2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior Review

Apparently, Nissan Patrol owners LOVE to modify their Patrol’s. So Nissan, seeing this, wanted a slice of that sweet and rather profitable pie.

Enter Premcar, a brand whose roots can be traced back to Tickford in 1996, and with whom Nissan has partnered with to locally remanufacture the Nissan Patrol Ti grade specifically into the most hardcore, off-road focused Nissan Patrol ever - the 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior.

Much like buying a new computer, you could go out and purchase and install your own off road parts and probably achieve a similar or even better off-road result than the Nissan Patrol Warrior.

However, not everyone has the time to start modifying your own car, and some people want to still:

1. Ensure their car complies with the law and ADR (Australian Design Rules);
2. Have OEM backed warranty, with a single point of contact (i.e. your dealership); and
3. LOVE a silly exhaust.

Most surprisingly to us at CarSauce is not the off-road changes, but it’s the on-road changes which makes this the best driving Nissan Patrol - ever.

What do you get with the Patrol?

Here’s what you get with the Nissan Patrol Ti:

• 18-inch alloy wheels (265/70 tyres)
• Full-size alloy spare wheel
• LED headlights (dusk sensing)
• LED fog lights
• ‘Sports’ front bumper
• Helical rear limited-slip differential
• 8-seat interior
• 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment
• Satellite navigation with traffic updates
• CD/DVD
• AM/FM radio
• MP3/USB/iPod connectivity
• Bluetooth phone/audio streaming
• 6-speaker audio system
• Tri-zone climate control
• 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat
• 6-way power-adjustable passenger’s seat
• Leather-accented seat trim
• Keyless entry with push-button start
• 360-degree ‘Around-View Monitor’ with Moving Object Detection
• Front and rear parking sensors

The Nissan Patrol Warrior adds (over a Ti):

• New Warrior branded front bumper with better approach angle (40° Approach Angle vs 34.4° on standard Ti)
• Red Warrior branded bash plate
• Black fender flares
• 18” unique alloy wheels
• Yokohama G015 295/70 All-Terrain Tyres
• Bespoke towbar to accommodate full-sized spare incl. 2 x recovery points
• 409 stainless steel side exist exhaust with bi-modal valve and actuator
• Black grille, mirror caps and rear valance panel
• Warrior decals and badging
• High gloss black interior trim
• Alcantara door and dash inlay with Warrior branding
• 50mm lift (+29mm suspension lift, +21mm wheel and tyre package)
• 40mm wider track
• 23.3° degree departure angle with towbar fitted (-3° vs Ti)
• Re-engineered Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) system tuned by Premcar
• Re-developed front springs and progressive-rate rear springs
• 120kg GVM upgrade (48kg increase in carrying capacity)

The Nissan Patrol Ti-L adds (over a Ti):

• 7-seat interior
• Powered steering column adjustment
• Memory (2 positions) for driver’s seat, mirrors, steering column
• First-row centre console cool box
• 13-speaker Bose premium audio system
• Rear entertainment system (2 x 8.0-inch rear displays, 2 x headphones, Remote control)
• Intelligent Rear View Mirror (digital)
• Puddle lights
• Electric tailgate
• Roof rails
• Power tilt/slide sunroof
• Rear privacy glass
• Heated/ventilated front seats
• ‘Premium’ front bumper

It’s worth noting the Nissan Patrol Warrior, although being the most expensive factory Nissan Patrol, is based on the lower-spec Ti grade. 

The official reason given to CarSauce is that the Nissan Patrol Ti does not come with roof rails, which when the Warrior’s suspension lift is added would take it over 2.0m tall and not fit into many parking garages.

Another reason given is that the Ti-L is more on-road focuses, with more interior amenities and a less practical, larger front bumper.

You can let us know if you would like to see a Ti-L based Warrior in the comment section at the end of this review!

How much does it cost?

Here is how much the 2024 Nissan Patrol range will cost you:

• Nissan Patrol Ti - $84,900 AUD
• Nissan Patrol Warrior - $101,160 AUD
• Nissan Patrol Ti-L - $97,600 AUD

Despite this being the first Nissan Patrol to break the $100,000 barrier in Australia - it still remains far cheaper than its nearest competitor, the Toyota LandCruiser 300 GR Sport at $137,790 AUD before on-road costs.

Note, all prices are MSRP and before on-road costs.

What’s the interior and connectivity like?

Gone is the fake wood. You read that right, GONE.

Good riddance, because it was really showing the age of this generation of Y62 patrol which first released way back in 2013.

Instead, the alcantara trimming across the dashboard and on bits of the door panels instantly elevates the interior. 

The centre console paneling has been ripped out, spray painted by the same guys who used to do FPV in Victoria, and then re-inserted to give a black glossy finish.

I’m happy to report it’s not quite piano black plastic, so dust and finger marks weren’t an issue for me which is rare for such a material.

Can I also pause this review to say I’m really happy for the re-invigorating of local car manufacturing here in Australia? It’s still a shell of what it once was in Holden and Ford days, but these local re-manufacturing programs help provide more work and Aussie quality. It’s wholesome to see!

