2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior Review

A brand new Nissan Patrol, fresh from the production line in Japan, lands at Port Melbourne. From here it heads straight to a factory in Epping in the north of Melbourne where it transforms and becomes a Warrior.

This is the Nissan Patrol Warrior, a special build by Australian company Premcar known for its special product development and engineering expertise. Partnering with original equipment manufacturers (OEM), Premcar was the company behind some of the most iconic Ford models including the FPV GT. But the company’s first foray into the mainstream off-road market is the toughened up Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior released in 2023.

For 2024, the Patrol Warrior is set to continue in the footsteps of the Premcar built Navara. That means it’s been treated to a whole bunch of upgrades designed to make the already competent Patrol even more capable, both on and off road.

The Patrol Warrior is based on the standard Patrol Ti variant which is priced at $88,900 plus on-road costs. The Premcar upgrades jacked the price up to $105,160 plus ORCs, which makes it even more expensive than the range-topping $101,600 plus ORCs Patrol Ti-L.

It’s a hefty sticker but you can consider the Patrol Warrior as a direct rival to the factory produced Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport which is a lot dearer at $145,000 plus ORCs. Granted, the current Y62 generation Patrol, introduced way back in 2010, is living on borrowed time now, but the many updates over the years have helped it soldier on against newer rivals. As we found in our review of the Patrol Ti-L, it’s still one heck of a four-wheel drive scoring highly on essentials like powertrain, space and versatility. Let’s see what extras the Premcar Nissan Patrol Warrior brings to the table.

On the outside, Warrior-specific modifications include a black grille, red bash plate with Warrior branding, black fender flares, black mirror caps, rear bumper valance panel in black and Warrior decals and badging. It rolls on 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Yokohama G015 All-Terrain tyres measuring 295/70 R18 all around. There’s also a bespoke towbar with two rear recovery points.

The toughed up looks are backed by a host of chassis improvements with the key upgrade being the revised suspension. It has new front springs and multi-rate rear springs giving a 50mm lift in ride height (+29mm suspension lift, +21mm wheel and tyre package) and 40mm wider track. The approach angle has also increased from 34 to 40 degrees as a result.

Nissan’s Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) cross-link hydraulic system that connects the 4-wheel independent suspension to minimise body roll has also been fine tuned to suit the upgraded chassis.

Crucially, the Warrior maintains the Patrol’s factory rated 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity, while increasing gross vehicle mass (GVM) by 120kg which in turn increases carrying capacity by 48kg.

One radical upgrade that must not be left unmentioned is the replacement of the factory fitted rear exiting exhaust with a bespoke stainless steel side exit bi-modal exhaust system. Yes, it has a flap and an actuator to achieve a duality in V8 soundtrack – hushed on cruise, turning into a ferocious howl when the pedal is floored. Finally, the incredible 5.6-litre V8 engine in the Patrol is given a voice, something that 4WD enthusiasts, especially fans of Nissan V8, will surely appreciate.

The V8 powertrain itself has been left intact, deliberately, as Premcar thinks it’s pretty much sorted the way it is. Indeed, the 298kW / 560Nm normally aspirated V8 petrol engine is quite simply the smoothest, silkiest and tractable V8 that still exists today. Meaty, muscular and free-revving with plenty of low-down grunt, it pulls right from the get go, delivering effortless acceleration despite hauling some 2.7 tonne.

Other oily bits untouched in the Premcar exercise are the seven-speed torque converter automatic, which feels well matched to the V8 and shifts smoothly, and the dual-range four-wheel drive system.

The interior of the Patrol is where signs of its age are most evident and much of it has been carried over to the Warrior model intact. The most notable is the instrumentation cluster which still features a monotoned driving information LCD that has been around for decades. MY23 Patrol Warrior (as tested here) also soldiered on with the buttons lined centre console and drab infotainment system with dated interface and lack of smartphone support.

