The Sunday Mail
BATTLE LINES have been drawn for decades. The enemy is one Nissan, with the new Patrol, has declared war on its only sworn rival – the Toyota Landcruiser. Nissan’s seventh generation (Y62) Patrol is now available on the Zimbabwean market and its mission is to grab the market share from Toyota’s Landcruiser.
The new Nissan Patrol, which is dubbed “The Pinnacle of meticulously crafted luxury”, made its debut at the Dubai Motor Show and has been turning heads the world over with its new look.
This SUV is targeted at the top-end of the market and inevitably attracts a six-figure price tag.
Toyota has built its reputation; it is very easy for anyone to be inclined to Toyota’s Landcruiser.
The brand has done a very good job marketing its product and it is a fact that Toyota has a bigger market share than Nissan when it comes to vehicles sold.
The Nissan Patrol does not have many peers to compete with, hence the sights are set on the Toyota Landcruiser.
Admittedly, it will be difficult for Nissan Patrol to wrest the market from Toyota but its new product will definitely present a major headache for its rival.
But the vehicle is not a new player in the business and its legacy began way back in 1951 with the 4W60 which had an authentic 4×4 chassis, selectable 4WD and 6-cylinder engine.
Thereafter, the Patrol went through many changes and in October 1958, Nissan introduced the first vehicle to wear its badge on the grille.
Since then Nissan has not looked back or slackened in the development of the Patrol, which has over the years earned the recognition as “King of the Off-Road”.
Don’t confuse the Range Rover as being in this class.
Toyota Landcruiser has been in the game for 63 years, while the Nissan Patrol has been in the business for well over 60 years.
Experts claim that the Patrol is the most powerful 4×4 in its class, with its 5,6-litre V8 powerplant producing 298 kilowatts of power or rather a beastly 400 horsepower and 560 Newton metres of torque.
This engine is mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with manual mode.
Nissan has also dressed up its new engine with Variable Valve Event and Lift (VVEL) and Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG) technologies to improve fuel efficiency, power and torque with lower emissions.
Nissan demonstrated the power of the Patrol when it pulled a 170,9-tonne jet for 30m, which, to date, is arguably the heaviest weight ever pulled by a production vehicle.
This feat has not yet been done by its rival, the Toyota Landcruiser.
The last production car ever to pull a plane before the Patrol was the 5-litre German-built VW Touareg V10 TDI, which towed a 155-tonne Boeing 747.
In short, the Nissan Patrol broke a record set by the VW Touareg. It was definitely a cheeky and bold-poke in the eye for VW by Nissan.
I had the opportunity to test drive the new Nissan Patrol LE last week courtesy of Croco Nissan and I was at a loss for words.
Let me confirm that this SUV is luxurious in all respects.
From the Bose premium audio system, the leather seats and the meticulously stitched dashboard, I must say the styling and refinement of the new Patrol is in a class of its own.
The comfort levels are that of a luxury sedan for such a humongous SUV. Even bumps on the road surface are not easy to feel with the new Patrol, thanks to Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) system which offers a 4-wheel independent suspension.
The acceleration of the Patrol is, in short, wicked.
I guess being a 5,6-litre petrol V8, churning a butt-kicking 400 horsepower for a SUV is really nothing worth writing about. The most I could push it was 175km/h.
I could have done more as the growl and soul from the V8 powerplant still had capacity to push it to the top speed of 240km/h.
This SUV comes with technologies that you would expect to find in any upmarket 4×4 off-roader: the Hill Start Assist, which comes in handy when the driver encounters a steep incline; and Hill Descent Control technology, which assists you to navigate downhill or through slippery slope at a minimum set speed so that the driver does not bother about applying brakes but only concentrates on steering the vehicle.
The Patrol now comes with a Variable 4×4 Mode select that allows the driver to effortlessly switch between four drive modes — sand, on-road, snow and rock.
Hmmm. Where did I experience this technology? Yep! This technology is also found in the Range Rover Evoques as well.
Active Brake Limited Slip (ABLS) – a traction control mechanism that utilises sensors from the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) to transfer power from a slipping wheel to a wheel with more traction comes standard.
The Vehicle Dynamic Control prevents the vehicle from sliding sideways when changing lanes, on slippery surfaces or when negotiating curves.
When it comes to safety, the Nissan Patrol has not left anything to chance.
This SUV comes with active head restraints and a 6-SRS Airbag System with roof-mounted curtain airbags, front seat mounted side airbags, driver and front passenger airbags.
The Patrol has also been fitted with a crash sensitive door unlock system which on detecting a collision will automatically unlock the doors to allow for the free movement of passengers out of the vehicle.
However, the non-availability of a diesel engine would prove to be its undoing.
If you have money to buy this vehicle, you are not likely to fret about fuel because this SUV (the 5,6-litre petrol V8) is seemingly for the who’s-who of society.
One would disagree with me if I said the Nissan Patrol is Toyota Landcruiser’s nightmare but truth be told, it is.
Some call Africa Toyota territory and some call Nissan the “King of the Off-Road”, be the judge.
Feedback: [email protected]
