The Nissan Patrol keeps its basics, and gets more free stuff, for less price

This one has patrolled the African continent and has been around the block a few times.  The seemingly indestructible and never-ending Nissan Patrol has been repositioned.

More free stuff

It seems even Nissan Patrol owners and fans want to have some more modern features, especially in the rugged but basic diesel GL model but without messing with the go-4x4 mechanicals that has made it a favourite across road, land and continent.

The Patrol SUV consists of 2 models:  3.0Di GL diesel manual (referred to as the “technical” model) and 4.8 GRX petrol auto (the more luxurious one). 

The Patrol is brought into the 21st century, so both models now get built-in navigation as standard.  This is a new in-car entertainment system with touch colour screen, USB and Bluetooth.

The GL scores with the replacement of cloth upholstery to leather.  Sometimes cloth is preferred for serious off-roading, offering more grip, though leather is more luxurious, and easier to clean.

Making the GL look less technical is the change from unpainted black bumpers to colour-coded ones and chrome mirror covers, which make it look smoother, but also less practical as an unpainted bumper is not as sensitive to off-road scratches as a painted one.

The Patrol 4.8 GRX is the one with the wood trim, wood and leather steering wheel, sunroof, climate control, steering wheel switches, cruise control, electric seat adjusters, and rear-seat items like armrest and cupholders.

Basics untouched

Some of the Patrol’s ruggedness is attributed to the 3.0 turbo diesel engine, which gives 110kW at an easy 3600 r/min, and importantly, torque of 371Nm at 2000.  A 5-speed manual gearbox with low-range is standard (still the old-school manual small gear lever to select low-range, which some say is more reliable – you need this out in the bush – than the newer easier switch-operated systems).  It has a rear diff lock, and free-wheel hubs which are auto with a manual override.

The Patrol has the same hardy look and basics which remain untouched, as its customers need and want, such as the front bumper with 37-degree off-road approach angle, front and rear solid axles, and deep 700mm water wading depth without a snorkel – these make storming dunes and fording rivers so easy.  Ground clearance is 210mm.

Both Patrol GL and GRX have their 2 fuel tanks, one holding 100 and the other 40 litres.  Front and rear 12V power points in the Patrol are handy, while the 2200+ litre loading area, with seats down, can carry a whole lot of adventure equipment and provisions.  The GL is a 5-seater and the GRX a 7-seater.

These things are also made to tow.  The 3.0 can pull 2700kg with an air-assisted braked trailer / towed vehicle, and the 4.8 auto can tow 3500kg.

More free stuff… for less price

Nissan SA has also extended the warranty, from the previous 3-year, doubling it to 6 years, while distance cover increases from 100 000 to 150 000 km (and we know these Patrols like a long distance trip).  The service plan of 5 years or 90 000 km is still included.

The part they did not mention is the price deal.  The new Patrol SUVs, with more free stuff, had about R 100 000 cut off its retail price:  it was R 700 600 for the 3.0Di GL which is now R 605 000, and the 4.8 GRX drops from R 795 100 to R 698 000.

This means, despite being the full-size rough-road-ready SUV, these now compete no longer with the likes of the big Land Cruiser 200 which has gone past a million, but with smaller albeit mostly newer SUVs (think Everest, Trailblazer, Fortuner)… or for the old-school tough 4x4, the Land Rover Defender 110 station wagon and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, which are both – no co-incidence – also priced very close to the R600k mark.  Others are Toyota Land Cruiser 76 station wagon (only the 4.5D-4D V8 remains) and Mitsubishi Pajero.  The Mercedes-Benz G300 is just on another price level.

No new Patrol?

The Patrol has been around in its current form since 2004.  Overseas markets have been receiving the newer much bigger more modern Patrol for some time already, and some markets like Australia actually sell the old and new Patrol.  Why not bring the new Patrol to South Africa?  Well, gauging by the upgrade our old Patrol just got, the new one is not on the cards.

Aha, but Nissan has another marketing plan – rather than pitch the new Patrol against the Cruiser, they are offering the Infiniti QX80, which is the biggest SUV in the country (yes, even bigger than the Land Cruiser 200 or Lexus LX twins, and bigger than even the biggest Mercedes GL or a Range Rover) and, being so huge and super-luxurious, is a very lofty 4x4 experience.  At R 1 265 000, the Infiniti QX80 5.6 V8 is Nissan’s luxury-brand counter-offer against the Land Cruiser 200 V8 VX, Lexus LX 570 and Mercedes GL (soon to be GLS).

The Nissan Patrol keeps on going, with more features, that long new warranty, and all at a repositioned price.