tracks of the Bunyip State Forest on Melbourne’s outer eastern fringe was, well, enjoyable.

The hydraulic suspension kept the Patrol stable and contained and it had no drama dealing with the ruts and divots such an environment presented. The steering refused to be affected by mid-corner imperfections and the 4WD system hooked up and drove forward off corners without fuss. Even the brake modulation was better off-road than on-road, where it seemed a bit overwhelmed by all that weight.

A rider here; there was no attempt to conquer the unconquerable, only a couple of forays into low range in places where there was a way out as well as in. In those relatively benign conditions the Patrol was unphased.

But those moments where the Y62-series Patrol demonstrated its true talents were over-shadowed by the times it simply proved itself to be too big, clumsy and thirsty to be considered seriously as an off-roader, commuter or family car.

Now if it had a diesel engine…

2016 Nissan Patrol Ti pricing and specifications:
Price: $69,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 5.6-litre eight-cylinder petrol
Outputs: 298kW/560Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 14.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 334g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A

Also consider:
Nissan Patrol Y61 (from $53,890)
Toyota Prado (from $60,990)
Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series (from $76,500)