Nissan Patrol Warrior shifts 'into neutral'

Australians will have access to a hard-core Nissan Patrol Warrior, but the V8-powered tough-truck’s release has been delayed by coronavirus challenges.

Nissan Australia's foray into locally-developed off-road enthusiast vehicles kicked off with the Premcar-engineered Nissan Navara Warrior – and it's set to continue with a second Warrior model based on the recently facelifted Patrol.

Nissan Australia chief Stephen Lester is the driving force behind the company's local product expansion in a growing market sector, but he confirmed to carsales that the Patrol Warrior project was now on the backburner.

“The reality is that at the very minute, both with our business and other businesses related to a project like Patrol Warrior, we've put certain things – I would say – into neutral.

“That's being the best way to describe it,” he told carsales.com.au during a recent interview.

The Nissan Patrol Warrior is likely to be upgraded by Premcar at its sizable 6300 square-metre facility in Epping, north of Melbourne – the same facility that enhances the Navara Warrior with upgraded suspension, underbody protection, a bull bar and off-road ready wheels and tyres, among other modifications.

Similar upgrades can be expected for the Nissan Patrol Warrior, along with a butch new exterior design to improve not only off-road ability and driving dynamics, but added cosmetic appeal.

Unlike aftermarket modifications, Warrior vehicles maintain their five-year factory warranty, towing capacity, safety systems and so forth.

Lester said the project has been paused “but it's not diminishing our enthusiasm or plans for it. It's just a simple matter of what can actually get done during this current period.”

Unlike its arch-rival, the Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series, the Nissan Patrol lacks a diesel engine and that has hampered its market appeal.

Instead, the Patrol is offered exclusively with a 5.6-litre petrol V8 (298kW/560Nm) hooked up to a seven-speed automatic transmission and dual-range gear ratios.

However, sales of the big Toyota have gone backwards by almost 10 per cent in 2020, while Patrol sales are up by more than 17 per cent in the same period – and were up by almost 32 per cent last month.

On the back of the current sales increase, Nissan’s local boss said the lack of a V8 engine in the LandCruiser’s 2021 replacement represented an opportunity for Patrol.

“That's why we put effort behind a project like Patrol Warrior, which we think would further distinguish the Patrol brand from the competitors. So we're not planning a departure from the V8 any time in the near future.

“We're still remaining very optimistic on Patrol and delivering more Patrols to customers in Australia,” he said.

While LandCruiser sales are down in 2020, the Toyota is still five times more popular than the Patrol, despite now being available only with a 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel.

The same engine also exclusively powers the 70 Series Wagon and Troop Carrier, which combined with the 200 Series to find almost 14,000 Aussie homes for the LandCruiser last year, when Nissan sold less than 2000 Patrols.

Nevertheless that was up 55 per cent on 2018 figures, following price cuts of up to $27,000 in mid-2015, but mostly before the facelifted model was launched in November 2019.

The all-new Y62 Patrol was launched Down Under in 2013 with a starting price of around $115,000. Pricing is now $86,606 drive-away for the base Ti and $102,646 drive-away for the flagship Ti-L. The LandCruiser 200 range comprises five variants priced between $80,000 and $129,000.

While Lester says the lack of a diesel engine in the Nissan Patrol is not an issue, he admitted that diesel power would further boost its popularity with buyers.

He hinted that we could even see diesel return to the Patrol when the next-generation Y63-series arrives later this decade – especially if it is developed alongside the next Mitsubishi Pajero.

“At the minute there's no plan for diesel in the Patrol range within this generation. It doesn’t mean we wouldn’t explore an opportunity should one present itself,” said Lester.

“The challenge ultimately is managing that demand and the size of that demand as we go forward.

“And there is no question about it that significant pockets [want diesel]. In Queensland for example … of course that's a very different area and mindset and consumer than some of the other places around Australia.

“And so we'll be reliant on the global plans for engines and what engines they're going to put into which vehicles.

“Australia is one of those markets that is still uniquely very pro-diesel in a lot of ways. At the end of the day we have to be conscientious that change isn’t always a bad thing either. We'll have to embrace that as we go forward.

“But at the centre of all the things we're going to do will be doing our best to maintain the wants and desires of Australian customers," he concluded.