2013 Nissan Patrol Launch Review
What’s hot: The most luxurious way to carry eight passengers across Big Red.
What’s not: No diesel option; bowser-sucking thirst
X-Factor: That bristling 5.6 litre V8 soundtrack: no working diesel gets close
Engine: 5.6 litre petrol V8 | Power/Torque: 298kW/560Nm
Fuel Consumption listed: 14.5 l/100km | tested: 13.8 l/100km (highway) 16.6 l/100km (on sand)
Vehicle style: Upper-Large SUV
OVERVIEW
It’s taken three years since it first appeared at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Motor Show, but Nissan’s Y62 model Patrol 4WD wagon is now on sale in Australia.
Selling alongside the current GU model, the all-new Y62 is bigger, more comfortable, safer, more refined, and a whole lot more powerful than its progenitor.
Before you ask though, the 5.6 litre petrol V8 is the sole engine choice for the Y62 - there's no diesel option.
However, this is not the shot in the foot it may appear; the 298kW/560Nm V8 balances plenty of fuel-saving tech with great dollops of performance.
Aside from its size, newfound comfort levels, and the adoption of independent suspension at both ends, the new car has lost none of the older model’s off-road or load-lugging abilities, and it has all the vital stats to back it up.
TMR looked at the Y62 model back in 2010 in left-hand drive Middle East-spec, but Nissan invited us back to experience the Australian-spec product at its national press launch near Mount Gambier, South Australia.
THE INTERIOR
We sampled all three ST-L, Ti, and Ti-L variants and found that even the base ST-L is a cosy, cosseting drive.
Its soft velour trim offers little compromise over the leather-clad Ti and Ti-L, and all grades feature woodgrain detailing, and several controls and design elements reminiscent of the Infiniti range.
Front seats on all are very broad but quite flat; comfortable on a straight road but lacking support off-road.
The leftward mounting of the gear selector and All Mode controller are a hangover of the Y62’s left-hand drive origins, but the indicator stalk has been thoughtfully located on the right hand side of the steering wheel.
As you’d expect, there’s plenty of room all round, and the cabin width permits a centre console bin that could swallow a football in the non-refrigerated ST-L and Ti models.
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