2024 Nissan Patrol review

Nissan Patrol Cons

What do the Nissan Patrol and crocodiles have in common? They're both living dinosaurs.

The Y62-generation Patrol first launched globally way back in 2010, and the major mid-life facelift you see here first debuted in 2019.

It's one of the few models currently on sale that can challenge the Mitsubishi ASX for longevity, and like its Japanese compatriot it's still unclear when we might see a replacement – though the rumour mill is talking.

For now though, the 2024 Nissan Patrol range sees one of its biggest updates in years. In lieu of Nissan's Yukuhashi plant putting out right-hand drive models with a more modern interior like that of the US-market Armada, Nissan Australia has answered calls for more modern infotainment with a locally engineered sollution.

As such, there's a new infotainment system that finally offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and in the process of developing this solution there's a redesigned centre stack. Otherwise, it's the same ol' Patrol.

It's still a beast of a thing, but compared to something like a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series feels suitably old-fashioned. But for some people, that's exactly what they're after in a rugged, family-ready 4WD.

We got a sample of the new Patrol Warrior in the Victorian high country as a friendly reminder of the flagship Nissan SUV's capabilities. Does it still measure up?

Prices are up by $3000 across the range, with the entry-level Patrol Ti now starting from $87,900 plus on-road costs.

To see how the Nissan Patrol lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

This is where the biggest changes have been made for MY24.

All the attention has been focused on the centre stack and console, centring around the revised fascia incorporating the new display, as well as a new storage option for your phone.

The 10.1-inch display is fairly low set but is much larger and higher in resolution than the outgoing model's ageing 8.0-inch display running an interface from the early stages of last decade.

Additional changes include the removal of one USB-A port for a faster USB-C connection and a 15-watt wireless smartphone charging pocket – finally, somewhere to store your phone! A new cool box lives under the front centre armrest, too.

Included in the new infotainment system is DAB+ digital radio and an iGO Street Navigation system, which comes with a complimentary one-month subscription to Hema 4×4 Navigation for off-road guidance. There's also (finally) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both available with a wireless connection as well as wired.

The new display – the product of a partnership between Nissan and Melbourne-based firm Directed Technologies – is fitted on the Premcar factory floor in Warrior versions, and at the port by Prixcar in Ti and Ti-L versions.

Connecting my iPhone 15 Pro Max was a quick and easy process, and new inbuilt mapping technology is far more modern and usable than the old Nissan-supplied unit.

But there's no escaping that the user interface looks aftermarket, and the fitment of this display has removed the old model's surround-view camera with Moving Object Detection.

While these changes courtesy of the new infotainment system are well overdue, the fact the Patrol Warrior measures 5269mm long (+94mm vs Ti) and 2079mm wide (+84mm vs Ti) means parking this big rig just got a little bit tougher.

It's all otherwise unchanged from before, with the Warrior benefitting from some choice changes including gloss black trim inserts – the standard wood panels are taken out by Premcar, then resprayed and reinstalled – as well as Alcantara accents. It's definitely more youthful and sporty than the standard Patrol Ti.

As previously reported, build quality is solid and it's almost lounge-like in the general trimmings, with leather adorning most surfaces and main touch points finished in what feel like high-quality materials.

The lashings of chrome and metallic accents all help to create an upmarket ambience befitting of the price tag, though other elements betray the Patrol's advancing age.

A prime example is the instrument cluster, which like the pre-update's infotainment system and centre stack dates back to the Y62's original launch in 2010. The analogue dials are fine, but the basic monochrome display which lacks a digital speedometer readout would barely pass in a base Qashqai let alone a $100,000 Patrol.

Here's hoping the next-generation Patrol comes to Australia fully aligned with global specifications, so Australian customers don't have to be jibbed unlike the rest of the markets the Patrol is sold in.

As you'd expect of a vehicle with the Patrol's hulking dimensions, space in the second row is very good.

The wide and flat rear bench means seating three abreast won't leave your kids or teenagers punching on about who rides in the middle, and taller passengers are catered for in all dimensions with good head, knee and leg room.

Amenities include roof-mounted vents and separate fan controls for the rear, as well as map pockets behind the front seats, bottle holders in the doors as well as a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders in the second row.

The third row is disappointing, as the fixed second-row seat bases don't allow you to open up much legroom, and the floor is very high. It's very much a kids-only area.

Kids can have their ISOFIX seats attached to either of the outboard second-row seats, while there are also top-tether points on the outboard middle-row seats as well as the driver's side third-row seat.

To see how the Nissan Patrol lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

There's no downsizing or turbocharging under the long bonnet of the Nissan Patrol.

To see how the Nissan Patrol lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

Our drive of the new Patrol Warrior was almost exclusively on off-road trails near Mount Disappointment in Victoria's northern corridor.

