Nissan Y62 Patrol ST-L V8

Make no mistake, the new Nissan Patrol is a gigantic vehicle, tipping the scales at almost three tonnes.
That's fine in its intended role as a tough off roader but in the suburbs it is simply huge when manoeuvring into parking spots. To help overcome this urban issue, vision all round is excellent, thanks to the vast glass house, and  large wing mirrors, which swing in out of the way  in tight spaces at the touch of a button.
You sit high, a good metre off the road and the view over the bonnet is as they say, "commanding." However it's a bit of a stretch to get in and out, if not for conveniently placed grab handles and side steps.
Nissan offers just a petrol 5.6 Litre V8, in the high line versions of the new Patrol,a detuned version of its V8 supercar engine with 298 kw and 560 nm. There's no diesel option, unless you down spec to the DX and ST Patrol, which come with a three litre, four cylinder diesel.

Under full throttle the ST-L's V8 has a lusty burble from the exhaust and a nice mechanical growl from under the bonnet. The seven speed gearbox works a treat, and has a manual override as well should you need it. Changing the transmission for off roading is done by a dial on the console, or it can be left in Auto, to deliver the best traction for the prevailing conditions.
There's nothing wrong with the petrol V8, it's only flaw is a prodigious thirst.
Fuel tank capacity is 140  litres and you will need all of that and more to go any distance. The average consumption in urban running is almost 20 litres per 100 kilometres.  Off road expect that to climb to thirty litres or more if the going is especially rugged. Constant highway cruising is more frugal, returning about 10 litres per 100 kays.

By way of comparison, Jeep's SRT 8 off road SUV rocketship has  a six litre petrol Hemi V8  developing 344  kw and 624 nm.
Toyota's Landcruiser  200 series turbo diesel V8  has 195 kw and 650 nm.  
Comfort in the Patrol is outstanding with generously padded seats, armrests and  console lid.
I last saw velour seats in a TS Holden Astra from twelve years ago, but the velour covers in the ST-L look classy with contrasting piping along the edges, and provide great comfort and grip. There's no feeling that the Patrol is top heavy in corners at speed, the suspension takes care of keeping it level despite its bulk.
There are no niceties like auto wipers and lights in the ST-L Patrol on test here, nor a lane change mode on the indicators. Small omissions but noticeable when so many other brands have these convenience features. The steering is precise and well weighted. I thought the wheel itself was adjustable only for reach not tilt, but I discovered a second lever that enables the tilt. Most cars use one lever for both.
This model has eight seats, a feature large families will enjoy, but there is no sat nav. The park brake is foot operated, rather than the now more common electrically operated device.
There are lashings of  fake wood in the cabin , but it doesn't detract from the quality of the fit  and trim materials. A reversing camera is a vital safety item on a vehicle this big and the picture on the large central dashboard screen covers a wide area. When night driving, the information screen reflects in the windscreen just below the mirror. It's a bit distracting, but not a deal breaker. Unfortunately as I have found on many new cars , the headlights are less than brilliant. On low beam they barely penetrate the night with a dull yellow glow and high beam isn't much better. Inside, all the relevant switches( and there are plenty of them,) are highlighted in red, and not easy to read at a glance. The speedo and other main dials are picked out in white.

For all its best efforts the Patrol still lags behind the only other competitor in this class, Toyota's Land Cruiser. The big Toyota commands 88 percent of the segment in the Australian market, while the Patrol has the remainder. I think it deserves more than that.
For on and off road feel and comfort the new Patrol is almost up to the level of the Range Rover  Vogue I drove a few months ago. But the Rangie is significantly more expensive.   The Patrol is priced from 53K up to 115K for the Patrol Ti L.

So if you are prepared to overlook the hammering your wallet will take each time you fill up, the Nissan Patrol ST-L V8, should not be excluded from your shopping list.
Peter Sellen