Many 4x4s are getting softer but not the Nissan Patrol. For the latest version that goes on sale at the end of October, Nissan has stayed true to the principles that created the first Patrol over 50 years ago. 
There’s a new look outside and in, plus greater power and torque. But the Patrol is still as tough and unstoppable as ever. And at prices starting from £24,500, no other new car offers as much metal for the money.
The Patrol has never been one for pottering up pavements – it’s as common in Chelsea as affordable housing. No, the Patrol is built for storming across sand dunes and marching up mountains. And the new Patrol certainly has the looks to match its abilities. Even a camel would move over when faced with the Patrol’s imposing nose with its extra helping of chrome and raised bonnet centre influenced by Nissan’s enormous Titan pick-up. There’s a more streamlined look for the front bumper which in SVE form now houses deeply recessed foglights. Yet the bumper design maintains the acute approach angle needed for serious off-road driving.
Under the re-profiled wheelarches sit new 17" alloy wheels fitted to the range topping SVE. This version also gets a lockable hard spare wheel cover while all Patrols now have larger rear lights for better visibility and integrated side sills for more graceful access. Important given the Patrol’s 215mm of ground clearance.
Whatever dramas the Patrol is having to contend with, Nissan has tried to make life inside calmer than ever. The new dashboard, for example, will be a surprise to current Patrol drivers. It’s curvy and modern looking with switchgear derived from the X-TRAIL and 350Z. Throughout the interior there are new materials, too. But before you think the Patrol’s gone a bit soft, let’s move onto the engine.
It’s still the lusty ZD diesel engine but now with 160PS instead of 158. Sure that’s no great leap but the headline should be reserved for the torque figure that rises 26Nm to a stomping 380Nm. And most of this is available between 1500 and 2500rpm. Rather handy if you’re making use of the Patrol’s 3.5 tonne towing capability. Yet its combined cycle fuel economy remains at 26.2mpg. The Patrol also sticks with a separate chassis for the ultimate in off-road ability. So although it may be more comfy for passengers, it’ll still climb a 39 degree gradient and wade through 700mm of water.
The Patrol also retains high and low ratio four-wheel drive and its unique disconnectable rear stabiliser bar to give even more axle articulation in really rough terrain. This no nonsense hardware is just one reason why the Patrol won the production class of this year’s Dakar Rally. Another is durability.
If an uncomplaining four-wheel drive workhorse is what you want then the Patrol S is almost your only answer. Black bumpers and wheel-arch extensions prove that this car won’t mind tussling with the undergrowth. 
And inside, the cloth upholstery has been designed to take many years of battering. The S comes in one bodystyle: a five door, with seating for five. New for this year is a sliding rear seat giving you the option of changing the balance between luggage capacity and rear legroom. And when you’re talking 5145mm of Patrol, the balance won’t be a compromise.
The driver won’t exactly be roughing it either with standard air conditioning, electric windows all round and a CD player. The S also has anti-lock brakes, twin airbags, an alarm and most usefully electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors all in its £24,500 list price. Compare that to an equivalently specified Defender 110 County. Well, not equivalently because some of the Patrol’s kit isn’t even offered on the Land Rover. At any price.
If you prefer your workhorse colour-coded and leather upholstered, a Patrol can still oblige. The SVE adds both along with 17" alloy wheels, side airbags, outside temperature gauge and compass, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, electronic climate control, electric glass sunroof, rear side privacy glass, front fog lamps and headlight washers. Also included is a DVD satellite navigation system with Nissan’s unique Birdview™ system that covers 13 European countries. Not even a Range Rover can boast that. For £29,900, a Patrol SVE is possibly the ultimate vehicle for anyone who spends as much time off as on road. At this price it only really has one rival: the £31,400 Patrol SVE automatic. And be assured, the Patrol is no cross-over.
