|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
4 September 2006
Nissan Australia has added to the passive safety
of its big Patrol station wagon by fitting dual front airbags to even
the lowest cost model, the Patrol DX.
This means all vehicles, passenger or light
commercial, in the Nissan range can have airbags for both front
occupants. However, on some models the front-passenger’s airbag
is still an extra cost option, albeit a reasonably priced one.
Patrol 4WD type vehicles aren't exactly the
flavour of the month at the moment. Rising fuel prices have pushed
them off the radar of suburban drivers. But Patrols are still
highly regarded by the rural buyer as well as the suburban users
who need to tow heavy trailers or caravans.
Nissan's big Patrol is very much the real deal
in the 4WD scene. With a heavy-duty chassis, strong body
construction and a dual-range 4WD system, complete with a neutral
position, it can handle conditions that will break many a
pretender in the 4WD stakes.
Though it looks like an old design, the Patrol
received a thorough revamp for the 2005 model year. In actual
fact, the latest model has new panels everywhere but on the roof,
yet only those who know their Patrols well will be aware that the
shape has changed. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, in an era
where 4WD competitors are going for softer styling, Nissan has
decided that big bold and square is still the way to go. Many
traditional Aussie buyers will agree.
Part of the reason for the 2005 body revamp was
to further enhance body stiffness, and therefore improve the
overall refinement of ride comfort and noise and vibration
reduction.
The inside of the Nissan Patrol did get more
radical changes than the outside. The dash and instrument panel
were modernised and now have a more upmarket look. As well as
that, the trim materials are to a higher quality than before. A
prestige sedan it’s not, but Patrol does manage a fair bit of
class in its class.
Nissan Patrol Ti, the top-of-the-line model is
bang up to date as it now features a satellite navigation system.
It also has a rear-view camera to let the driver keep an eye on
out-of-sight areas when reversing.
Most importantly of all if you are concerned
about fuel prices, the 2005 upgrade saw major revisions to the
3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine. These gave worthwhile increases in
torque across the range, thus letting drivers gain fuel economy by
using the correct gear. In real life, the Patrol diesel can slug
along at low throttle openings in high gears to put minimum stress
on the wallet as well as the engine.
Nissan didn’t make changes to the big 4.2
turbo-diesel and 4.8-litre petrol engines, so there is a real
leaning towards the six-cylinder turbo-diesel at the moment.
These are big spacious vehicles that eat up
rough roads for breakfast. Their steering and handling can be on
the ponderous side, but driven within their limits they are
pleasant enough to drive in a somewhat old-fashioned sort of way.
Patrol is pretty well priced for its class. The
3.0-litre turbo starts at $49,540 with a five-speed manual
gearbox. A four-speed automatic transmission adds $3000.
The full Nissan Patrol range, with prices
(excluding on-road costs) is:
DX 3.0-litre diesel: $49,540 (five-speed manual), $52,540
(four-speed automatic)
ST 3.0-litre diesel: $51,990 (five-speed manual), $54,990
(four-speed automatic)
ST-S 3.0-litre diesel: $53,990 (five-speed manual), $56,990
(four-speed automatic)
ST-L 3.0-litre diesel: $58,240 (five-speed manual), $61,240
(four-speed automatic)
DX 4.2-litre diesel: $56,180 (five-speed manual)
ST 4.2-litre diesel: $58,990 (five-speed manual)
ST-S 4.2-litre diesel: $60,990 (five-speed manual)
ST-L 4.2-litre diesel: $65,240 (five-speed manual)
ST-S 4.8-litre petrol: $57,190 (five-speed automatic)
ST-L 4.8-litre petrol: $61,440 (five-speed automatic)
Ti 4.8-litre petrol: $77,690 (five-speed automatic)
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
