AIMS: Nissan prices Patrol from $82,200

NISSAN’S luxurious new V8 Patrol will be priced from $82,200 plus on-road costs when it arrives in Australian showrooms on February 1, undercutting the equivalent petrol-powered Toyota LandCruiser 200 GXL by $1290.

The big off-roader will become the flagship of Nissan’s SUV range and take pride of place on the Japanese brand’s Australian International Motor Show stand at Sydney’s Darling Harbour from Thursday.

Taking a step up from the base ST-L – also $1200 less expensive than the equivalent but V6 diesel-powered Land Rover Discovery SE – the $92,850 mid-range Ti variant will cost $1640 less than the equivalent LandCruiser 200 VX and $2250 less than the Discovery HSE.

However, at $113,900 the range-topping Ti-L will be priced $410 higher than the LandCruiser Sahara but $15,500 lower than Land Rover’s flagship V8 petrol-powered Discovery.

A diesel engine remains off the horizon for the new Y62 Patrol, so the utilitarian Y61 current model will live on as the oil-burning offering, but with the $70,490 top-spec Ti variant to be deleted – creating a $25,210 separation between the two models.

Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Bill Peffer told journalists at today’s Patrol pricing announcement that the V8 Patrol offers a more attractive total cost of ownership proposition to the equivalent diesel LandCruiser, based on the $5000 premium Toyota commands for its diesel.

“When you look at the total cost of ownership and do the math, would you believe that financially you are better off buying a Y62 petrol Patrol over a LandCruiser 200 diesel for the first 5.5 years or 110,000 kilometres,” he said.

The Patrol’s 5.6-litre petrol V8 produces 298kW of power and 560Nm of torque – 90 per cent of which is available from 1600rpm – and consumes 14.5 litres of premium unleaded per 100 kilometres, providing a theoretical 1000km range from the 140-litre tank.

By comparison, the diesel LandCruiser 200 uses 10.3L/100km and the petrol V8 version consumes 13.6L/100km of standard 91 RON unleaded.

ST-L and Ti Patrol variants can seat eight, but the weight of additional luxury equipment in the Ti-L tips the gross vehicle mass scales too far and Nissan was forced to remove a seatbelt from the rear row.

Standard safety gear across all Patrol variants includes six airbags – with curtain bags that extend along all three seating rows – whiplash-reducing front head restraints, electronic stability and traction control, hill start assistance, front and rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera.

The air-conditioning system is claimed to reduce interior temperatures from 50 degrees to 20 degrees in just three minutes and vents above the rear side windows are designed to reduce the effect of heat coming through the glass.

The base ST-L comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, cloth upholstery, eight-way electric adjustment for the driver’s seat, height and reach adjustment for the leather multi-function steering wheel, dual-zone climate-control, cruise control, Bluetooth telephony and a trip computer.

Infotainment is provided via a seven-inch colour screen, linked with a single-disc CD/MP3/DVD player able to store 2GB of music and providing iPod connectivity.

Upgrading to the Ti adds a motorsport-derived Hydraulic Body Motion Control suspension system, which replaces traditional sway bars and shock absorbers with a fluid-filled network of pistons, pipes and accumulators designed to reduce on-road body roll and increase off-road wheel articulation.

The Ti also gets speed-sensitive power steering, leather upholstery, electric passenger seat adjustment, an electric glass sunroof and automatic headlights and wipers.

Flagship Ti-L variants gain adaptive cruise control, forward collision detection with impact-mitigation braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, tyre-pressure monitoring with display, all-round cameras, Xenon headlights and a security alarm.

Creature comforts are ramped up significantly, with a 13-speaker Bose premium audio system featuring Bluetooth audio streaming, an eight-inch front screen with satellite-navigation, two independent seven-inch rear DVD entertainment screens, a chilled storage compartment, memory function for the electric seat, steering wheel and mirror adjustment, and a self-dimming interior mirror.

All Patrols drive their four wheels through a seven-speed automatic transmission and have an electronic ‘All Mode 4X4’ switch cluster in the centre console from which the driver can select settings for driving on sand, rock, snow or sealed roads, and activate the rear differential lock, hill descent control, select high or low-range ratios and deactivate or reactivate the stability control.

The Patrol’s permanent four-wheel-drive system can distribute up to 100 per cent of torque to the rear wheels and a maximum of 50 per cent to the front wheels depending on driving conditions, while traction is aided by the inclusion of limited-slip differentials.

Bigger than the current-generation Y61 Patrol, the new vehicle is 5140mm long, 1995mm wide and 1940mm high – also exceeding the LandCruiser 200’s dimensions by 190mm, 25mm and 60mm respectively.

Despite the new Patrol’s sheer size, Nissan has managed to maintain the Y61’s 12.5-metre turning circle and its steering system requires 3.5 turns lock-to-lock.

2013 Nissan Patrol pricing*

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

*Plus on-road costs