2 weeks Ago By William Stopford
or signup to continue reading Waiting for the new ? Keep on waiting. While it was revealed last year and is already on sale in markets like the US as the Armada, the new Y63 Patrol won't reach customers here until 2027. As a consolation prize, last year the Australian-market Patrol finally received Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, features now almost universally standard on all new cars sold here.
That addressed one of our key complaints with the vehicle. If you believe there's no replacement for displacement, the fact the new Patrol is downsizing to a twin-turbo V6 from a naturally aspirated V8 – even if that means more power and torque – may make the outgoing car appeal to certain buyers. The current Patrol also retains a significant price advantage over comparable Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series models, something that may evaporate with the next generation.
So, the Y62 Patrol is cheaper than a LandCruiser, finally more comparable in tech, and has a big ol' V8. Is it worth buying? After a $3000 increase for the model year 2024 (MY24) updates, Nissan raised Patrol prices by another $1000 later in 2024 and has subsequently bumped them up by a few hundred dollars. The Patrol's most direct rival is the , which is priced from $96,991 to $145,791 before on-roads.
Our Ti tester is actually only $1860 more than a . Look, we don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Nissan's global HQ clearly never saw the value in updating the right-hand drive Patrol as it did left-hand drive models, thus explaining why we missed out on a completely overhauled interior launched all the way back in 2021.
It's the perils of Australia being a small right-hand drive market, when most right-hand drive markets don't want a big, hulking V8 SUV. That left Nissan Australia to find a more cost-effective solution, and to its credit it found one that on paper ticks all the right boxes. Wireless Apple CarPlay? Check.
Wireless Android Auto? Check. Wireless phone charger, digital rear-view mirror? Check, check. One of the USB-A outlets has even been swapped out for a USB-C one.
The Patrol has finally entered the 2020s. There's a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen, and it still includes embedded satellite navigation.
But, perhaps unsurprisingly, it all looks a bit...
aftermarket. The screen has been moved lower on the centre stack, which left a void where it used to sit higher up. This is now a storage bin with an extremely flimsy lid that feels like something out of a Christmas cracker.
The move, likely to accommodate the new screen's larger dimensions, also means the screen is no longer in the driver's eye line. The surround-view camera of the pre-update Patrol is also gone, with just a reversing camera in its place. At least the resolution is vastly improved.
To Nissan Australia's credit, physical shortcuts for the infotainment system have been retained, while there's an entirely new climate control array that sticks with buttons and knobs. The classic orange backlighting also still features, though the CD player is gone. The dashboard is less button-heavy than before, mind you, and there's also no woodgrain trim on the centre stack anymore.
You may find this an improvement, though if you hate the stuff you'll be disappointed to learn it's still slathered all over the centre console and doors. There's also now a front-row cool box, as can be found in some Toyota SUVs. While this update addresses some of the key flaws of the pre-update interior, which didn't really even have a logical place to put your mobile phone, there are some key faults that remain.
The Patrol has no digital speedometer, a baffling omission in a new car in the 2020s. It also features a foot-operated parking brake. The front seats are soft but flat and unsupportive, and I couldn't find a truly comfortable seating position – I felt perched up high, like I was driving a bus, even if the steering wheel does have tilt and telescopic adjustment.
While I have a soft spot for the now-retro look, you may also turn your nose up at the sea of woodgrain trim and the gathered leather upholstery on the doors which is more 1990s Mitsubishi Verada than 2020s circa-$100k SUV. Material quality remains top-notch, with soft-touch trim on the dashboard and leatherette on the side of the centre stack with stitching details. Only the very lowest reaches of the dash and doors use hard plastic.
It's luxe, even if it is old-school luxe. After all, the interior is still largely the same as when the Y62 launched back in 2010. There's plenty of stretch-out space up front, and that carries through to the second row.
The driveline hump is quite low, making for a relatively flat floor, while the bench is comfortable. In terms of amenities, there are some basic climate controls, a pair of USB outlets, and a 12V outlet. Accessing the three-seat third row bench is easy, as you simply pull a lever and the second-row seat flips forward.
