A Nissan executive in Australia has suggested the rumour the new Toyota Land Cruiser 300 will do without V8 power bodes well for the Patrol.
Nissan Australia boss Stephen Lester told CarsGuide.com.au the naturally aspirated 5,6-litre V8 petrol engine under the Patrol’s bonnet “certainly doesn’t hurt” its appeal.
“I think also the off-road capability, the towing capability, the features and position of the vehicle overall show that it’s been an underrated vehicle for a very long time, and we’ve got a lot of very happy Patrol customers out there who have been singing its praises for a long time.
“And fortunately now, we’re now in a scenario where a lot more customers are coming,” he added.
The upcoming Land Cruiser 300, meanwhile, is widely expected to ditch V8 power, with reports suggesting it will instead rely on six-cylinder engines in both petrol and diesel flavours.
Lester suggested this would effectively hand the Patrol a unique selling point.
“Then you marry up the fact that it’s going to be the only in its segment – at least we think anyway – with a V8. You know, I haven’t met any Australian that doesn’t like a V8, so it seems like a pretty positive match.”
As a reminder, the Patrol’s petrol V8 makes 298 kW and 560 N.m, delivered to all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission. The outgoing Land Cruiser 200, meanwhile, employs a 4,5-litre V8 turbodiesel unit worth 195 kW and 650 N.m.
