Nissan Patrol Warrior 2024 Tow Test - carsales.com.au (2024)

The 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior is the most expensive Patrol you can buy at $104,160 plus on-road costs. This price includes a box-fresh update that, for an extra $3000 over the launch price, adds much-needed infotainment upgrades.

Cheaper Patrol models – although not that cheap – are the Ti-L (from $100,600 plus ORCs) and the Ti (from $87,900), the latter serving as the donor car for the Warrior. All Patrol variants receive the infotainment upgrades, too, as well as the price hike.

The Warrior gains its tricked-up parts from local outfit Premcar, with the tech upgrades continuing the Aussie flavour by being a collaboration with Victorian-based supplier Direct Technologies.

Even though the Warrior is not a cheap hauler, it certainly begins to look that way when you line it up against rivals. The Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is cheaper (in base GX form) by a few thousand dollars, but the closest ’Cruiser to the Patrol in spec is more like the GR Sport, which has about $40,000 on its ticket over the Warrior. See our recent comparison test between these two off-road flagships.

Other competitors include the INEOS Grenadier, Land Rover Defender and, with similar off-road ability but lower towing capacity, the Jeep Wrangler.

Much of the 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior’s equipment is shared with the Patrol Ti on which the Warrior is based.

So that includes remote keyless entry/start, tri-zone climate control, leather seats, leather-clad steering wheel and gear lever, powered front seats and three-row, eight-occupant capacity.

Nice-to-have features at this price point, such as heated and cooled seats and a power tailgate, are absent. You can get these features if you must have them, but only with the Patrol Ti-L.

Inclusions specific to the Warrior extend to a bright-red Warrior-inscribed 2.5mm steel bash plate, additional side-outlet bi-modal exhaust, new front and rear bumper sections, black grille and mirror caps, extended wheel-arch flares, unique mud flaps and unique-design 18-inch alloy wheels. These are shod with Yokohama Geolandar G015 all-terrain rubber.

With its larger overall rolling radius full-size spare, a redesigned tow bar assembly was required for Warrior, which includes two recovery points. The Warrior is also adorned with its own exterior badging and decals.

The Warrior comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty offered jointly by Nissan and Premcar. There’s a five-year roadside assistance plan and 12-month/10,000km service intervals.

Capped-price servicing is identical to the standard Patrol, at $2715 for five services pre-paid. Pay-as-you-go servicing adds up to $3017 at today’s prices.

The 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior has the staple safety equipment expected from a current SUV, despite the basis of this model first appearing 12 years ago.

This includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and intervention, blind spot warning and intervention, rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors and live tyre pressure readout and monitoring. There’s also LED headlights (dusk-sensing) and front fog lights.

It’s worth noting that as part of the 2024 update there is no longer an around-view 360-degree camera system.

The six airbags fitted are in the expected locations – that is, front, side front and side curtain airbags for all three rows.

For child seats in the second row, there are two ISOFIX and two top-tether anchors plus one top tether point on the third-row right-hand seat.

No Y62 Patrol, including the Warrior, has ever been ANCAP crash-tested.

Our 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior tester is a pre-update version, hence it misses out on the tech upgrades on offer from April 2024. We’ll need to get it back to test out the new goodies.

However, the Warrior now comes with a 10.1-inch high-definition touch-screen display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB+ digital radio, a wireless phone charger, USB-A and USB-C ports, six-speaker stereo and an intelligent rear-view mirror. (There’s also a centre cool box for the first row.)

This is a sorely needed refresh as the old 8.0-inch screen lacked modern connectivity and mirroring. An added benefit to the new system is the iGO street navigation as well as Hema 4x4 off-road navigation with a free month of subscription.

The 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior has the familiar VK56DE 5.6-litre petrol V8 shared with other Y62 Patrol models. Outputs are the same for Warrior duties at 298kW and 560Nm, despite the Warrior’s bi-modal exhaust.

The exhaust still has a rear outlet but adds another on the right-hand side of the vehicle. The exhaust exits from the side via the valve system, which engages at high revs or when Sport mode is activated. Let’s just say, there’s more than a bit of V8 rumble here.