Otherwise though, the interior is the same as any other regular Nissan Patrol Ti. And that means, we still have the frankly unacceptable 8.0” ‘infotainment’ display and its accompanying 10’s of buttons.

It may be a touchscreen, but it still suffers from a total lack of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, outdated graphics and a poor UI.

And that is all made extra-bad because in left-hand drive markets, the interior has been updated with a 12.3” infotainment display and another 12.3” digital instrument cluster.

Thankfully though, I almost prefer the analogue gauges for the instrument cluster in the Patrol Warrior - because you get to watch that needle bounce of the limiter while the bi-modal side-exit exhaust screams beautiful V8 noises. More on that on the drive segment though.

The seats are very North American, being more of a lounge chair than anything else. Although they clearly claim no sporty purpose, they are certainly one of the most comfortable seats out there - with plenty of adjustment and support.

And despite the aged look of the scrunched leather on the doors, everything feels solid and soft to the touch, with an enormous amount of storage throughout the cabin, 2 x USB-A ports and 2 x 12V sockets.

The steering wheel is a nice feeling leather unit, but again, the button layout is very mid-2000’s with its design.

You’ve also got your off-roading selector in the centre, where you can shift the car’s permanent 4wd system between Auto, 4-high and 4-low.

You can also access your 4 driving modes (on-road, sand, rock and snow), and also your locking rear differential and hill descent control.

Although it does look like the next-generation Y63 Patrol will be out within the next couple of years, it’s still disappointing to have such an aged feeling interior on a brand new car.

However, considering August 2023 was the biggest month of sales for the Y62 Nissan Patrol, perhaps this doesn’t matter to you. You certainly can’t fault its practicality and utility.

What about the back seats?

The back seats of the Nissan Patrol Warrior are fantastic.

At 5’11” I have plenty of head-, leg- and toe-room so longer journeys for adults will be a breeze. 

You’ve also got ‘stadium’ style seating, where the back seats are mounted higher than the front seats, which allows for a better view of the road and a better resting leg angle.

You’ve also got a separate zone of climate controls which is always a nice touch, and 2 x USB-A ports for backseats passengers.

There is also a third row, and being based on the Ti, the Warrior nets you the 8 seater option - so another 3 seats in the third row.

It’s certainly not ideal for adults, however taller occupants can be hauled in the third row in a pinch.

How much can it fit in the boot?

With all three rows up, the Nissan Patrol has an impressive 467 litres of boot space. That increases to 1,413 litres with the third row folded down, and a huge 2,623 litres with all three rows down.

If that means nothing to you (fair enough), just know that it has plenty of space even with all three rows up - which is no easy feat.

What’s under the bonnet?

One of my all-time favourite things about the Nissan Patrol is what comes under the bonnet.

Premcar have not tinkered with the engine, likely because anything they touch, they would have to warranty.

That’s not much of a shame though, because the engine - shared with the Ti and Ti-L - is a work of art.

Powering the Nissan Patrol Warrior is a great-big 5.6-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, pumping out 298kW of power and 560Nm of torque.

It’s a rare sight to see this engine in any new car, let alone a Nissan Patrol Warrior, but I’m here for it.

Well, mostly.

You see the Patrol Warrior is thirsty thanks to the added weight of the upgrades and also the huge all-terrain tyres. 

In fact, we were seeing a highway average fuel economy of around 20.0L/100km which will definitely leave some very expensive petrol station runs…

At least it sounds good doing it!

How does the Nissan Patrol Warrior drive?

The on-road dynamics of the Nissan Patrol Warrior are mega.

Immediately I noticed just how well sprung the Warrior is when pottering around town or at higher speeds.

The front and rear springs were replaced, with the rear spring in particular being changed to a 3 stage spring up from a single tension.

This makes a surprising difference to how compliant the Patrol Warrior is on the road.

For me, though, it’s the changes to the hydraulic damper system that have made the most noticeable change.

The re-engineered Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC), or passive hydraulic damper system, means that hydraulic fluid more freely flows throughout the four corners of the car and therefore does an even better job than the standard Patrol system of stopping unwanted body motion of the 2.88 tonne behemoth SUV.

Taking corners faster than I care to admit is made easy by this new system, which is almost physics bending.

Although the electronically assisted hydraulic steering has not been touched, the revised suspension seems to marginally help with road feel too.

With your foot planted to the floor, the valved side-exit exhaust opens up and absolutely roars with a V8 symphony.

Interestingly, to meet strict ADR requirements on pollution and to not annoy everyone inside and outside the car, the Nissan Patrol retains its single rear exit exhaust pipe to quieten down the engine at low throttle input and cruising at highway speeds.

It’s still quite fast, clocking in the 0-100km/h sprint at 7.45 seconds using our specialist timing gear. That’s about 10% slower than the Patrol Ti-L we previously reviewed at 6.78 seconds.

You can blame the large Yokohama all-terrain tyres and extra weight for the slower time.