At 180cm tall, I found my head touching the roof and my knees touching the seatbacks. Your toes won't feel too constricted though, and shoulder room is excellent if you only put two people back here. Still, this is best left for kids.
There are cupholders for the third-row passengers, plus a 12V outlet and air vents on the roof. There's also a single top-tether anchor point for a child seat, though you'll find two ISOFIX and three top-tether points in the second row. There's just one powertrain on offer: a big petrol V8.
The Patrol's V8 sounds fabulous, we just wish we could hear it more. Much as Nissan lashed the interior in leather and woodgrain, it shrouded the V8 with sound deadening. The Patrol is so quiet at idle, you might think it has an auto stop/start system, while even at highway speeds the cabin is impressively hushed.
A firm prod of the accelerator pedal reveals the V8 to sound absolutely fabulous, as one would expect. A LandCruiser or even a doesn't sound this good. Not only does the V8 sound smooth, the powertrain feels smooth.
The seven-speed auto may be a few ratios down on a LandCruiser, but it shifts almost imperceptibly and works well with the brawny V8. You can see, then, why Infiniti didn't bother using a different powertrain when it launched the Patrol's more luxurious QX80 cousin. It's pretty quick, too – in 0-100km/h testing at our , we recorded a time of 7.
49 seconds for a Patrol Ti-L. However, a LandCruiser 300 Series Sahara took 8.11 seconds, so it's not dramatically more rapid than rivals.
The gulf widened when we attached a 1600kg trailer dynamometer, set to three kilonewtons. The Patrol took 12.47 seconds, the LandCruiser 14.
13 seconds. You pay a bit of a penalty at the pump. We recorded fuel consumption of 14.
2L/100km in previous testing of a Patrol Ti-L in Brisbane, while testing of a LandCruiser Sahara yielded a figure of 10.7L/100km. The Patrol is a capable tow vehicle, with an engine that pulls strongly uphill.
However, the transmission doesn't automatically downshift on downhill stretches to facilitate engine braking, so you'll need to knock it into manual shift mode. While the powertrain is just as impressive as it was back in the early days of the Y62, in other respects the Patrol is showing its age. At times it's plush and floats over bumps, but at others the Patrol has a somewhat fidgety ride.
Driving this right after a Chevrolet Silverado, I found the big American to feel plusher even though it was a pickup with an empty tub. Like an American pickup, the big body-on-frame Patrol also feels heavy and rather ponderous in corners with plenty of body roll. You also feel the occasional frame shake common to many BOF vehicles.
The steering is very vague. It either has no sensation, or a weird sensation. It is light, which makes the big Patrol easy to park, but it's not at all confidence-inspiring.
There are also no steering-based lane aids, with Nissan's Intelligent Lane Prevention instead using the brakes to keep you within your lane. It only works above 70km/h, though it's less intrusive than other brake-based lane aids and indeed many steering-based ones too. The Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention also applies the brakes if it detects you're about to cross over into harm's way.
The Patrol is a capable off-roader, and we awarded it best off-roader at our Best 4WD SUV of the Year competition as it tackled offset moguls, gravel hills, and other challenges with aplomb. It boasts selectable low-range gearing, a locking rear differential, and selectable Sand, Snow and Rock modes. Nissan offers three variants of the Patrol in Australia.
The Y62 Patrol has never been tested by ANCAP. . If you buy a LandCruiser 300 Series, you'll have to take it in for servicing twice as often as its intervals are six months or 10,000km.
We're very eager to get behind the wheel of the next-generation Patrol when it finally comes here, but that doesn't mean the current SUV should simply be cast off like a worn-out pair of shoes. For a new car this old, it still makes a solid case for itself. Not only is it quite good value for money given the performance and capability on offer, it also has an upscale feel inside and an impressive level of refinement.
It's not perfect. The V8 can be thirsty, the ride can be a bit fidgety, and the steering is ropey. We also wish Nissan's global HQ could have given us the superior interior offered overseas, though at least the locally devised solution adds all the features the Patrol was sorely lacking.
It also helps keep the old Nissan worthy of continued consideration. Content originally sourced from: Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data.
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