New Nissan Patrol rolls in

NISSAN is hoping its first V8-powered Patrol will find hundreds of buyers each month, despite costing more than any previous version, and with no diesel engine option in sight.

Launched this week from $82,200 to $113,900 plus on-road costs, the all-new Y62-series Patrol is pitched directly against the Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series, as well as luxury SUVs such as the Audi Q7, Land Rover Discovery and Lexus LX 570.

The long-running Y61 Patrol – now in its 16th year on sale in Australia – will continue to be sold alongside the newcomer, straddling the $55,000 to $75,000 4x4 diesel wagon/workhorse segment for the foreseeable future.

The next-generation Pathfinder will be tasked with tackling the seven-seater SUVs including the Ford Territory, Toyota Kluger, Mazda CX-9, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento set in the $40,000 to $65,000 market when it arrives in the last quarter of 2013.

Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Bill Peffer said the older Patrol will keep the traditional customer base happy for an indefinite period of time, while the latest model will appeal to buyers seeking more power, space and 4x4 capability.

“We think we will do (sales) in the hundreds with this car every month,” Mr Peffer told GoAuto at this week’s media launch in South Australia.

“We had 5000 hand-raisers when we started to propagate that the car was coming.

“We know we are not going to get all the diehard off-road diesel Patrol owners into the new car, but we think we will get some, and we think we have a compelling story with the petrol engine.

“Most people in this segment are looking for power, space and capability for towing, and with nearly 300kW, the Patrol delivers. But there will be people who would not buy a petrol engine.” Mr Peffer denied that alliance partner Renault’s 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, as used in some R51 Pathfinder and D40 Navara pick-up models, would eventually find its way into the latest Patrol.

“We would look for the appropriate powertrain, and I don’t think a six-cylinder diesel would be going into this Patrol. There isn’t another powertrain planned for this.

“(But) we will see how we go, and adjust if we need to.

“We will keep the Y61 Patrol around for as long as we can. We don’t have an end-date to the lifecycle. It has been around for 15-plus years.

“It will be phased out if there are insurmountable regulatory issues, or if demand for the product wanes, but we sell 2500 of those every year, so we think the dual strategy policy is an intelligent one, catering to the loyalists who need that capability or want that price point.

“And we’re also moving forward with the next-generation Patrol, the sixth-generation with 50 years of heritage. It is very important for us.” Designed primarily for the Middle East and North America (as the substantially modified Infiniti QX56), the Y62 underwent testing in both those regions, in Japan and in the Australian outback, involving over 200 prototypes, 40 engineers, and 13,265 hours.

Development of right-hand drive was undertaken expressly for our market.

Built on an all-new platform in Japan, the new Patrol is the largest yet, measuring in at 5140mm long (+90mm over the old model), 1995mm wide (+55mm), 1940mm high (+85mm), and with a wheelbase of 3075mm (+105mm), but the turning circle remains at 12.5 metres.

The Y62 Patrol is somewhat larger even than the LandCruiser, being 190mm longer, 25mm wider, 60mm higher and riding on a 225mm longer wheelbase.

It employs a stiffer chassis and adopts double-wishbone coil-spring suspension front and rear for the first time, as well as rack-and-pinion steering.

With a hefty kerb weight ranging from 2739kg to 2829kg, the new Patrol is also some 400kg heavier than its predecessor.

Beneath the vast bonnet is a variation of the engine powering Nissan’s new Altima V8 Supercar racer.

This 5.6-litre petrol unit employs variable valve timing and direct injection technology to deliver 298kW of power at 5800rpm and 560Nm of torque from 4000rpm – with 90 per cent of torque available under 1700rpm.

Driving all four wheels via an electric transfer case known as All Mode 4x4 (varying power delivery from 100 per cent rear to 50 per cent front/rear), the sole transmission choice on all three models – ST-L, Ti and Ti-L – is a seven-speed auto with a manual mode and adaptive-shift control software.

Among the off-road aids are a lockable differential, helical limited slip differential, hill-descent control, hill-start assist, and four driving modes – on-road, sand, rocks and snow – all selectable electronically via console-mounted switches in the fashion of Land Rover’s Terrain Response system.

To mitigate body roll, improve stability and provide a flat ride, Patrol debuts Nissan’s ‘Hydraulic Body Motion Control’ system that replaces anti-roll bars with hydraulic chambers in each shock absorber to counter unwanted movement.

Fuel consumption is claimed to be relatively good considering the Y62’s mass – 14.5 litres per 100km is the official combined average result – with a carbon dioxide emissions rating of 343 grams per kilometre.

Brakes are discs all round (358mm diameter with four-piston opposed callipers up front and a 350mm single-piston set-up in the rear), helped by ABS, electronic brake-force distribution and ESC as part of Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamic Control system.

While the two lower model grades offer eight seating positions (2+3+3), the extra mass of the Ti-L means Nissan had to remove the middle position from the last row so as not to exceed the maximum gross vehicle mass.

All models include six airbags with head protection for all three seating rows, anti-whiplash front head restraints, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, 18-inch alloy wheels, driver-side eight-way electric seat adjustment, dual-zone climate-control, cruise control, Bluetooth telephony, a trip computer, woodgrain inserts and a colour screen linked with a single-disc CD/MP3/DVD audio system.

The Ti adds leather upholstery, the Hydraulic Body Motion Control suspension system, speed-sensitive power steering, electric passenger seat adjustment, sunroof, and automatic headlights and wipers.

Flagship Ti-L variants gain adaptive cruise control, forward collision detection with autonomous braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, tyre-pressure monitoring with display, all-round cameras, a 13-speaker Bose premium audio system, a one-inch-larger centre screen, satellite navigation, two rear DVD screens, a chilled storage compartment, self-dimming interior mirror, Xenon headlights, security alarm and memory function for the electric seat, steering wheel and mirror adjustment.

2013 Nissan Patrol pricing*

ST (a)	$82,200
Ti (a)	$92,850
Ti-L (a)	$113,900

*Plus on-road costs