Nissan Patrol 3.0 Ti 2010 Review

Nissan's Patrol has been around for decades, but the current iteration, launched in 2006, is showing its age against its younger, more agile but admittedly much more expensive natural protagonist, Toyota's LandCruiser 200 Series.

Initial suggestions that the Patrol will be replaced by an all-new -- or at least mostly new -- model some time in 2010 were confounded by the GFC and the Australian launch will not now happen until 2011 at best.

Despite this, the current Patrol continues to sell well, by dint of its significant price advantage over the Toyota, its solid reputation for offroad ability and a robust legion of fans who would need dynamite to get them to shift to another brand.

The Patrol, unashamedly a body-on-frame style 4x4 in the old school idiom, now comes up short in terms of ride, handling, comfort and some features. But in its role as an off-road 4x4, it's still able to stand tall with its rivals. Those rivals include the Toyota, Mitsubishi's slightly lighter-duty Pajero, the Hummer H3 and sundry Jeeps, including Grand Cherokee and the discontinued Commander.

The Nissan's 3.0-litre four-cylinder twin-cam common-rail turbodiesel is hamstrung by an agricultural three-speed-plus-overdrive automatic gearbox, which has the motor often revving harder than it should. It's noisy and coarse as a result and we can't help but wonder if a more modern transmission wouldn't help the diesel Patrol overcome some of its less socially acceptable traits.

Nissan's access to Renault technology would surely suggest that the new Patrol will get a modern V6 diesel. We wonder why it's not in there already.

Too much engine noise gets into the cabin, fuel consumption is too high and performance is underwhelming -- all aspects which could be improved with a modern adaptive transmission, coupled to a modern, clean and efficient engine. Talking to long-time Patrollers, it seems a common fix involves an after-market exhaust and a different engine tune -- almost certainly voiding the warranty, but also unleashing the potential within.

On the road, Patrol is a natural understeerer and this feature gets worse the harder it's pushed. While high-speed cornering is obviously beyond the Patrol's design brief, even winding tarred roads in National Parks will tax unwary drivers, as the Patrol pushes its nose out of the expected arc of travel.

Its ride matches its handling -- it is unsubtle and does little to conceal big imperfections in the road surface, transmitting thumps and bumps faithfully and only damping out the harsher movements. Mercifully, there's little kick and vibration through the steering wheel, so the experience isn't massively tiring for the driver.

The most reward from this vehicle comes not from its alter-ego, masquerading as a mothership on the school and soccer run, but rather from its original design brief -- that of being a rugged truck that will tame the roughest country in an adventurer's quest to drive the undriveable road. Sadly, such epic trips are few and far between in real life, so Nissan needs to sell Patrols to those would-be adventurers whose maiden voyage into the unknown is yet to come -- but will, as they assure their spouses, one day. Promise...

Off-road, the Patrol is better than good. It copes with all that is thrown at it, thanks in no small part to its clever five-link rear suspension that seems to find traction where there would appear to be none.

While no-one would ever accuse the Patrol of being scalpel-like, it certainly gets the job done -- transporting occupants and luggage across rough grounder and rougher tracks, if not in luxury, at least confidently and securely. It also stands a better than good chance of being among the few that will actually get across the gnarlier bits of the map too.

Make no error, this is a big, heavy social renegade; it is over 5 metres long; weighs 2477kg (the manual is 35kg heavier); and has a turning circle (in two wheel-drive) of 12.5 metres.

Keen to keep the aging Patrol as current as possible, Nissan has added features to tempt new buyers and existing Patrollers back. The result is a largely unconvincing pig in a wig, with leather upholstery and wood trim in the cabin but more modern features missing. An example of the latter would be the lack of an in-dash gear-position display, or indicator repeaters in the external side mirrors (which incidentally, wear chrome covers of a less-than-lustrous finish).

A sop to modernity, the reversing camera, is a nice idea but in practice it's so slow to switch on that many reversing manoeuvres are finished and the car is moving forward before the screen has woken up.

Note too with the asymmetrically split rear doors, the camera is off to one side. In fact, so far to the left (under the P in the Patrol badge above the numberplate), that the image is not especially useful. With a narrow angle, it's also not hugely useful for avoiding low objects below the car's high sides.

Rear visibility from the drivers' seat isn't particularly good in any direction, so the fitment of a reversing camera is laudable -- it just needs to be better positioned. Interestingly there are lines a metre apart on the screen and these can be adjusted with a remote control.

Similarly, the unintuitive satellite navigation system (which has no touchscreen function) operates in conjunction with the camera, using the same remote control so that anyone in the vehicle can enter data. This is not possible when the vehicle is in motion, obviously as a safety feature to prevent the driver doing so while the vehicle is underway. But if no-one else can perform this function either, it begs the question of why a remote control is needed. In addition, the remote has no fixed docking port or pouch, so it is destined to float around the cabin for eternity or until it gets lost, accidentally kicked out the door or stamped into obscurity, whichever comes first.

The vehicle's onboard computer perversely offers data on latitude and longitude, but not instant or average fuel consumption, and gives elapsed time and distance travelled, but not available range on remaining fuel. Yet it comes with a pre-heat function to warm the diesel enough to run in sub-zero temperatures -- the kind of touch you'd look to Audi or Volvo to include.