The rest of the mechanical gubbins carry over, with a seven-speed automatic, permanent dual-range 4x4 system and locking rear diff.

As we’ve remarked on many occasions over the past 12 years since the Y62 Nissan Patrol was first released, it’s a thirsty beast. And the Warrior is even thirstier with an ADR combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 14.4L/100km.

When cruising in light traffic without any payload on suburban roads, our real-world fuel consumption average dropped to about 12.7L/100km, but that’s the best figure we achieved in any circ*mstance.

When towing a caravan weighing around 2600kg, consumption surged to 24L/100km.

The engine likes to be fed a minimum 95RON premium unleaded. However, the towing range isn’t too bad considering the substantial 140-litre fuel tank. Assuming our consumption rate, that’s a projected range of 533km, even accounting for a 50km safety margin.

While it is thirsty, it’s worth noting that if you’re predominately towing, there isn’t much difference between the Patrol and the more expensive, twin-turbo V6 diesel Toyota LandCruiser.

We hooked up a Highclere caravan from Parravans for the test that weighed about 2600kg with 230kg on the tow ball.

Hitching up to the 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior was quite easy with the reversing camera, though no Patrol has any other towing assist features up its sleeve.

The suspension drooped 42mm at the rear and, more importantly, the front only rose 5mm with the van hitched.

The Warrior gains different suspension to the standard Y62 Patrol. It’s a nice, long-travel, supple set-up when driving unladen over any surface – the rougher, the better.

However, we’re not so sure it has been set up with towing top of mind because it is a little abrupt in terms of initial damping. What that feels like is a slight juddering sensation over some road surfaces, but only when towing. It could simply come down to this specific vehicle and van combination.

Stability is very good, with no sway or excessive pitching, while the performance is strong as the big V8 gets up and going competently, despite the much weight it must shift (the Warrior weighs 2884kg).

The only criticism we have is that towing reveals the V8’s need to rev to get the best from it, at which point there’s excessive noise bellowing out the side exhaust. If you love the sound of a V8 you won’t mind, but regularly accessing higher revs to keep the rig at highway speeds in hilly country could become tiresome.

It’s also worth noting that the upcoming Y63 Nissan Patrol will ditch the V8 for a twin-turbo V6 petrol engine. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s a bump in torque to help the load-lugging ability.

The 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior can tow a maximum of 3500kg (braked) with 350kg on the tow ball.

It also has a GVM of 3620kg, the payload is 736kg and an overall GCM of 7000kg. You can have up to 386kg payload in the Patrol when you have a 350kg tow ball download.

You should always get your rig weighed at a weigh station or by a mobile weighing company, but in essence the Patrol Warrior will tow almost any trailer up to 3500kg while offering an acceptable payload at the same time.

The 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior gains a slightly different cabin to the Patrol. Over the Ti on which it’s based, Premcar adds Alcantara door card inserts, a Warrior-embossed Alcantara dash insert ahead of the passenger and piano black trim insets for the centre console and centre stack surrounding the multimedia system.

The cabin is a quiet, large and comfortable space to drive or be driven in. There is a huge amount of room in the first two rows, with row three a bit more of a squeeze for adults.

The side mirrors are large, and if needed, take towing mirrors easily, but the interior feels dated and quite analogue (the update will help change this).

Also, some of the operations, such as third-row seat storage, are a bit clunky.

For a current vehicle, the 2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior has an old-school ethos about it – essentially, it tows like a champion but devours fuel.

This is probably the last we’ll see of such hedonism. Moreover, we’re wondering if the Warrior is an answer to a question nobody in these environmentally conscious times dares to ask.

Regardless, if you need a 3500kg towing capacity, love a big V8 and need to go off-road, take your opportunity with a Patrol Warrior before it’s gone for good.

2024 Nissan Patrol Warrior at a glance:
Price: $104,160 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 5.6-litre V8 petrol
Output: 298kW/560Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 14.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 334g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

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