No changes have been made to the mechanical package, but the added convenience of the infotainment upgrades make the Patrol an easier thing to live with in general.

But the terrain we tackled was less about the tech changes and more about showcasing the added capabilities of the Warrior variant developed and remanufactured by Epping-based Premcar.

We did a brief on-road stint en route from Premcar's factory in Epping, Melbourne, before driving the entire Warrior by Premcar range up some trails through the Mt Disappointment State Forest.

After plenty of rain the day before, the trails were wet and muddy. We traversed slippery climbs, watery dips, and everything in between.

The Navara Warrior models were driven by us first, then the Patrol. It was quite interesting to realise just how settled and effortless the Patrol was to drive following the utes, with its intelligent 4WD system able to adapt to most scenarios without having to fiddle with 4WD mode dials and locking diffs.

It may be big and heavy – the Warrior is nearly 2.9t – but the grunt from the V8 petrol engine under the bonnet and the traction from the 4WD system, in addition to the chunky Yokohama Geolander all-terrain tyres, helps it to pretty effortlessly navigate slippery and boggy terrain.

Even with 323mm of ground clearance, we noticed the Warrior knocked its running boards on some dips and breakovers during our off-road drives, but as far as we know there was no damage or loose bits hanging off the car as a result.

The sheer width of the thing (2079mm excluding mirrors), also means some skinnier trails will have you brushing the mirrors or the sides of the vehicle on overhanging foliage. If you care about your paint, it might be worth getting paint protection film if you plan on going bush often.

On higher-speed dirt roads with wider boundaries and no obstacles, the Patrol Warrior makes a fine dirt buggy.

It's nigh on unshakeable even with damp dirt under its tyres, and it does an impressive impression of a V8-powered Dakar rally car – I'll tell you how.

We had one of Premcar's engineers explain the various modes of the Warrior's bi-modal exhaust system. While it adapts the valves to throttle input, revs and vehicle speed, if you flick it into manual mode the valves stay open.

So what do you think I did on these sections? I started shifting manually via the gearshift like a sequential 'box, and held gears to let the Patrol's side-exit exhaust bellow through the forest as we transited between trails.

It does this just as nicely on pavement if you're game, and it's a brassy, bassy tone that is just about unrivalled in modern-day motoring as most vehicles continue to downsize and introduce forced induction. Bliss.

As a reminder, the Warrior's upgrades include a 29mm suspension lift with the remaining 21mm of lift provided by the all-terrain tyres, while the dampers have been retuned and the suspension upgraded including an 120kg GVM increase.

There's also a Warrior-branded steel bash plate up front, two rear recovery points, as well as black fender flare extensions to match the black-painted grille and mirror caps.

Let's be clear, the standard Patrol was already a very capable machine – check out our 4WD Mega Test for proof – but the Warrior enhances that further with a tougher aesthetic to boot.

Keep in mind, Nissan offers you all this capability for over $40,000 less than a LandCruiser 300 GR Sport, too.

To see how the Nissan Patrol lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

Nissan Australia offers three variants of the Patrol.

Patrol Ti standard equipment:

*Replaces outgoing model's surround camera with Moving Object Detection

Patrol Ti-L adds:

Patrol Warrior by Premcar adds – over Patrol Ti:

The Nissan Patrol remains unrated by safety authority ANCAP.

Standard safety equipment across the range includes:

Like the wider Nissan range, all versions of the Patrol are backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

With strict new emissions laws looming, the Nissan Patrol as we know it could be on borrowed time.

The thundering V8 is expected to be replaced by a twin-turbo V6 in the next generation, with more power and torque but also increased complexity, less noise, and less linear response.

For some that will be a godsend. The improved low-down surge of torque will likely make the next Patrol more effortless to drive in town and easier on fuel; and the anticipated tech upgrade could be two or three generations' worth of improvements compared to the car on sale here today.

But that's not why Australians love the Patrol so much, part of the reason the Premcar partnership and Warrior program came to be.

It's the analogue-ness of the Patrol that many have come to love. That's on top of that beast of an engine, Nissan's and the Patrol nameplate's reputation for reliability, as well as the overall comfort and refinement the Y62 has been lauded for.

The proof is in the pudding. To the end of May there have been 3724 new Patrol units registered in Australia, a 46.3 per cent increase on the Jan-May period in 2023 – cost of living crisis who?

Premcar is also anticipating its Warrior volume to double in 2024 across its Navara- and Patrol-based offerings, further demonstrating the humungous appetite in Australia for vehicles like this.

This living dinosaur has some legs in it yet…

MORE: Buy a Nissan Patrol MORE: Everything Nissan Patrol

Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au