Road test: Nissan Patrol ST 3.0

Comfort and Handling

It big, but it's not bad

Whether it's getting from A to B, heading up to the hills for a weekend of snowsports or just slinging some mud in a boggy bush trail, Nissan's Patrol does all without batting an eyelid, and comfortably too.

In terms of large 4x4 wagons, the Patrol stacks up well in the handling department, but compared to a $30,000 family sedan however, the Patrol has very poor handling and the steering is bit wooly, despite power assistance.

As is to be expected, the Patrol has an atrocious turning circle (12.5m) and driving about in the city - let alone parking - can turn a good day into a sour one.

Rearward vision is pretty good via the central, left and right mirrors, but headchecking will confront you with a jungle of pillars and not much else.

The driving position is great, I really enjoyed the high-and-mighty views, but the fact of the matter is that this vehicle is not designed for busy commuter traffic.

Granted, it has no problems in the stop-start peak hour rush, but when you start comparing it to even large-bodied Australian family sedans, it's lack of response, abundance of weight and generous dimensions don't do it any favours.

Take the diesel Patrol off the road, and it performs markedly better. It'll happily cruise off the beaten track - whether it's long dirt roads, tricky gravel descents or uneven, rocky and otherwise treacherous 4WD tracks.

With plenty of ground clearance, crossing pebbly creeks is all in a days work and the long travel suspension that will often bounce around on bitumen is perfectly suited to muddy, rocky and generally rugged terrain. With plenty of underbody protection and a useful low-ratio transfer gearbox [2.02:1 ratio], you can slowly but surely make your way through terrain that would have soft-roaders weeping.

The live axle [fore and aft], coil-spring suspension has been given a level of tune that makes the Patrol perfect for attacking ridiculously harsh terrain; in Nissan speak it's "All-terrain Suspension". The Patrol can take a massive amount of punishment, but the side effect of having such a robust suspension rig is reduced performance on sealed roads.

Out on the open (and straight) road, the Patrol performs much better than in gridlocked traffic, and it will happily eat up the kilometres comfortably, reasonably quietly and without protest.

The 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine is brilliant

While the steering is a bit spongy and tends to feel a bit limp a few degrees either way of dead-centre (on the blacktop), the control and communication offered when powering through deserted and dusty 4x4 tracks is commendable.

The 3.0-litre Patrol is also perfect for towing with plenty of torque low in the rev range: The five-speed manual diesel Patrol can lug anything up to 3200kg (with brakes) and it would have no trouble carting around 1.5 tonnes of caravan.

Engine

Nissan's 3.0-litre turbo diesel isn't the most technologically advanced oil burner on offer in Australia (see Pajero), nor is it the most refined, but at the end of the day it pulls like a tractor, and that's a good thing.

Compared to Nissan's larger 4.2-litre diesel mill, the 3000cc inline four-cylinder engine does an excellent job. Surprisingly, it generates 2kW more power than the 4.2, even in the face of a 1.2-litre capacity deficit: 116kW @ 3600rpm for the 3.0, 114kW @ 3600rpm for the 4.2.

Much of this is due to the fact that the bigger 4.2-litre six-cylinder option is a fairly low-tech mill, using 2-valves per cylinder compared to the 3.0-litre powerplant's 4-valves per cylinder. It also uses single overhead valves, as opposed to the 3.0-litre engine's contemporary dual overhead camshafts.

The 2953cc diesel engine comes standard with a turbocharger and intercooler, which basically forces increased levels of [cooler] air into the cylinders for better combustion, hence creating more power and torque at lower revs.

Peak torque of 354Nm arrives @ 2000rpm, and it's this abundance of torque at low revs that makes the 2360kg behemoth feel a lot lighter. Sure, the 4WD is no Monaro when it comes to the 0-100km/h times, but when you consider the size and weight of the Patrol, the 3.0-litre engine does a remarkable job of getting it up to speed.

The 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine gets twin balance shafts, which are installed to reduce vibration - and that they do - though don't expect a whisper-quiet engine. This one's loud if you don't listen to the stereo, and even in the face of good levels of interior sound damping, you'll always be aware of the engine revs, regardless of whether you check the tacho.

While the Patrol dislikes traffic, it goes where few other four-wheelers can

The five speed manual gearbox is also a handy little feature, offering fairly short throws with minimal snagging between the gates. We didn't push the Patrol past 120km/h, but the engine and gearbox felt like they would spin up to at least 140-150km/h.

The gearing is well suited to the heavy 4WD and the car actually feels better at high speeds than low, in terms of roll on acceleration.

At anything over 80km/h, the diesel engine's acceleration is impressive, and overtaking happens to be a lot easier than I would have given the vehicle credit for, particularly when you see the specs on paper.

Extras

The ST 3.0 misses out on a lot of the options seen on the 4.8-litre ST, though you'll have to shell out an extra $3200 for the petrol-powered manual Patrol in ST trim.

Despite it's modest extras, the 3.0-litre diesel is one of the Patrol's best-selling models, and you do get mod cons such as electric mirrors and windows, a handful of cup holders front and back, a tripmeter and a two handy fuel gauges - one for the main tank, the other for the sub tank.

The ST gets just the one SRS airbag [for the driver], which is a bit rich all things considered. ABS and passenger side airbag are cost extras.

But other safety features such as a collapsible steering column, door-side intrusion bars and a high-mount rear stop light and front cornering lamps are reassuring, as is the engine immobiliser.

There's carpet throughout the front, passenger footwells and also covering the boot space, plenty of passenger panic grips for when things get a little bouncy, plus there's rear heating ducts for rear passengers, a more-than-adequate single-CD stereo, air-con and also lumbar, height and recline adjust on the front seats.

Overall: 3/5

Even though the 3.0-litre ST is the entry-level seven seater 4x4 in the Patrol range (the DX is cheaper, but seats five), it represents good value-for-money, not to mention brilliant off-road performance.

At just under 5 metres in length, however, the Patrol does not make for a spritely commuter, though if you just have to have one, it's not to say that you'll be needing to catch the train to work - just that you'll have to be very aware of what's going on around you.

While there are cons as well as pros, at the end of the day the latter outweigh the former, and the fact that it will tow a house and carry seven in comfort increases it's appeal significantly.

The Nissan's 3.0-litre diesel engine is a real winner and when combined with a durable chassis and a very competent suspension setup, it makes this one of the best off-roaders in Australia.

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