Nissan Patrol Trek
Want a family-sized 4x4? Then youve a choice to make. Some cars in the Land Rover Discovery class are dragging prices upwards, offering massively sophisticated drivetrains and interior fitments. At the same time though, theres a growing rejection of these hi-tech SUVs in favour of vehicles that arent afraid to get up to their axles in mud. Thats where cars like the Nissan Patrol Trek can shine.
Each year we run an off-road driving review where we take the most prominent 4x4s and subject them to a couple of days solid flogging at a recognised off-road centre under the supervision of some of the best professionals in the business. While there are some cars that perform way beyond expectation and others that barely cope any better than an average estate car, one thing is depressingly clear. Take any of the high end vehicles on anything approaching serious terrain and you will incur damage. Low profile tyres, alloy wheels and rutted terrain just do not mix.
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The Patrols beefy ride height also means itll tackle deeper ruts and fords than most 4x4s and shrug off the sort of arduous clambering that is beyond most rivals. The best bit? You get all this capability at prices that start at £24,080.
"Theres no pretence about a Patrol, especially this one"
Lets put the value proposition into clear perspective. Its possible to spend over £25,000 on a smaller class of 4x4 like Toyotas RAV4 or Hyundais Santa Fe. A lot more than youd need to put a Patrol Trek on your drive. Solely available in five seat trim, this Patrol isnt meant to be one for the school run mums, instead offering the sort of cavernous load area in the back befitting a proper working vehicle.
Like all the latest Patrols, this one has benefited from a revised nose with more chrome and a raised bonnet centre that apes the monster Titan pick up truck. The front bumper has been re-profiled yet despite this, it still maintains the acute approach angle thats required for serious off road driving. The wheelarches have been re-profiled too and although the result is not what youd call pretty, it looks the part, the Trek getting utilitarian black bumpers and a handy side step to facilitate entry. Youre a long way up in a Patrol.
The Patrols interior has also been restyled in recent times to offer a look and feel thats a little more contemporary. The dashboard is a good deal curvier than before, invoking the design of the 350Z and X-Trail fascias and the cabin features some revised materials. One thing that hasnt been given the soft shoe treatment is the engine. Up from 158 to 160bhp, the ZD diesel units torque figure has jumped from 354 to 380Nm courtesy of the latest revisions, making the Patrol a good deal more tractable when accelerating from a standstill, towing a trailer or when crawling through axle deep gloop.
The standard equipment list isnt going to give Lexus any sleepless nights but it contains much of what you need. Manual air conditioning and heated electric door mirrors keep the chill off on cold mornings while a CD stereo with four speakers is a welcome departure from the depressing maw of a tape deck which some manufacturers bizarrely see fit to include on their entry-level models. Driver and passenger airbags are also standard fit as is remote controlled keyless entry. When the specification list also includes a map light its safe to say that Nissan are reaching a little bit to stoke up interest.
The Treks seats lack the leather trim of the more upmarket models but the fabric theyre trimmed in looks reasonably hardwearing and is a lot more pleasant to sit on when the temperatures are so low that ice has formed on the inside of the screen. Inclement conditions are meat and drink for the Patrol, the heavy-duty body construction and the three-tonne weight giving it some serious heft. Nor can we forget the outstanding wheel articulation - for traversing ditches of course - and, naturally, the obligatory low Range gearbox for when conditions get really sludgy. For those looking to really test it to its limits, the Patrol will wade to a depth of 700mm and climb gradients up to 39 degrees.
As far as on-road abilities are concerned, Nissan makes much of the efforts it has made to improve refinement and handling. Alterations to the suspension geometry in recent times are supposed to have made for a more cosseting ride and better defined handling. If you tried an old-shape Patrol, youll certainly notice that transmission noise is reduced (down by 90 per cent no less - which gives everyone else some idea of what that car must have been like). Wind noise is down too, courtesy of a body with better aerodynamic efficiency.
The result is a car that handles pretty well for its size and performs much better thanks to that 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine. Nevertheless, performance is still hardly neck-snapping; rest to sixty in 15.4s in the Trek on the way to 99mph.
The result is that you tend to drive with your foot to the floor absolutely everywhere. Despite this, diesel power means you should average 26.2 mpg. Sophistication only gets you so far.
Sometimes theres no substitute for brute force. Nissans Patrol Trek is that force.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Nissan Patrol Trek 3.0di
PRICE: £24, 080 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 13
CO2 EMISSIONS: 288g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 15.4s / Max Speed 99mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 26.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver and Passenger airbag, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4965/1840/1855mm
