100 Series vs Nissan Patrol (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Apr 30, 2005
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Location
Sydney, Australia
Well I thought you guys would be interested in a comparison between the New 100 Series V8 Landcruiser & the Nissan Patrol Ti (Top of the Line)

Now I have had time to drive the Landcruiser for a bit of time, (6000 klms) I think I can give an honest evaluation between the Landcruiser & the Patrol….well, sort of having owned 8 Patrols previously over the past years....

Apart from the fact that the 2 vehicles are about the same size, and are targeted at pretty much the same buyer and that’s about where the similarities stop.

You also have to understand, I am comparing the Top of the line Ti Patrol ($80,000+) against the GXL Landcruiser (Mid spec $65,000) which has to be considered....

The things I like about the Cruiser mainly lay in the engine and gearbox areas, the NVH levels (Noise, Vibration & Harshness) are worlds apart. The Patrol feels quite ancient in comparison to the Landcruisers V8.. :rolleyes:

Fuel consumption is also a factor worth mentioning, I have been consistently getting 16.0 litres per 100 klm’s around town at the moment, and I can only assume that after it has run in, and I admit I am taking it pretty easy and I am sure that it should only improve, compared with 18.1 litres per 100 klm’s in the patrol, I have been saving nearly $25.00 a week on fuel alone, and with that, it certainly goes a heck of a lot quicker too… :banana:

Last weekend I went to the Central Coast to see some relatives, and took note of the fuel usage, and it used over the 200 kilometres I traveled exactly, and used 14.3 litres per 100 klm’s! Don’t forget, this is a 4.7 litre V8!!! :grinpimp:

I admit, I drove purposely to see what I could get and didn’t go over 90 kph without the cruise control on…..

Handlings between the two vehicles are also something in which are worlds apart also. The Landcruiser is known for its soft compliant ride in comparison to the Patrol, and I think the latest offering in the IFS configuration at least bridges the gap in terms of handling, and no longer does the Landcruiser wallow around corners as it used to do, in fact it steers so accurately, and soaks up the bumps and corners a lot more steadier than the Patrol does.

No more “pull to the left” syndrome which I have lived with for years.

I am really looking forward to having the Old Man Emu suspension fitted shortly, as if the handling can be even further improved; the Patrol won’t even be in the same league.

Off road is something which is yet to be seen, as I haven’t had time yet to put it through it’s paces in that area yet, but I am looking very much forward to doing it shortly….. :cool:

It has been said on many occasions that the IFS is less robust than the live axel vehicles, and to that I concede, I am sure that if push turns to shove, the live axel will probably accept a lot more abuse before something breaks than the IFS would.

Having said that, the cracking in which has been experienced in the IFS models recently have been isolated to only the T/D variation, which has had the suspension modified, the torsion bars wound up 40 odd mm as well as being fitted with a steel bullbar & a winch and with the extra 200 odd kilo’s in weight deficit between the Turbo Diesel, and the V8 engine, this could also go toward the problems experienced.

ARB has recognized this issue and now fits strengthening brackets on all of their suspension upgrades to reduce the possibility of this happening. It has also been suggested that the only ones in which have suffered from this problem have been used in extreme off road driving.

That said, it doesn’t excuse the problem.

Many have also suggested that the reverse gear in the Landcruiser is somewhat fragile, and people have reported that some failures have been reported if used aggressively such as snatching heavy loads in reverse…..this has also been reported that these failings have been on manual transmissions also, and the only reports at this stage have mainly come from Rental Companies, which say’s something doesn’t it…..Lucky I got an auto… :bounce:

Anyway, there are a couple of other things worth mentioning, is that the vision from the rear is so much safer than with the rear tyre being bolted to the tailgate, I think it exacerbates the problem in the patrol is that the rear barn door column in the middle goes a lot to the reduced vision up the back…It has taken me a bit of time to get used to the tow bar sticking out past the rear end, as there is no spare wheel to protect you from banging your shins on the goose neck which I have the bruises to testify! :doh:

