The Nissan Patrol is one of the cars that helped open up Australia, spawning a long-running but mostly good natured feud between Patrol owners and Toyota LandCruiser fans that crosses generations.
The large seven seat, four-door SUV is a shadow of its former rugged self, though, with the long-awaited sixth-generation Patrol launching in 2010 in petrol form only. With the US and the Middle East not interested in diesel, Australian sales wouldn't justify the development costs of adding a new diesel. It's still a tough, ladder-frame off-roader with real ability, but a lack of driving range plays against it.
Current prices range from $89,620 to $105,880 for the Patrol Ti (4x4) and Patrol Warrior (4X4).
The Patrol adds wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (at last!) for the MY25 version, as well as a larger driver info display and a wireless charger, among other changes.
In the base, eight-seater Ti, you’ll also find leather upholstery, surround-view camera with off-road monitor, front/rear parking sensors, USB ports, dual-zone (instead of tri-zone) climate control, keyless entry/start, heated/powered/folding door mirrors, a limited-slip differential and 18-inch alloys with a full-sized spare wheel.
The Ti-L gains a sunroof, 13-speaker audio upgrade, a cool box, digital Rear View Mirror, powered tailgate, heated and vented front seats with driver’s side memory, powered steering column, leather/suede upholstery and more, but drops to seven seats.
The Ti-based Warrior loses the luxuries above but scores all-terrain tyres, twin recovery points, Alcantara trim, raised and revised suspension, wider tracks, a retuned hydraulic body motion-control system, a bi-modal side exhaust outlet, a 120kg GVM upgrade and a host of exterior changes to make it look more off-road ready.
For the MY25 Patrol, the available colours are 'Desert Red Metallic', 'Gun Metallic', 'Moonstone White', 'Brilliant Silver' and 'Black Obsidian'.
This mightn’t be too hard to figure out as the GU Patrol used a purely mechanical engagement system for the transfer case and four-wheel-drive system. Unlike newer designs with rotary knobs and electronic control, there’s really not to much to go wrong with the Patrol’s setup assuming it’s a selector problem. Make sure the selector rods are all connected properly and that they’re not binding or loose under the car.
However, if the lever is engaging and the front drive-shaft is not turning the front wheels, then you may have a hub problem. Free-wheeling hubs are great for saving fuel, but when they go wrong, it can often mean the drive doesn’t reach the front wheels. At that point, you have a bigger job on your hands. The same symptoms could also be a result of a broken front differential which is not sending the drive out to the front wheels. Finally, the transfer-case itself may be at fault. If it’s not sending the drive forward, there’s no way the vehicle will achieve four-wheel-drive.
Also, to maximise your chances of engaging four-wheel-drive, make sure the vehicle is stationary at the time and the transmission is in neutral. In fact, this is essential for moving between two and four-wheel-drive in many types of off-roader.
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While the ZD30 engine should have been a major step forward in terms of technology with common-rail technology and double overhead camshafts, in reality, the engine was not one of Nissan’s finest moments. Bottom end failures were not uncommon with cracked pistons necessitating full rebuilds.
Several causes have been suggested including poor fuel-air ratio management and boost spikes form the turbocharger putting sudden, huge loads on the engine’s internals. Either way, though, the engine is far from remembered fondly.
CarsGuide has looked at this engine in depth, and even published a guide to the Nissan Patrol ZD30 engine.
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If your can manually force the shift then there’s probably nothing wrong with the actual gearbox and its mechanicals. Instead, the problem is likely to be an electronic one, perhaps with the speed sensor that tells the computer the car’s road speed and tailors the gearshifts to reflect that. Don’t forget, however, that gearboxes like the Nissan’s with many gears, often won’t select higher gears at low speeds. So if the car refuses to select sixth or seventh gear at urban speeds, that’s possibly just the calibration Nissan has fitted to it.
If this is an actual problem (and not just a characteristic) this is a very new vehicle and would be covered for this sort of problem by the factory warranty.
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All Nissan Y62 Patrols employ a 5.6-litre quad-cam V8. It delivers a healthy 298kW of power at 5800rpm, and 560Nm of torque at 4000rpm. A seven-speed torque-converter automatic transmits drive to either the rear wheels or all four wheels via an electronic 4WD transfer case.
Nothing dated the pre-MY25 Y62 Patrol more than its dashboard, which – for RHD markets like Australia – stuck with the original version introduced back in the early 2010s.
For 2025, the Patrol gains modern-day tech like Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a wireless phone charger, while losing the horrid glossy fake-wood trim that would make a business class airline flight attendant wince.
With lots of space inside, the Ti and Warrior grades offer eight-seater (in 2+3+3 configuration) seating, while the Ti-L loses the third-row middle position to make it a seven-seater SUV.
Dominating the MY25 dash is a 12.3-inch touchscreen. Ahead of the driver is a now-larger TFT screen for vehicle data, and thankfully the lovely analogue instrument dials remain.
Access to the third row is made simple via lever, resulting in the spring-loaded base tipping forward as the backrest folds down, to provide easy walk-through to the two or three-person bench that awaits.
The MY25 Patrol is available in two seating configurations depending on grade. If you buy the base Ti or the flagship Warrior off-road special (based on the Ti specification), you will find a handy 2+3+3 configuration, making this an eight-seater SUV and highlighting how much space is inside the Y62 Patrol.
However, the more luxury-orientated Ti-L is a seven-seater SUV, since it loses the third-row middle seating position.
All grades have electrically-powered front seats with powered slide and reclining abilities, with the Ti-L added heating and ventilation elements. Additionally, the middle-row seats tip forward and tumble out of the way to allow for easier access to the third-row seats. Finally, the third-row seats recline for added comfort.
The Nissan Patrol offers 467 litres of cargo capacity with all seats up, ballooning to 1413L in five-seat mode. The spare wheel lives under the car and is accessed from below the vehicle.
The Patrol can accelerate from standstill to 100km/h (0-100km/h) in around 7.5 seconds, on the way to a top speed of about 210km/h.
Nissan says the Patrol averages 14.4L/100km on the combined cycle. Fitted with a 140-litre fuel tank, around 970km of range is possible.