Newer competition is making a play, but the 2023 Nissan Patrol Ti-L remains the king of the upper large 4WD segment on paper when it comes to value. Trent Nikolic spends some time with Nissan’s range-topper to find out whether it’s still the value pick.
2023 Nissan Patrol Ti-L
Every time I test the Nissan Patrol, I’m reminded we’re approaching the end of the line – not only the end of the naturally aspirated petrol line, either. We’re quite likely approaching the end of the V8 line. It’s a reality in modern times that one of the greatest – if not the greatest – engine architectures of all time is no longer viable in an eco-conscious world.
Think about the V8 engine and everything it has powered. The flexibility is astonishing.
As such, the 5.6-litre powerhouse lurking beneath the Patrol’s high-set bonnet is the last of its type and we should enjoy it while we can. Whether it’s regular family duties for those of you who need a large 4WD, touring, towing or serious off-roading, the current Nissan Patrol does an exceptional job of living up to a decades-old legacy.
And still, more than a decade on from my first taste of a left-hand drive model prior to its local launch, the Nissan Patrol continues to be the price-leader in a segment that arguably needs to be as real-world capable as any.
The Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is a worthy successor to the 200 Series, but is devoid of the mechanical simplicity of a naturally aspirated engine. It’s also missing a V8 engine, something not lost on those of you who love more than six pistons. One thing the LC300 is, though, is expensive – very expensive – and the Patrol undercuts Toyota’s latest off-road warrior by some margin.
The Land Rover Defender attacks this segment with an even weightier decades-long legend behind it, and while being undeniably capable off-road, it is significantly more expensive than the Nissan Patrol.
You could argue that the Jeep Grand Cherokee sneaks into the segment, too, with serious off-road chops but not quite the size or local fan club as the Patrol. Whatever your definition of the competition, this is a small segment, rarified air, and nothing comes close to the Patrol for value.
How much does the Nissan Patrol cost in Australia?
Looking at a four-wheel drive that’s knocking on the door of six figures before on-road costs and calling it solid value for money might seem crazy to some of you, and yet in the current market, the Patrol is positioning itself as exactly that.
The starting price for our range-topping Ti-L tester is $97,600 before on-road costs. Add premium paint, and drive-away costs, and you get to $106,559 as the indicative price for a buyer in Sydney at the time of testing. The entry-grade Nissan Patrol Ti starts from $84,900 before on-road costs if you’d like to save some money over the model we’ve tested here.
Why is the Patrol ‘good’ value then? Let me present to the court the new 300 Series LandCruiser, which starts from $94,301 before on-road costs for the basic GX variant. Step all the way up to GR Sport and you’ll be parting with a whopping $142,101 before on-road costs.
Even though the ‘Cruiser is significantly newer and more up to date, if you line the Patrol up spec-for-spec in terms of the equipment you get for the money, the fairest comparison would be with the 300 Series Sahara, which starts from $135,501 before on-road costs.
That’s still a significant buy-in price, and it would take a long time to spend $30,000 on fuel to make up for the increased usage between petrol and diesel.
MORE: 2023 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series tow test
| Key details | 2023 Nissan Patrol Ti-L |
| Price | $97,600 plus on-road costs |
| Colour of test car | Moonstone White |
| Options | Premium paint – $650 |
| Price as tested | $98,250 plus on-road costs |
| Drive-away price | $106,559 (Sydney) |
| Rivals | Toyota LandCruiser 300 | Land Rover Defender | Ford Everest |
How much space does the Nissan Patrol have inside?
Imagine leather recliners in a social club, and you get a sense of what the Nissan Patrol offers inside the cabin. As far as family 4WDs go, they don’t get any more palatial than the Nissan Patrol. As tested here, there’s room for seven (Ti seats eight), and all three rows will accommodate adults in comfort.
The two front seats are soft enough to feel like your favourite lounge chair, but not so soft you’re sliding all over the place when you go around a corner. As expected, visibility is a highlight given how high the seating position is. In fact, visibility is excellent from any seat, first, second or third row. I’ve noted this before in testing, but I’d like to be able to lower the driver’s seat a little more, and if you’re over 185cm tall, you’ll know what I mean.
Where the Patrol really had the wood over the 200 Series in the head-to-head shootout was inside the cabin, where both were ageing but the Patrol felt like a much more luxurious cabin than the price point might indicate. Still, even though the segment has moved on with the release of the 300 Series, the Patrol still feels luxurious inside the cabin in relation to the asking price.
Crucially for family buyers, there’s plenty of room behind the second row, so if you’re touring four- or five-up, there’s still plenty of room for luggage as well. Getting in and out of the Patrol is easy – once you remember to use the side steps – thanks to the doors, which open almost square.