I absolutely love the split tail arrangement as once the top is opened, I had forgotten just how good they are as it provides you with shelter from the rain, not to mention the bottom provides you with a handy seat to sit on and have a cup of coffee on… :bounce2:

The head lights are also a fabulous little arrangement, you see it doesn’t sound a buzzer if you leave your lights on, it simply turns them off if you leave them on and remove the ignition key…very handy. :cool:

So is the 30 second window delay which after you turn off the ignition remove your keys, you can still operate the windows. One touch auto up or down is also an improvement for all of the windows. So too is the far rear windows are able to be opened rather than be unopenable as in the Patrol which provides a little more comfort for the rear, rear passengers.

I also like the fact that all of the rear lights actually work, rather than have dummy lights which don’t work on the corners.

The seats also in the Landcruiser are much more firm and supportive which makes for more comfortable touring.

Other little niceties are the crutch vent which keeps your private parts cool when you have the air or heater on, the interior light delays also add to a little nice touch as well, and not to forget to mention the overhead console which has not 1 or 2 sunglasses holders, but 4!! I also like the fact that the CD player has the stacker in the dash, rather than down the back which was a real pain.

The Landcruiser also has a Voltmeter and an oil pressure gauge which is also handy, as well as a lockable glove box which has a light when you open it….and not only that, the driver and the passenger both get vanity mirrors which light up when opened…..very good for me to check my hair is lookin good…and that centre console is big enough to carry your mother in law in! :popcorn:

One thing I find better also is the petrol tank configuration, no more transferring fuel from one tank to another, all it takes is the flick of a switch and your gauge shows what’s in the auxiliary tank and uses the appropriate fuel tank. Only one filler cap is also a welcome addition. :idea:

Room inside both the cabin and the luggage area has a lot more room also than the patrol….all of the things mentioned above are not in the Patrol, and I had forgotten just how handy those little things were… :rolleyes:

Ok,

Now the things I think the Patrol is better at are the…..the….the…I’m thinking….Only kidding… :whoops:

The Patrol with it’s flared guards is something I particularly like ( only on the old model…) and I am sure I am going to miss, as over the past few years, I have come to grief a few times with the guards and having them replaced and painted seems a lot less stressful than having the body fixed if something gets dented. :eek:

I also thought the reversing light in the patrol was brighter than the Landcruisers, despite the Patrol only having 1 reverse light compared to the Landcruisers 2! I suppose it’s an easy fix though, I will just have to stick in higher wattage globes. :cool:

I also miss the outside temperature gauge, and I still find myself looking up for it on a hot day.

I am also miffed that the front window in the Cruiser is too close to the dash, which means that I couldn’t fit my Magellan GPS 315 I have with the flat base, so I will have to get the window bracket instead…or upgrade the GPS… ;p

Other than that, I think I can confirm that I have made the right decision and the more time I spend in it, the more I fall in love with the sound of that V8 under acceleration. :popcorn:

So, that's my honest opinion between the Landcruiser & the Patrol :beer:

Next week it goes in for the complete Old man Emu upgrade including torsion bars, a colour coded Sahara bar & a set of the new beaut IPF HIR driving lights.

Then, it will be perfect....only diff locks to go.

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Thank you for the detailed review. I have long appreciated the Patrol (we even have a 1967 on my families ranch). What led you to not purchase the 105? Many of us here would nearly commit a crime to be able to buy one...
 
Can't speak for Wilesy, but I think the live front axle 105 is only available with the dog of a diesel (not even a turbo diesel).

The beloved 4.5L 1FZ-FE has been dropped from the range. :crybaby:
 
Nice review. Funny avatar :)

Funny how the old Patrol mimics the 80 styling and the new Patrol mimics the 100 styling. I think we know who the gold standard is :)
 
expeditionswest said:
Thank you for the detailed review. I have long appreciated the Patrol (we even have a 1967 on my families ranch). What led you to not purchase the 105? Many of us here would nearly commit a crime to be able to buy one...

I have always sort of been loyal to the Nissan brand, and knowing just how good they are off road, I never saw me driving anything else....

