Full specs but no pricing yet for Nissan’s homegrown full-size off-road SUV
Nissan Australia has announced full details for its answer to the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, the 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior, after the locally-developed full-size off-road SUV was revealed undisguised for the first time on social media earlier this month.
Modified by the same Premcar engineering team in Epping, Victoria, the Patrol Warrior follows the same formula as the Navara Warrior – headlined by increased ground clearance and off-road wheels/tyres – but there are some key differences as listed below.
While pre-orders open today, pricing won’t be released until closer to its official launch.
That said, Nissan has made it clear the Warrior will be positioned as the new Patrol flagship, so expect a $100,000-plus price tag – above the top-shelf Ti-L ($95,115 plus ORCs) and at least 20 per cent more than the entry-level, eight-seat Ti ($82,160 plus ORCs) on which it’s based.
The Warrior is based on the Ti rather than Ti-L because Premcar’s 50mm suspension lift and larger all-terrain tyres would have made the seven-seat Ti-L more than two metres tall (with its roof rails).
As a result, other missing Ti-L equipment includes a coolbox, powered tailgate, sunroof, heated/cooled front seats, rear entertainment system and Bose surround sound system.
And there’s no sign of a 12.3-inch infotainment touch-screen with wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity, as seen in the Patrol’s US sister model, the Armada.
But the Patrol Ti-based Warrior does come with a carryover touch-screen multimedia system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, embedded sat-nav, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, voice recognition and multiple USB ports.
Although the current Y62 Patrol does not have an ANCAP rating, safety is well covered with low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, six airbags, 360-degree and reversing cameras, LED headlights, tyre pressure monitoring, auto headlights/wipers, front fog lights and front/rear parking sensors – but no rear AEB or speed sign recognition.
Under the bonnet is a carryover engine, as per the Navara Warrior – in this case the Patrol’s beefy 298kW/560Nm 5.6-litre petrol V8, matched to a seven-speed automatic transmission and switchable 4×4 system with low range.
Premcar says fuel consumption and therefore CO2 emissions are marginally higher than the standard Patrol’s ADR Combined figures (14.4L/100km, 334g/km).
Apart from eight seats, also standard are side steps, keyless entry, three-zone climate control and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.
Patrol Warrior also comes with Nissan’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty with roadside assist, 10,000km/12-month service intervals and a capped-price service program costing an average of $506 annually for the first three years.
Unlike the Navara Warrior, there is no light bar (Premcar says the Patrol’s standard headlights are good enough) and no front bull bar because Premcar would have had to develop and validate one from scratch as there’s no genuine Patrol bull bar option.
Nissan also says a low per centage of Patrol buyers fit a bull bar.
But the Patrol Warrior brings more than just a 2.0-inch suspension lift via new Monroe springs all round – progressive rather than fixed-rate at the rear, to improve initial compliance off-road, towing performance in the mid-range and more control at full bump.
In addition, Premcar has retuned the Patrol’s Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) damping system, which effectively replaces anti-roll bars and is similar to chassis control systems used by McLaren, Rivian and the new Range Rover Sport SV.
Combined with bigger 34.4-inch Yokohama Geolandar 15 A/T rubber (not BFGoodrich KO2s as on the Navara Warrior; Premcar says the Yokos are the biggest possible without major changes and the best compromise between grip and noise) on Premcar-designed 18-inch black alloy wheels, the new springs and revalved HBMC system significantly increases ground clearance, as well as approach, departure and rampover angles.
But the Patrol Warrior goes one up on the Navara Warrior by adding a bimodal exhaust system with twin outlets tucked under the side steps on the driver’s side. The original exhaust remains intact and the side pipes open only at certain engine speeds and throttle openings.
Premcar chief Bernie Quinn says it’s the best-sounding exhaust system his company has ever produced and, unlike some aftermarket exhausts, it doesn’t drone on the highway.
Completing the mechanical upgrades is a red front bash plate, two rear 3500kg recovery points and a redesigned tow bar to accommodate the larger full-size spare tyre.
Braked towing capacity remains 3500kg, but GVM increases by 130kg to 3630kg, and payload rises by 58kg to 843kg.
In terms of design, there’s a gloss-black grille and mirror caps, OEM-standard injection-moulded black wheel-arch flares with mud flaps, a Warrior-branded front lower bumper assembly and a rear Warrior badge.
All that extra gear, 80 per cent of which is Australian-sourced, make the Warrior 50mm higher, 84mm wider and 94mm longer overall than the standard Patrol Ti.
Inside, there’s a full black interior featuring Alcantara trim inserts on the doors and upper dash – with Warrior badging – and glossy piano-black instead of woodgrain trim on the centre stack and console.
The Patrol Warrior will be available in four exterior colours – white, black, silver and grey – and is currently in the final stages of a two-year development program that was delayed by COVID.
Premcar will double its manufacturing footprint by opening a second factory in Epping in September, when it will increase the number of its engineers and production staff from 100 to 150.
Each Patrol Warrior will take an average of a day to produce, in addition to the 62-63 Navara Warriors it is currently producing – up from an initial 30 a day – and Premcar has the option of adding a second shift if demand requires it.
Nissan Australia’s second Warrior model follows boom sales of the sixth-generation Y62 Patrol, which was first launched in 2010 and found a record 5000-plus Aussie homes in Nissan’s 2022 financial year, bringing Australia’s total Patrol car parc to 245,000 including the old Y60/GQ and Y61/GU, many of which are still on the road.
Nissan Australia says the Japanese-built Patrol attracts a younger demographic than its only direct full-size mainstream off-road SUV rival, with the majority of buyers aged under 50.
It won’t reveal sales projections for its biggest collaboration with Premcar so far, but carsales understands the program will run for about two years until around mid-2025, when the new seventh-generation Y63 Patrol is expected to arrive with a downsized V6 powertrain.
Read our first drive of the Nissan Patrol Warrior before its official launch in coming months.
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Keyword: 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior officially detailed