In the midst of such a massive amount of hype about Nissan’s upcoming Patrol Warrior, you may be forgiven for forgetting that there is actually a new Nissan Patrol on its way. Bloody shame on you!
With an unveiling – or at least a firmer idea of what the Y63 Patrol will look like – expected in the second half of 2023, excitement is building for the latest iteration of a vehicle that has always been a traditional rival of the Toyota LandCruiser.
But what engine will the new Nissan Patrol get? What will the new Nissan Patrol look like? How much will the new Nissan Patrol cost?
All solid questions, so what do we know so far about the Nissan Patrol?
Well, quite a lot actually so read on.
Engine
Is the current-generation Patrol, the Y62, the last of the V8s? It seems so, because the next-gen Patrol is tipped to get a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 engine, rather than continue with the current 5.6-litre petrol V8.
The Patrol’s big V8 produces 298kW at 5800rpm and 560Nm at 4000rpm, but while it’s packed full of grunt and has a sweet-sounding growl, it’s on the wrong side of thirsty.
Official fuel consumption is listed as 14.4L/100km on a combined cycle, but on a recent test in a Ti variant, I recorded actual fuel consumption, fill to fill, of 22.9L/100km on our off-road test day. It has to be noted here though that the test, as my reviews always do, included several hours of low-range 4WDing.
Swapping in a V6 will put the new Patrol on a level playing field against the latest diesel V6-powered Toyota LandCruiser 300.
The logic for the switch is clear: these engines offer better fuel consumption, more power and torque, and are part of a system that produces fewer emissions.
Will there be hybrid, electric or hydrogen Patrols on offer any time soon? Not likely, but Nissan reckons its e-Power e-4ORCE system, onboard the X-Trail, is the “pinnacle” of 4WD technology, so your guess is as good as mine when that tech may be introduced into the Patrol line-up.
Appearance
No doubt, the blocky behemoth look will certainly remain, but there’ll be strong contemporary styling cues to bring it into line with rival large 4WD wagons.
The Patrol has a strong legacy in Australia as an off-road touring vehicle, capable of remote-area travel and being able to do it comfortably. It also has a definite shape and profile – perhaps not as instantly recognisable as something like the Land Rover Defender, but nonetheless familiar.
It would be remiss of Nissan to alter the Patrol’s look too much, however, as JLR proved with the aforementioned Defender: it is possible to massively change a vehicle and yet still keep the old-school spirit alive, so there’s that…
Word is, any images you might see of the next-generation Infiniti QX80, a luxury-spec version of the Patrol, will offer up definite clues as to what the Patrol will look like.
Beyond that, it’s all supposed spy shots, speculation and artists’ impressions of the Y63 Patrol’s appearance.
Inside, the Patrol will retain its extreme levels of plush and standard features – but hopefully the next-gen variants will get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which current models are missing.
But, besides all of that, the consensus is that the Patrol is well overdue for an overhaul – the current model debuted in 2010.
Price
With pricing on current model Patrols rising up to $2740 from July 1 2023, it looks like the cost of the upcoming Y63 Patrol will only head further skyward.
The prices for current-gen Patrols have risen by $2740 for the Patrol Ti (now $84,900 excluding on-road costs) and by $2485 for the top-shelf Patrol Ti-L (now $97,600 excluding on-road costs).
Orders placed after that July 1 cut-off cop those price increases.
So, for the new-gen Patrol, it’s not unreasonable to expect prices that are heading north of the $100k mark.
What I reckon
The Patrol has always played second fiddle to the LandCruiser and, more recently, it has even faced stiff cross-shopping competition from the likes of the Ford Everest and the Isuzu MU-X.
But it has a legion of fans in Australia and for many good reasons: it’s a great all-rounder, packed with features, comfortable on-road, very capable off-road, commendably refined and nice to drive.
The Patrol has proven itself as a solid adventure-travel platform – and as a tow vehicle it has few serious rivals among its large 4WD wagon rivals.
But with competition always on the rise in the big SUV realm – and with new players such as the Ineos Grenadier on their way here – Nissan will be hoping its Y63 Patrol can holds its own in a tough market.
Keyword: 2024 Nissan Patrol: Engines, timing, design and everything else we know so far about the incoming Toyota LandCruiser rival