Until the release of the latest model :eek:

I can't come to the styling of the huge dummy lights they have on the back which serve no purpose what so ever, and the new flared guards to me look like a rough addition as they didn't even style them around the fuel cap filler, rather they have a big cut-out around it.....

They have dropped the standard rear diff lock and also the transmission handbrake which was a huge leap backwards in my opinion. The 4.8 litre straight 6 engine is not only extremely thursty, but very rough in comparison to the 4.7 V8.

Anyway, I thought I could do with a change and what better truck to do that with but a 100 series :cool:

My L/C is booked in to have the front Bullbar, Hella 4000 series driving lights and a full series 2000 suspension up-grade with King Springs and XGS gas shocks which will lift the back about 40-50mm and the front about 30mm.



This is the latest offering of the Patrol. http://www.nissan.com.au/patrol/msummary_ti.asp

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Turbo Diesel weight

The Turbo Diesel in the cruiser is 400lbs more than the V8!:eek:
 
Animal said:
The Turbo Diesel in the cruiser is 400lbs more than the V8!:eek:
139 kg or 306.44lb by my spec sheet
Edit unless the spec sheet is wrong which it may be!

Edit...........I checked the website and my brochure is wrong, the auto V8 is 2325kg to 2365 and the TD is2510 to 2550........a huge 407 lbs greater!!!
 
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my 2000 US spec 100 has the outside temp gauge.

great write up comparision :)
 
I know it's only trivial, but I like the idea of knowing when I am sitting in my truck as comfortable as a dog on a porch when the temp outside is over 100.....

I will be heading for the Wollombi National Park on this coming Sunday after all of the mods are fitted to it on Friday, so I will give an evaluation (Honestly) of how I think they compare.

I'll also he heading up to the Blue Mountains as well and doing some rock crawling around Jellybean springs, which I am so much looking forward too.
 
yup.......AFAIK they all do

Josh83 said:
Don't all US spec 100's have the temp guage?
 
Snook,

Where do you have that CB installed? I am thinking of putting one in my 100 and can not decide exactly where to put it.
 
gaylon said:
Snook,

Where do you have that CB installed? I am thinking of putting one in my 100 and can not decide exactly where to put it.

The black cord in my photo is not part of CB, it is a power cord for my video camera on the dashboard but it does looks like it. :rolleyes:
 
gaylon said:
Snook,

Where do you have that CB installed? I am thinking of putting one in my 100 and can not decide exactly where to put it.

Gaylon,

I recently installed the all in one Cobra 75WXST on my 04. The power/coax box lives on the lower pocket of the center glove box. The cord (curly) that goes to the CB can be out and the door clears it without pinching it. As for power, I wired a cig plug and have it connected the power plug in the glove box. When it's not needed, I can store the whole thing inside the glove box and it's out of the way. I'll take some pics and update my site.
 
The built in aux tank is so cool.
Wish you could get that in the US.
 
And to think how often you spoke about how much better the pootrol was when ever you could, while you had one of those.... and how overpriced the toyota was, in comparison, Im sure both the overlander, and 4wdmonthly mag forums would bring up previous posts regarding your thoughts, using the search function.......

funny opinions can change so quickly.......

Seen Wardie here anywhere of late??? :grinpimp:
 
ats4x4dotcom said:
And to think how often you spoke about how much better the pootrol was when ever you could, while you had one of those.... and how overpriced the toyota was, in comparison, Im sure both the overlander, and 4wdmonthly mag forums would bring up previous posts regarding your thoughts, using the search function.......

funny opinions can change so quickly.......

Seen Wardie here anywhere of late??? :grinpimp:


He's been saved, converted, or whatever you want to call it;)
 
I have no idea what the heck you are on about, but 4 years ago when I purchased my Ti Patrol in my humble opinion the Patrol "Was" a better vehicle.

I stand by what I have always written.

Things are different now with IFS and the V8 engine hence why my decision to buy a Landcruiser was made.

I have no idea why you have a problem with that....
 

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