how do these compared to the 80s ?

[GX-R]

I always wondered

how do the patrols y60/y61 compare to the 80s ?

this is the y60












what about the y61 ? its still in production to this day from 1998 and even after the introduction of the ifs/irs patrol which is supposed to compete with the 200 ...

its main rival was the 100 series and it was more powerful , 4.8 280 hp straight 6.

solid axles , lockers ( front + rear )
















note that the patrols have always been longer than the cruisers.

 

[Rusty]

I wouldn't know how those compare to the 80 series, most of these "cool" SUV's and 4x4 (ie straight axle, turbo diesel) model vehicles were not introduced into the North American market.

Nissan does make a solid vehicle though, I had a Nissan "hardbody" pickup that I drove for about 14 years, it only let me down when the fuel pump finally gave up the ghost at 460,000 km. Never changed the clutch, or rear brakes, did the fronts periodically but that's about it other than oil changes and regular maintenance.

I don't like the look of what seems to be a longer wheelbase than the 80, and the one complaint I had about my Nissan which seems to be applicable to other models was that there were relatively few or in some cases, no aftermarket parts available for them, lift kits etc. This has never been a problem for Toyota trucks - they have such a "cult" following that there are plenty of aftermarket goodies out there, no matter how you want to set up your truck.

The Nissan Patrol was brought into Canada in the late 60's I believe and those that remember them said that they were great vehicles, very rudimentary and reliable (looked like a weird cross between the FJ40 and a Land Rover) but they are rare to see here anymore. I've only seen two, both in poor condition and one that I was looking at buying had been sitting out in a farmer's field for years. I don't think you would have much luck getting parts for them.

Aside from the long wheelbase, I'm sure the more modern day version with its straight axles and lockers is a good competitor.

 

[cahill]

We had a 1969 nissan patrol when I was a kid in Colombia. It was a great vehicle and seemed on par with the the fj40's that another family had. The wheelbase may look longer in the above photos as all of them seem to be taken with a wide angle lense. I can't figure out why they aren't available here in the US. I would guess they compare pretty well with the 80. Maybe some of the guys from down under or from south america can chime in on this one.

 

[555NAP]

the nissan patrol know here in Aus are everywhere! if u havent got a landcruiser u have a patrol. we get a 3l td wagon and the better 4.2l td ute. the best thing about them is that they are cheaper than the landcruiser for the same options.

 

[SerpentHunter]

We get a lot of choices in America but we sure get left out of the 4X4 market that the rest of the world gets to choose from. I will say that the patrol looks like the ugly sister of the TLC, those new patrols look more like a lengthened new 4Runner. What are the size and weight specs of the Patrol, closer to TLC or 4Runner?

 

[canucksafari]

The y60 and esp the y61s have much heavier axles and stronger difs than the 80s, 100s and 200s. The Y61 got the 3 L grenade. Nissan seems to have fixed later models. Still the preference its the old IDI TD4.2 or TD4.2T engines. They are built to run 500,000 to 1,000,000 before rebuild. What the Y60s don't have is the bling and comfort of the 80 and up series. Wheel base and width is similar. The Y61s have a bit more creature comforts but still don't measure up to the Caddy feel of the LCs. They are very utilitarian. I've got 2 Y60s as daily drivers, both high roof LWB. They are JDM Safari badged Y60s. The wife has the auto and I have a 5 spd. Both are naturally aspirated. They'll do between 25 and 30 miles per gallon.

I can't wait until we can import the JDM Y61 Safaris in 2013. Only a year and a half to go. But, I'll have to sell one of my Y60s.

 

[major black]

I own a y61 patrol with the 2.8ltd. As I understand the patrols are a shorter wheelbase and have a wider track.

The LSD diff is twice as strong as the LC the patrol is cheaper than the cruiser and will run rings around it in the rough stuff with the stronger LSD. But panel clearance from the chassis the cruiser is better

 

[crushers]

the Nissan is the second best vehicle on the planet ...