Patrol's seats, leather-clad at this spec-level, are electrically operated up front, with height adjustment and manual lumbar support on the driver's side. They are flat and featureless pews, with minimal kidney-area support and a medium-length under-thigh cushion; there's not much to stop you slithering about, apart from the partially-perforated and impressively made leather itself.

The backs of the front seats both have map-pockets and minimalist fold-up tray-tables complete with drinks holders for the outermost of the three places. Seating in the second row is comfortable for kids and adults alike, although the fold-up armrests do compromise the backrest of the middle position.

The third row, a pair of fold-down jump-seats in the cargo area are strictly for very small children -- a pair of flexible 11-year-old Scouts declined a return journey in the Patrol after just one 60km trip. Despite the Patrol's size, getting into the third row involves folding down the second row, so it's a bit of a mission. When not required, the third row pews fold up on either side, but they do compromise the luggage capacity.

The driver's pretty well catered for, with a good rest for the left foot and full audio and cruise control functions on the well-proportioned steering wheel (which is adjustable for rake only, not reach). As you'd expect from Nissan, the primary controls and instrumentation are all well-placed, logical and easily used, though the double-DIN audio system betrays its left-hand drive roots with a power and volume knob on the passenger's side. It holds six CDs and can play tapes, but has no iPod or MP3 connectivity.

As a further sign of its age, Patrol comes with an old-style telescopic aerial, which is raised and lowered automatically when the radio is switched on or off; there's a manual switch on the consol to do the same.

All passenger doors get access and security grabrails -- one on the driver's A-pillar, two for everyone else. The overhead ones are sprung and extend slightly, if needed.

Big sun visors don't really cover the entire windscreen but are commendably deep; the passenger gets an unlit vanity mirror. Above each visor is a large clip for cards, permits or maybe even maps. There's a central sunnies bin (why only ever one?) but no kiddie-checker mirror, and a large electric tilt-and-slide sunroof is fitted at the Ti specification level.

Storage in the cabin is generally good, with full-length map and bottle-holding door pockets, twin front cupholders and a padded armrest over a large two-tier central storage bin. There are oddment trays above the audio system and beside the gear-shifter, but the glovebox is small and awkwardly-shaped.

Strangely, the middle back seat passenger misses out on a head restraint. Safety features include dual front and side airbags and ABS brakes with a gravel sensor.

Fundamental electronic driver aids like stability and traction control are entirely absent. Deliberately tacking some steep dirt roads in two-wheel drive saw the Patrol resolutely inching its way up, irrespective of throttle position; once four-wheel drive was engaged, the Patrol unsurprisingly disdainfully thundered up the hill as if it wasn't there.

Its offroad credentials include selectable low-range, auto-locking free-wheeling front hubs, a limited-slip rear differential, 210mm ground clearance and a claimed 700mm wading depth. Short of deliberately driving into a dam, there was nothing we tackled that looked like getting the Patrol remotely beached, bogged or otherwise stranded.

If we succumb to the hype and assume that the Patrol is likely to live at least some of its life Outback (and therefore, might also be driven after dark), the headlights are a disappointment. They offer acceptable forward penetration but extremely poor peripheral illumination, so foraging wombats and travelling wallabies aren't easy to spot until they're in the spread of the beams -- too close to safely avoid them. Perhaps that's why almost all Patrols wear monster aftermarket lamps on their bull-bars.

The asymmetrical barn door rear-end treatment achieves little -- as the primary smaller door leads directly onto the folded left rear-most seat; to stow anything bigger than a shopping bag, you need to open both doors. Being the bigger "half", the right-side door protrudes further back from the vehicle and can get close to other parked cars. There is only one rear window wiper; it's on the larger half -- and in dust or heavy spray, rearward left quarter vision is compromised.

A useful 95-litre fuel tank is augmented with a 'subtank' holding another 30 litres; an obscure switch down under the rudimentary but perfectly functional HVAC controls and under a ledge ahead of the gearshift, serves to pump fuel from the sub into the main tank. Filling up still hurts -- it just hurts less often.

One would think that the Patrol, even with its' smaller 3.0-litre turbodiesel and less-than-hi-tech auto gearbox, would make a fine towing vehicle. (it is rated to tow a hefty 3500kg braked) but when presented with a double-axle braked trailer weighing about 1500kg, the Nissan proved thirsty and made harder work of the task than we expected.

It proved reluctant to get off the line, was a pedestrian accelerator and judging by the heat radiating off the transmission tunnel into the cabin, was working its gearbox pretty hard too. Once cruising on the open road it was fine and the Patrol's brakes were never given any cause for concern.

The Patrol is showing its age undoubtedly but while there are more youthful rivals on the market, for the money there are few that can match the Patrol's legendary offroad ability, space and unbridled reliability.

Certainly there are some short-comings, but the model has been around long enough and is popular enough that many aspects can be rectified by off-the-shelf accessories and upgrades.

Price Guide (recommended price before dealer and statutory charges): $71,690
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): metallic paint: $495; alloy bullbar: $1645.40; towbar: $506.51
Crash rating: Three-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: Diesel
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 11.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 313
Also consider: LandCruiser 200 Series; Land Rover Defender