Nissan Patrol Warrior review: Aus-spec off-road behemoth tested

Crikey! That looks… large.

It is. Meet the Patrol Warrior, the result of a collab between Aussie engineering firm Premcar and Nissan Australia. Consider it an off-road-based run-out special before Nissan launches a new Patrol later in 2024.

Hit me with the big numbers.

There’s a 5.6-litre, naturally-aspirated V8 (400hp and 413lb ft) upfront. Length is up 94mm on the already-gargantuan Patrol (now 5.3m); width is up 84mm (now 2.1m) and it gains 50mm in ground clearance and thus overall height. It weighs a staggering 2.9 tonnes and has a gross vehicle mass of 3.6 tonnes. It has 34.4-inch tyres from the factory, seats eight, and can tow 3.5 tonnes.

Were we in the UK, you’d need a special licence to drive it.

But you’re not in the UK, right?

No, and while in Europe running one of these might feel as appropriate as riding a polar bear through Greta Thunberg’s living room, in markets like the US, Australia, and the Middle East, the Patrol just sort of… fits.

In Australia, the Land Cruiser still rules the Big Daddy 4x4 Market (roughly outselling the Patrol two-to-one), and this Warrior edition is Nissan’s attempt to gain a greater share of that segment.

So what’s so special about this one?

The Premcar tie-up brings some heavy-duty off-road heft to Nissan’s ageing (but flagship) four-wheel-drive, and aims to capitalise on the demand for beefed-up 4x4 add-ons that are so prevalent in antipodean markets. Aftermarket 4x4 tuning is big business here, with SUVs, trucks and utes making up the majority of cars on the road in many states. Swathes of those sport bull bars, big wheels and roof tents.

From the top, the Warrior gets big red bash plates for increased underbody protection, revised front and rear bumpers for added clearance, and flared plastic arches for additional bodywork defence. Wheels are 18s wrapped in those huge Yokohama Geolander AT tyres. There are proper recovery points, a revised towbar setup for your off-road caravan, and upgraded hydraulic suspension. More on that in a second…

Most importantly though, it’s got twin-exit sidepipes, and boy do they sound good.

Any engine tweaks?

No, the $16,000 increase (just over £8k) in the Warrior’s price over the standard (Ti) Patrol all goes on 4x4 bits. Nissan’s ‘VK’ engine was actually used in the GT-R GT1 race car, and while not outrightly quick in this application, it’s brisk enough. The exhaust is a clever bi-modal system that retains the old downpipe at the rear for quiet cruising, but switches to those side pipes when you boot it. The seven-speed auto does a perfectly good job – though response to throttle input could be better on steep hills – and flicking it into manual mode lets you use all of the rev range for extra noise.

I’ll assume it’s a bit boaty, shall I?

You shall, and we shan’t award you any points for doing so. But –  truth be told – it’s better than expected. The suspension setup is independent double-wishbone front and rear with chunky multi-rate springs, and what Nissan calls Hydraulic Body Motion Control; essentially a hydraulic system instead of swaybars to help resist roll. There’s no fancy 48-volt electrical system here, but it resists pitch and lean well given the car’s size and that jacked up ride height (29mm in the suspension, the rest from the tyres).

Premcar has re-tuned the HBMC system to accommodate the extra height and it’s largely successful, though damping rates induce too much bounce and ongoing bob after low-speed compression. Be under no illusion, this is still a body-on-frame SUV and it doesn’t ride like more modern, complex European counterparts. But then those don’t cost the equivalent of £50k.

How about off-road?

Thought you’d never ask. We spent three days off-road in tricky, torrential conditions and not once did we find ourselves troubled. There are four modes (on road, sand, snow and rock) as well as switchable high/low 4WD and a dedicated electronic rear locker (or LSD if we’re being pedantic). There aren’t Land Rover Defender levels of finesse and complexity here, just plenty of mechanical grip, high ground clearance, and a decent traction control system.

Although we didn’t do any rock-crawling where this thing’s sheer mass might start to make itself known, decent brakes and big, chunky tyres kept things in check over tricky downhill obstacles, and there’s plenty of vertical travel in that suspension to keep wheels in contact with the ground.

Now, the wide-open driveable beaches of Australia are where this thing really shines, and good god does the Warrior come alive in this environment. Many of Australia’s beaches are speed-limited (50mph where we were) but in deep, undulating sand 50 is plenty, thank you very much.

Bury the throttle from a standing start and the Warrior will bark its way through first, second and third, flicking up rooster tails of sand and suddenly you’re in a Dakar-spec trophy truck, with that beefy, floaty suspension soaking up bumps and washouts like they’re not even there. It’s a riot, turning the Patrol from an ageing mall-crawler to a family-friendly pre-runner.

OK, calm down. What’s it like inside? 

And we’re back down to Earth with a bump. It’s like a 10-year-old Nissan Patrol. Fortunately, Premcar has ditched the awful faux wood of the standard Patrol’s dash in place of Alcantara, but the connectivity tech here is older than time itself. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are a far-away dream, so dig out that CD collection and reminisce about the good old days. On the plus side, it’s all well screwed together, there’s plenty of space and storage and everything mechanical clunks with reassuring solidity.

Should I import one to the UK?

Don’t be daft. It’d feel ridiculous, and people in orange vests would throw rocks at you. But if you’re fortunate enough to live south of the equator, wrestle crocodiles on the weekend and scoff at the thought of Nissan’s forthcoming – likely V6 – Patrol, then the Warrior feels entirely worthy of the $16k ish upgrade over the standard car.