The sixth-generation Nissan Patrol is finally on its way to South Africa, nearly eight years after it was first revealed.
While much of the rest of the world moved over to this model from around 2010, South Africa (along with a handful of other markets) has continued to receive the fifth-generation version for the past nearly eight years, with Nissan SA pitting it against Toyota’s Land Cruiser 70 Series.
But now the latest iteration of this off-road-capable, seven-seater SUV – which in fact shares much with the Infiniti QX80 – has touched down in South Africa. And at R1 299 000, it’s considerably pricier than the version it replaces, with the outgoing 3,0 TD GL derivative having started at R714 900 and the petrol-powered 4,8 GRX variant at R826 900.
From what we can glean, the “new-to-SA” Patrol will be offered in 5,6 V8 LE 4WD 7AT guise only, with Nissan’s so-called “Intelligent Around View Monitor” (and various other driver assistance systems, such as lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control) offered as standard, along with hydraulic body motion control suspension, an eight-inch touchscreen, satellite navigation and a pair of second-row entertainment screens (complete with headphones and remote control).
The 5,6-litre naturally aspirated V8 petrol engine is worth 298 kW and 560 N.m (the same as in the QX80, then), sent to all four corners via a seven-speed automatic transmission. Nissan claims a braked towing capacity of 3 500 kg, along with a combined fuel consumption figure of 14,4 L/100 km (for the record, the tank takes 140 litres).
The Patrol will be covered by a six-year or 150 000 km warranty, while a three-year/90 000 km service plan (with intervals of 15 000 km) is also standard.