Another negative is the 7-speed transmission, which during our few hundred kilometer test loop would search for gears relatively often while climbing up hills or doing anything that required modest throttle input.

It was fun at first hearing the engine drop a couple of gears and hearing the engine scream, but after a little bit it started to become somewhat uncomfortable.

Can’t say the 10 speed in the Landcruiser 300 is much better, though.

Also, we have to revisit fuel economy. In the Ti-L our fuel economy was ~16.0L/100km, but 20.0L/100km on highway only can only be described as very expensive.

But if I’m being totally honest, when you plant the throttle and feel the V8 shove you back in your seat as the naturally aspirated engine redlines to get the maximum amount of power and torque… it’s a wicked feeling.

And with arguably the best ride of any factory Nissan Patrol ever, it makes for a very solid experience.

How does the Patrol Warrior perform off-road?

We tested out the Nissan Patrol Warrior on one of Tassie’s hardest off-road tracks; Climies Track.

Growing up on farms, I’m quite used to tough terrain - but this was next level.

Thankfully, the Nissan Patrol Warrior is full of off-road gear:

• Low Range Transfer Case
• Rear Locking Differential
• Offroad Traction Modes (Rock, Snow, Sand)
• Approach Angle - 40°
• Departure Angle - 23.3°
• 323mm Ground Clearance (+50mm)
• Red Warrior branded bash plate
• Yokohama G015 295/70 All-Terrain Tyres
• 50mm lift (+29mm suspension lift, +21mm wheel and tyre package)
• 40mm wider track (vs Ti)

Unfortunately, because the Warrior is 94mm longer than a Patrol Ti, the departure angle has taken a hit of -3° vs the Patrol Ti.

Still, up quite steep rocky hills the Patrol Warrior crawled up with relative ease. The locking rear differential did a great job of pulling the Warrior out of muddy situations.

However, it became evident quite quickly that had the Patrol had a front locking differential as well - like a top-spec LandCruiser 300 - the few times it did get stuck it could have avoided.

Hill descent control was another small disappointment, because rather than keeping the Patrol at a constant slow pace down a hill, it would rather grab at the brakes, let go a bit too much, and then repeat the process.

One thing the Warrior nailed though was wheel articulation. It’s hard to believe both wheels could stay on the ground despite the hairy angles we got to, but the new coils all round seemed to do a great job of allowing the wheels to fall when needed.

I’m also quite grateful for the bash plate, because boy did it ever get wacked… quite a few times with me at the helm (I never said I was amazing).

Still, I checked afterwards to make sure it was still there, and it hadn’t even been scratched let alone a dent.

Overall, the Patrol Warrior is very capable off-road SUV. Is it much more capable than if you were to add the same dollar value of mods to it yourself? Probably not. But that’s where you need to weigh up the benefits of buying factory backed modifications.

Is it safe?

The Y62 Nissan Patrol, weirdly, has never been tested by ANCAP. And if it hasn’t been done now, it very likely won’t ever be done.

Still, it does come with a suite of active safety features:

• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)  
• Forward collision warning
• Lane departure warning
• Lane keep assist
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• 360-degree camera system
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Adaptive cruise control

Keep in mind the AEB is for low speed driving only, but it does come with a full suite of airbags - including a full length curtain airbag.

If we’re being totally honest, my guess is unless the other car in an accident is another Nissan Patrol, it’s likely the laws of physics will be on your side.

How much can the Patrol Warrior tow?

The Nissan Patrol Warrior keeps its 3.5 tonne braked towing capacity, despite the modifications.

How much does the Patrol Warrior cost to service?

The Patrol Warrior comes with the same 5-year, unlimited kilometer warranty as the regular Patrol. 

Not to harp on the point, but that is one of the biggest reasons you would buy the Nissan Patrol Warrior - all parts are covered under the Warranty, even the bits from Premcar.

And if something does go wrong, you simply take it back to your dealership as a one-stop shop.

Servicing occurs every year or 10,000km, whichever comes first. Servicing the Warrior also costs the same as every other Nissan Patrol.

It costs $393, $502, $483, $791 and $425 for the first 5 years.

Alternatively, you can buy pre-paid packages priced at $1378, $2168 and $2594 for three, four and five years respectively. 

CarSauce's take on the Nissan Patrol Warrior

At its core, the Nissan Patrol Warrior remains an elite massive off-road SUV, much like the regular Ti and Ti-L it’s based on.

If you’re looking for the most hardcore off-road Patrol ever, then yes, you could spend the same amount of money on a Patrol Ti and make it that.

But for me, the appeal of the on-road dynamics is really what makes the Patrol Warrior a winner. 

The Aussie tune that Premcar have made for the Patrol Warrior makes it a really enjoyable drive, and personally, I love the fact that you can just take it back to your dealership as if it were straight from the factory.

Some people enjoy the journey of modding, others just want the result, and if the thought of absolute best value is at the front of your mind, then it’s likely the Warrior is not on your shopping list.

And that’s okay too.