Nissan Patrol

The Australian motoring press has been given a sneak preview of what the new Nissan Patrol is like to drive onroad a year before it is due on sale locally.

Nissan's choice of a 1.8km closed road course that police use for advanced driver training is not exactly what you'd call the most extensive test of a new vehicle but it can be exhaustive. Indeed, with its dips and undulations, tightening corners and sweeping bends it has a knack for putting a car through its paces in a short space of time.

So while three laps or roughly 6km of driving may seem an inadequate distance to draw a conclusion on a new car, it did in fact provide a crucial insight into what Australians can expect when the new generation Patrol finally arrives in showrooms in late 2011.

The left-hand-drive vehicle, which was air-freighted from the Middle East to star at the Sydney motor show last month, is the only one of its type in Australia.

First impressions? It's huge. It is longer, wider, taller (and heavier) than a Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series. But it's also much more luxurious and technically advanced than any other Patrol before it. The vinyl seats and plastic floor coverings are long gone, replaced by high grade timber finishes, soft leather and thick-pile carpet.

Technology abounds: it has radar cruise control, lane-keeping cameras in the side mirrors (helpful given that it is so wide) and auto emergency brake, to name a few gadgets. It also has self-levelling suspension that prevents lean in corners.

But at the heart of the matter is the 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine matched to a seven-speed automatic transmission. A diesel is nowhere in sight. Indeed, the Chief Operating Officer of Nissan, Toshiyuki Shiga, told the Carsales Network last month that a diesel version of the new Patrol is not due until 2013. It hasn't even decided yet which diesel engine to install!

Given that more than 80 per cent of similarly-sized and priced Toyota LandCruisers and BMW X5s are diesel-powered, the hardened 4WD magazine fraternity is already asking if Nissan should even bother importing the petrol V8. But Nissan is confident the petrol V8 will find appeal among buyers.

It produces an impressive set of numbers. The new 2.8-tonne Patrol's 5.6-litre V8 has more power and more torque (298kW and 550Nm) than both the old 4.8-litre petrol six-cylinder Patrol -- and the 4.7-litre V8 Toyota LandCruiser. But, armed with a seven-speed automatic transmission (the others have five-speed autos), it uses less fuel than the old Patrol and the current model Toyota LandCruiser.

The test loop was too short to get any indication on real-world fuel economy numbers. But the man whose job it was to run-in the Patrol V8 before the media preview drove it from Brisbane to Coffs Harbour and back, using the coast road southbound and inland highways northbound, putting 1000km on the clock said he recorded an average of 11.0L/100km.

As reported by the Carsales Network, Nissan is considering three diesel engines for the new Patrol: a refurbished version of the 3.0-litre four-cylinder diesel in the current model, a Renault 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel, or a diesel from Mercedes-Benz.  Our guess is that Nissan will use the 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 borrowed from Renault and which has just been installed in the top line Navara ute and Pathfinder SUV.

This engine's torque output of 550Nm is more than adequate, given that is the same torque output as the petrol V8 and the diesel would deliver better economy. But until Nissan confirms it, this is just speculation.

So, what's the V8 Patrol to drive? It's eerily quiet. You almost can't hear how refined the 5.6-litre petrol V8 is because there is so much sound deadening between the cabin and the engine.

What impressed most, however, was how responsive the steering was, how flat the handling was, and how responsive and smooth the engine and transmission were.

Riding on low-profile (for a 4WD) 20-inch Bridgestone rubber, the Patrol feels like it was benchmarked against a Range Rover. Indeed, based on our short drive, the new Patrol feels like it fits between the LandCruiser and the Range Rover in terms of how it handles corners and composes itself.

It feels much more stable than a LandCruiser but the Range Rover (at twice the price, mind) would probably have the edge dynamically.

The upshot is that it is the new Patrol has new levels of refinement and finesse. The old workhorse has gone to finishing school.

The engineers have done an admirable job at disguising the Patrol's 2.8-tonne mass so well. It's a terribly over-used cliché, but the new Patrol really does feel car-like to drive.

When overtaking, the gearbox kicks down without any hesitation and without any jerkiness. The gearchanges are almost imperceptible. The refinement of the drivetrain feels smoother than the latest Lexus, in my opinion. Of course, it's hard to judge the new Patrol definitively -- not just because of the short drive, but also because we don't know the price yet.

It is safe to say that the new model will be much more expensive than the current car hence the reason Nissan will continue with the old-timer for a while longer yet and sell both models alongside each other.

Given that Nissan has just released a $75,000 Pathfinder there is every chance the new Patrol's price will start well in excess of $80,000. This is a far cry from the current price range of between $53,000 and $70,000.

With all its luxury, space and refinement, there is no question that the new Patrol is definitely step towards the Lexus and Range Rover price points. Here's hoping Nissan doesn't get too greedy.

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