 

[SNLC]

We had a 1969 nissan patrol when I was a kid in Colombia. It was a great vehicle and seemed on par with the the fj40's that another family had. The wheelbase may look longer in the above photos as all of them seem to be taken with a wide angle lense. I can't figure out why they aren't available here in the US. I would guess they compare pretty well with the 80. Maybe some of the guys from down under or from south america can chime in on this one.

There was a rumor floating around for years about why the Patrol was only sold in the USA from 1962-1969. A big time Patrol enthusiest I know finally was able to confirm the rumor by speaking directly with Mr. K, Mr. K is the Datsun/Nissan guy responsible for bringing Nissan/Datsun to the USA, circa late 1950s early 1960s.

The rumor was....Nissan and Toyota made a deal in the late 1960s. The deal was Toyota could have the 4wd market in the USA while Nissan could have the sports car market. Mr.K is a sports car enthusiest and loves the roadsters, Z Cars, ect. So it wasn't hard to convince him to forget about the 4wds.

How long was this deal supposed to last? That is anybodies guess. It makes sense though that a deal was struck since Nissan pulled the Patrol in 1969 and didn't offer another 4wd until the late 70s/early 80s. They also pushed their sports cars hard and those cars did very well here in this country. Maybe it was a 10yr deal or maybe it was a 15yrs deal, who knows!? Nissan did not sell a 4wd SUV in the USA though until the Pathfinder came out in the mid 1980s. By the 1980s the 4wd market had changed and was quickly moving torwards a much more mall cralwer type of truck. The 160 series of Patrol made from 1980-87 was very utilitarian and not many plush options were available. It wasn't until the Y60 in late 1987 that the truck became available with many more comforts.

I have an 1984 FJ60. I also have a 1983 160 series Patrol. I can tell you the FJ60 is definately more plush all around then the Patrol was for this era. Interior, sound deadening, ride, creature comforts are all better on the Cruiser. Mechanically, they are very similar trucks. The 80 series came out after the Y60 Patrol and as such it was another step up by Toyota in terms of mall crawling. So the same trend continued through the 1990s. With the Y61 Patrol it is less notciable in terms of comfort features and with the new Patrol released in 2010 none of that matters anymore.

 

[SNLC]

I have owned and worked on both Cruiser & Patrol. I have been around every model of each from the 1950s to about 2005.

The Patrols are all around more stout. Diffs are much stronger, trannies are super bomber, frames are more stout and only one engine in 50yrs was a pos. That was the 3L TD and it was only a problem in the first few years of production. After that it seems Nissan fixed the 3L that is well known as a hand grenade.

A big part of the reason Cruisers got much more aftermarket support is simply due to them being sold in the USA. Countries like Australia have many regs on what you can and can not do to a 4wd. And I have asked my Patrol friends in Aus, why are there no axle upgrades for Patrols? They say....stock it is strong as all hell so no need to upgrade! There is a reason that Patrol diffs happen to be the most popular diff swapped into a truck down under. Most of your comp trucks down there run Patrol diffs be it a Toyota, Suzuki or whatever.

I am not trying to say one is better then the other. They are very similar trucks in nearly every aspect. Stock though, the Patrol is more stout and the Cruiser is more plush. If the Patrol continued to be sold here after 1969, well things would be much much different today in terms of how the truck is supported by aftermarket companies not to mention the publics perception of the company Nissan and the vehicle that is the Patrol.

Oh and Colombia has the longest histroy with Patrols in this part of the world, ie the Americas. The first ones started being sold in Colombia in the mid-1950s and are still sold today. They got more models then just about any other country in the world. The only thing Colombia lacks a lot of in terms of Patrols is diesels. The only other country in the world I know of that got so many Patrols would be Saudi Arabia.

Lastly, FYI the Indian Army adaopted the old 60 series Patrol as its military "jeep" and they built them in India from the late 1960s until the 1990s. In India the Patrol is called the Nissan Jonga.