You get storage everywhere through the cabin, too, with a huge centre console bin, sunglasses holder, cupholders, and sizeable door pockets. Move into the second row and you’ve got more USB ports and cupholders, as well as a centre armrest.
The third row has enough space for tall teenagers, but not if you’re driving 1000km in a day. Ti-L, as tested here, provides for two across the rear bench. Folding and unfolding the third row is best reserved for adults given the seats are pretty heavy.
| 2023 Nissan Patrol Ti-L | |
| Seats | Seven |
| Boot volume | 467L to third row 1413L to second row 2623L to first row |
| Length | 5175mm |
| Width | 1995mm |
| Height | 1955mm |
| Wheelbase | 3075mm |
Does the Nissan Patrol have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
Nissan still trails the vast of the new car pack with the infotainment in the Patrol, which lacks modern smartphone mirroring like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
You’d need to get a secure smartphone mount set-up on top of the dash or inside the windscreen, so you could use your preferred mapping system if need be. And remote-area tourers are likely to set their off-road-specific satellite navigation up that way as well for both safety and ease of visibility. It’s what we do when we’re out in the bush.
To say the Patrol’s infotainment is old-school is possibly a little flattering. It is now well overdue for an upgrade. The aftermarket caters to it, but for those of you not wanting to mess with the pristine dash of your new 4WD, the above suggestion remains your best bet.
There is a 12-volt outlet up front, a pair of USB ports, and another 12-volt outlet in the centre console section. The 8.0-inch centre display feels small – and that’s not just related to the size of the Patrol’s cavernous cabin.
A more modern (even 10-inch, let alone 12.3-inch) system with smartphone connectivity would be vastly more practical and useful in 2023. Further, the system is old in terms of the graphics and controls, but that’s not to say it doesn’t work. The system that Nissan has installed works, and works well, but it’s just outdated.
You don’t get digital radio either, and there’s also a lot of switchgear to get your head around despite the simplicity of the system. There’s also a CD player (remember them?) and the anomaly here is the quality of the audio output. It actually sounds impressive in what is a cavernous cabin, thanks to a 13-speaker Bose sound system.
Second row passengers get access to entertainment screens mounted in the rear headrests. Capable of being hooked up to external devices, even these feel a touch off the pace with the way modern teenagers consume content.
Is the Nissan Patrol a safe car?
Somewhat strangely – the way we see it anyway – the Patrol has not been crash-tested by ANCAP. Therefore, there is no official ANCAP safety rating; however, Nissan has equipped it well with standard kit. It’s no surprise Nissan has kept safety up-to-date in a platform that has been around for some time.
| 2023 Nissan Patrol Ti-L | |
| ANCAP rating | Untested |
What safety technology does the Nissan Patrol have?
Patrol is fitted with enough safety technology to satisfy the majority of family buyers, even though it’s unrated by ANCAP. Newer competitors like the LandCruiser and Defender do out-spec it on the safety front, however.
There’s low-speed AEB (no pedestrian or cyclist detection), front and side airbags for driver and passenger, curtain airbags across all three rows, a rear-view camera, adaptive cruise control (that works reliably), forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and blind-spot monitoring.
How much does the Nissan Patrol cost to maintain?
Value for money comprises two very different factors when you weigh up the upper-large 4WD sector. In theory, if you need a vehicle like this (or just want one), the fuel use isn’t as much of a deal-breaker as it might be for another segment. We’ll cover the fuel-use figures on test in a minute.
In terms of the buy-in price and ongoing maintenance, value doesn’t get any sharper than with the Nissan Patrol. The Ti as the price-leader or the Ti-L as tested here has no peer in regard to starting price, and the servicing costs across three and five years are reasonable for a vehicle of this type.
If you want to modify your 4WD for off-road or remote-area touring, the Patrol is once again a sharp value choice, with only the LandCruiser (200 or 300 Series) more heavily supported by the aftermarket. It doesn’t matter what you want your Patrol to be – even a stretched wheelbase dual-cab for example – the aftermarket in this country has a solution.
The 2023 Nissan Patrol Ti-L will cost $3161 per annum to comprehensively insure based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
| At a glance | 2023 Nissan Patrol Ti-L |
| Warranty | Five years, unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 10,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1592 (3 years) $1999 (5 years) |
Is the Nissan Patrol fuel-efficient?
The ADR-claimed fuel use is 14.4L/100km, which in isolation is not ridiculous for a vehicle of this size and weight. Drive like a yobbo around town and your real-world figure will climb well beyond that. Go easy on the right pedal and you’ll get close to the claim. Our return – with a fair bit more city running than highway – was 16.2L/100km.
