Along with the Toyota LandCruiser, the Nissan Patrol has been a staple of Australian serious off-roading enthusiasts.
Both are some of the largest proper 4WDs on market – in a category of their own.
This thing is a juggernaut.
A true off-roader, the Patrol is a powerhouse, big on features and space, it has everything you’d need for any challenging trip.
Exterior
The body of the Patrol is as it traditionally is – big, square, and bulky – however, corners are rounded off and nothing sticks out.
Overall, the exterior is understated with not major embellishments, reflective of its pragmatism.
The Ti-L comes a tow ball and side steps to aid boarding. Large, square wing mirrors provide a decent view for the driver.
The interior is updated, but has an older feel about it via the general layout and the glossy, replica wood finish.
You get leather seats, steering wheel and upholstery, though the section above the door armrest wrinkles due to the curve of the panel.
The cabin is, as you can imagine, spacious like a concert hall with a wide breadth, centre console and armrest.
With all this room the A-pillar does seem a little close though maybe because of the curvature of the windscreen.
The middle row rolls forward to give access to back, and of course the back seats fold down revealing a massive amount of space.
Features
Being a top-spec model, the Nissan Patrol has all imaginable features.
Standouts are the powered tailgate controllable from the cockpit and the key, a large centre bin with cooler box that is accessible from both the front and back and roof mounted rear air vents and rear controls to keep all passengers cool.
The centre dash has a few too many buttons, but many of these are for the DVD player watchable on the 8” headrest screens paired with headphones and remote, and the main touchscreen when stationary. Disappointingly there is no digital radio.
Other features include a small sunroof; powered, heated and ventilated front seats; a foot operated parking brake, tri-zone climate control (front and rear).
Probably the only part I was dissatisfied with was the surprisingly rudimentary driver info display – a small monochrome LCD screen that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the dash.
On the road, the ride is extremely comfortable with big tyres, big wheels, big body, and very accommodating suspension it makes mincemeat of bumps and ridges, considerably softening the bounce.
With performance like this, it’s built for the rougher terrain of off-road driving.
The big motor is more than capable and shifts the weight of the hefty 4×4 around proficiently and doesn’t ever feel sluggish with heaps of get up and go.
This combined with the very light steering means you don’t feel like being behind the wheel of a ‘truck’ though I would prefer heavier steering for better feel.
Also, there’s no big engine sound as expected from a V8 especially from the well-insulated cabin.
The downside of a 5.6L, V8 petrol engine and a 2.7 tonne vehicle is that it drinks like a fish with fuel consumption during my drive at 17.5L/100km!
And this was in an empty vehicle with no luggage in the back and not towing a load.
Though balancing it out is a gigantic 140 litre tank which affords you a whopping 800km range.
The 4WD Nissan Patrol comes with high and low range with terrain options: rock, snow and sand, with diff lock and hill descent control which sit on a dial near the gear shifter.
The Patrol has what is now the usual affair of safety kit for a grade of this grade though it has yet gained an ANCAP safety rating.
Airbags, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure, and blind spot monitoring with the light indication on inside of door are some of the inclusions.
There are cameras everywhere. Not just for lane departure and reversing, but a 360° view to make anyone an expert at parking, and an integrated camera in the rear view mirror which Nissan call the Intelligent Rear-View Mirror.
By flicking the normal reflection switch at the bottom of the mirror, the mirror will switch on a full screen view of the rear of the car. Note, this is a horizontal view and not the angled view of a reversing camera.
Handy for seeing out the back when you have the boot packed to the rafters on those family holidays.
A common consideration for me now is baby seats and ISOFIX anchors.
While the patrol does possess them, the rear tethers are only located on the outer seats if fixing in the middle row and are situated far down the seat back and took me a while to find. This also makes them hard to access especially with the last row of seats folded down.
Good Bits
- Ride comfortable
- Easy to drive despite size
- Engine and power
- Safety and cameras
- Spacious
Not so good bits
- Very high fuel use
- Light steering
Now only available in a petrol variant (which beats me), the Nissan Patrol Ti-L is priced from $88,990 before on roads which is a lot of coin, but when you consider its purpose, the kit and cost of higher end competitors, it seems value-for-money.
Feature packed and with very forgiving suspension it’s properly equipped for long journeys and off-road adventures.
Heaps of power and room but the fuel economy may be a turn off.
Facts and Figures: 2018 Nissan Patrol Ti-L
- Engine: 5.6L V8 petrol 298kW/560Nm
- Transmission: Seven-speed sports automatic
- Warranty: 3 Yrs/100,000km
- Safety: Not yet tested
- Origin: Japan
- Price: From $88,990