Fortunately, for MY24 onward Warrior models Premcar ditched the factory infotainment screen and the centre console (including the CD player) and replaced the entire fascia with a much larger and clearer 10.1-inch high definition display with support for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The space where the old centre screen used to sit has been converted to a lidded storage compartment. It’s a much welcomed upgrade to the aging Patrol interior.

That’s not all, there’s also a wireless smartphone charger, built-in iGO street navigation with a 30-day trial Hema 4×4 Navigation and first row centre console cool box, all exclusive to the Warrior.

The design of the Patrol interior might be dated, but the material quality feels suitably premium with most surfaces soft to the touch and lined with either suede or leather. Fit and finish is pretty solid as well. It’s good to see Premcar has not distract the plush interior ambiance with unnecessary Warrior emblems, with the only hint being the Warrior letters nearly and subtly printed on the strip of suede insert on the dashboard.

The Patrol’s eight-seater cabin remains one of the largest and most comfortable in the segment. It’s truly expansive with more than ample room for all passengers, even for those seated in the third row. Every leather-accented seat other than the third row is ultra sumptuous. It’s easy for the driver to get into a comfortable position thanks to the 10-way power adjustable driver seat with height adjustment and lumbar support. The front passenger gets an eight-way power adjustable seat.

Despite the high ride height, climbing in and out of the Patrol Warrior is easy thanks to the deep side step and vast door opening. Third row access is a breeze, too, as the second row seats fold forward liberating quite a wide passage through to the back.

Safety tech is comprehensive, with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Alert all featured, along with Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning and Intervention, Blind Spot Monitoring, and 360° Surround View parking camera.

Cargo space is a voluminous 467 litres with the third seats deployed. With them folded the space expands to 1413 litres. Packing the second row seats further expands the space to 2623 litres. Underneath the flat boot floor some adjustment has been made to allow for a new full size spare wheel which will certainly come in handy at times of needs.

What’s the Patrol Warrior like to drive? On the road it drives just like a standard Patrol – supremely comfortable and stable with road imperfections tackled with aplomb. It’s good to see that for a beefed-up Patrol on-road manners, which is one of the Patrol’s appeal, is retained. It’s an important criteria for many 4X4 enthusiasts who also use their cars to carry the family and it looks like Premcar has thought this through well enough when tweaking the Warrior’s chassis.

Compared to other off-roaders in the segment the Patrol’s steering remains overly light though. While it does make the behemoth easier to steer at low speeds, it tends to feel a bit loose at highway speeds, requiring more attentiveness at the wheel to keep the vehicle in lane.

The standard Patrol is a composed and tidy handler, but the Warrior’s upgraded suspension and retuned HBMC have managed to tighten things further around corners. It holds the road just a bit better. The handling is still not in any way sporty, this is a full-size family SUV / 4WD after all but it does feel pretty secure and planted out on the open road.

It’s the same story on the rough stuff. While the standard Patrol has got everything covered, from the selectable drive modes to suit different terrains to the low-range transfer case with a lockable rear diff, the Warrior treatment adds to this off-road prowess with improved ground clearance and greater wheel articulation for better traction. Small changes like these do make quite a difference when negotiating big dips or rocky terrain. The upgrades make the most of what’s already a very capable four-wheel drive system. The Patrol Warrior is indeed a pretty impressive off road machine.

As expected, the big V8 under the bonnet does have a bit of a drinking problem. The rated average fuel consumption is a high 14.4L/100km. The figure that showed up on the Warrior’s trip computer after nearly 600km of mixed driving was an even higher 15.3L/100km. Even sitting on cruise control at legal freeway speeds with no air-con running, it hardly gets below 10L/100km. Yup, this is one thirsty beast.

The fact that it only accepts premium 95RON fuel doesn’t help either. If it had a diesel engine, it’d have been be a different story.

Surviving is every 10,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. It does come with a lengthy 5-year unlimited kilometre warranty but all in all running one of these is still not a cheap undertaking.

Verdict

2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior pricing and specification