On the highway, you’ll drop right down into the 10–11L/100km range with the cruise control on, and we’ve discovered with our heavier tow testing that the Patrol uses a comparable amount of unleaded to a diesel 200 Series. It’s worth noting, too, that the Patrol’s 5.6-litre V8 asks for 95RON premium fuel.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed) | 14.4L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test) | 16.2L/100km |
| Fuel type | 95-octane premium unleaded |
| Fuel tank size | 140L |
What is the Nissan Patrol like to drive?
The Nissan’s powerhouse petrol V8 is a thundering reminder of everything that is great about perhaps the most significant engine configuration in history – certainly in performance terms. The V8 engine has made its mark in so many applications, and Nissan’s 5.6-litre is a good one.
Yes, we’re moving to vastly more sensible environmental concerns into the future, and naturally aspirated V8s like this one are not long for this world, but what an effortless performer it is.
In the large 4WD landscape, you have two conflicting arguments. In one camp, you have those who staunchly defend the relevance of the turbo diesel, with its chunky mid-range torque, workhorse reliability, and turbo efficiency. In the other camp, there’s the argument for the simplicity of a large displacement, naturally aspirated petrol engine.
The theory for the latter being that it is more mechanically basic, and there’s less to go wrong in remote areas. Where the petrol engine does have an issue is long-distance touring and the transporting of jerry cans in hot climates, for example.
Regardless, whichever side of the argument you’re on, there’s no side-stepping the Patrol’s credentials whether it’s on paper or on the road. The petrol V8 behaves differently to a diesel engine in that it likes revs, and you really feel the power build as the revs rise. It doesn’t have the brute force of a diesel through the middle of the rev range, but it keeps building speed right up to redline, and it’s got pace there if you need it.
There’s no forgetting the sheer heft of the Patrol, though, but it feels more agile on the move than the kerb weight would indicate. And the accompanying soundtrack is one that only a naturally aspirated V8 can provide. There’s a good reason so many new Patrols are fitted with a free-breathing exhaust system.
The effortless performance is due in part to the engine’s outputs – 298kW and 560Nm are hefty figures, as they should be in this segment, and they translate to real-world ease, whether it’s around town, on-road, off-road, or when you’re towing. There’s almost nothing you can do to overly stress this V8 engine. We’ve towed with close to 3000kg behind the Patrol previously, too, and it simply gets to work with ease.
The ride, over almost any surface, is noteworthy. It’s something the Patrol does with even more refinement than the new LC300. Patrol is insulated, unruffled and comfortable on any road. Even a winding B-road out in the country is taken in its stride, and you’ll only feel the big four-wheel drive start to struggle if you tip it into tight bends way faster than you really should. Even then it behaves predictably to be fair. Out in the country, or on the urban fringe, is where four-wheel drives like the Patrol belong.
If you live in the inner city, with street parking, you’ll need to think about how you use the Patrol. It will sneak into most shopping centre carparks, but it is undeniably long and wide. As such, tight streets are not your friend, and neither are cramped underground parking situations. The length of the Patrol is a factor in inner-city streets for moves like reverse parking and three-point turns, too, so factor that in.
Whereas elements of the cabin are undoubtedly now feeling their age, the payoff the way I see it is the consummate way in which the Patrol tackles any driving situation. Its bump absorption and insulation are excellent; a reminder of how a 4×4 or SUV should be, not trying to be sporty, but rather providing comfort and control over any road surface.
That means when you’re behind the wheel you almost float over the road, ensuring you’re in one of the better long-haul tourers you can currently buy. If you’ve got any regional exploration in your future, the Patrol is up there with the best on offer.
| Key details | 2023 Nissan Patrol Ti-L |
| Engine | 5.6-litre V8 petrol |
| Power | 298kW @ 5800rpm |
| Torque | 560Nm @ 4000rpm |
| Drive type | Four-wheel drive |
| Transmission | 7-speed torque converter automatic |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 104.2kW/t |
| Weight (kerb) | 2861kg |
| Spare tyre type | Full-size |
| Tow rating | 3500kg braked 750kg unbraked |
| Turning circle | 12.5m |
Should I buy a Nissan Patrol?
If you want to do any long-distance touring around our incredible country, few vehicles stack up as attractively as the 2023 Nissan Patrol. The decades-long head-to-head battle with LandCruiser continues, but there’s almost no comparison when it comes to the money.
The petrol V8 is impressively efficient in the real world – especially when you’re on the open road – and as such, it will take you a long time to spend the deficit in premium petrol to catch up to the ‘Cruiser’s starting price.
Diesel engines remain the pick for truly remote, off-grid touring, and that might encourage some to spend more money on a LandCruiser. If that’s the case, the Patrol isn’t for you. However, for my money, the Patrol remains effectively unconquered as not just the last of its type, but also a reminder of the appeal of mechanical simplicity and V8 power.
There’s no doubt that whatever Nissan eventually replaces this legendary off-roader with will be impressive, but for now, the Patrol continues to excel.
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