Had the pleasure of driving around in a June 2015 Patrol Ti-L (the top spec model) for a few days this week.
Even trawled through the user manual. It's got a big added on sticker on the Table of Contents page saying, "Do not fit front protection systems or accessories having a combined weight greater than 85 kg to the front of this vehicle. If you do, this could damage your vehicle." Interesting, coz Toyota don't have this, and there's evidence of Prado cracking front fenders due to fitment of bullbars. I like it that Nissan is a bit more upfront about the potential for damage due to hanging big lumps of weight over the front.
The 5.6 direct injected V8 is very smooth, and the vehicle can be driven very sedately with very very little throttle input. But the ultimate "shove in the back of the seat" award still goes to the Cruiser, having significantly more torque than the Patrol. However, in a standing start drag race, the Patrol will take home the trophy despite the lower maximum torque outputs, due to the power of the engine. Jumping straight back into the Cruiser, it does feel sluggish, driving sedately with small throttle input, but a big prod on the loud pedal will release those Clydesdales.
No need to talk about fuel consumption, the Cruiser yields me 13.5 litres in all conditions and driving styles. The Patrol is OK without traffic, at around 17.5 litres in flowing traffic, but blows out to around 20-21 litres in rush hour, and this is driving a completely factory stock vehicle with no passengers, tyres inflated at 37 psi, airconditioner on. The owner says that in Sydney's typical near-gridlock rush hour North Shore traffic, he gets nearly 30 litres per 100 kms. Yowzers!
Talking about A/C, the Cruiser's HVAC system is supremely powerful compared to the Patrol. If I lived in a hot climate, I'd buy the Cruiser just on the airconditioning performance alone. Also note worthy - the HVAC pollen filter element appears to be far superior to the Cruiser's in that the edges have a foam lining so the filter seals very snugly. But the access to the pollen filter requires removal of the glove compartment, which is quite an onerous task, compared to the ease of access on the 200 Series. The efficiency of the centrifugal fan on the Patrol is poor compared to the 200 Series, which can really shift a far bigger volume of air with less noise when at full speed setting.
For a vehicle so large, the Ti-L has surprising little storage. The glove compartment is not as easy to organise, and relatively small, and there is no storage in the (very wide) center console fridge due to no separate tray like how it is in the Cruiser.
But it was comforting to have some technology in the Patrol. I loved the radar cruise control which can slow down the vehicle to a complete stop if the traffic in the front comes to a stop. And I like the position of the large blind spot warning lights, which is inside the vehicle rather than the tiny ones on the outside mirror surface, ala Mercedes.
The navigation unit is nice in that if you don't want to smudge the touchscreen, you can enter all your inputs via the big knob dial underneath. And the display can give you two different viewing windows side by side, one at bigger manification and the other at a higher perspective. Neat! But the picture quality of the rear camera when selecting reverse is fuzzy.
The turn knobs for seat heating/cooling or even left and right temperatures is ridiculously small, and seems out of place in such a large vehicle. The steering is, in my opinion, over assisted, so it's a bit too light but great for parking like a forklift driver twirling the steering wheel with a single hand. Over bonnet visibility is poor due to the big bonnet bulge, but it does give the impression that the vehicle is larger than the 200 Series, which I believe it is in all exterior dimensions.
The Patrol's 3rd row seats fold down but not flat, to reveal a huge cargo space, which will take more luggage, so I think it wins the cargo carrying prize, but I think passengers will be more comfortable in the Cruiser. The 2nd row seats cannot be slid forwards ala Cruiser. There are lots more overhead air vents in the Patrol but the arrangement of the vents look very haphazard, like two different design teams had a disagreement on how the vents should look like and what got signed off were two different designs. Very odd layout which I found irritating to look at.
The Patrol was equipped with HBMC (KDSS equivalent) and I think is slighty more effective, as the vehicle corners extremely flat. 18" wheels minimum due to the size of the front brake calipers. Foot operated parking brake takes some getting used to, but no different to a lot of American vehicles. Plenty of footwell space.
The chrome strips lining finishing the transmission console would reflect midday sunlight and became very blinding to the driver. Not sure how this got past the interior team, and why the folks in the Middle East don't complain about this. Steering wheel slightly angled towards the center of the vehicle, so right hand side is ever so slightly further reach than left hand side.
The engine oil pressure gauge never seems to move, unlike the Cruiser's which swings about quite a bit due to engine revs. Nissan also recommend 5W-30 engine oil viscosity but allow for other "heavier" oils. But the sump carries less volume, at 6.5 litres compared to an additional 3 on the Cruiser's TTD.
The sound system is clear but seems to lack the bass response that I enjoy in contemporary boom boom music. This is where the Cruiser's sound system, particularly the Sahara is superior.
The brake system uses the same accumulator like the Cruiser, but minus the whirring sound that is quite audible on the 200 Series. The MAF sensor appears to be identical aside from the external housing and connector. I took it out to give it a clean just to see if it would improve fuel economy, but nope, it was fine.
I didn't like the suspension calibration. The front suspension has a lot more rebound control than the rear, so going over sharp speed humps, the front suspension behaviour felt very different to the rear. On the Cruiser, the front and rear seem about the same level of damping. I think the Patrol's rear seems a bit more "floaty" compared to its front.
I don't think the Patrol's body has the NVH sorted out like on the Cruiser. The body generates a harmonic thrum when the wheels are driven over cobblestones, which I never hear on the 200 Series body, which just feels tight as a drum. I think the Cruiser would be a far more refined place to be in when travelling over corrugations. I'd definitely pick the Cruiser for a desert trip, just because of the dreaded corrugations.
Well, that's about all that I can add to this thread, after a couple of days of driving the Ti-L around. Nice vehicle, but the fuel consumption is the biggest issue for me, but that has to be tempered with a much lower purchase point, and some driver assist technologies which are pretty good. Nissan have done a good job and it felt really nice wafting around the streets, yet has all the offroad credentials.
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