NISSAN PATROL 3,0 TD GL 4WD

One of the most basic off-roaders in our market proves there’s not much else you really need

R679 900

W16,94 sec 110 kw/371 N.m 160 km/h HEN a many-thousand-kilometre holiday or overland trip beckons, given how much you will rely on your mode of transport, it’s critically important to use the correct vehicle. The last thing you want is an electronic glitch in the car’s ECU, or a malfunction somewhere in that labyrinth of complicated mechanicals.

And that means there is only a small number of SUVS in our market that could con dently pull off such a trip. These are offroad vehicles that have not only been in production for a number of decades and so have proven themselves across the globe, but, 12,96 L/100 km 287 g/km most importantly, have stayed true to their heritage. This is the old-school crew; unnecessary technologies, features or fripperies do not hold sway here. When you travel across Africa and the closest workshop is hundreds of kilometres away, there is only a handful of vehicles you want to be driving … and one of them is the Nissan Patrol.

Although the sixth-generation Patrol has been launched in other parts of the world (the mammoth In niti QX80 is based on this platform), Nissan South Africa still offers the fth generation (code name Y61) in our market. There is a more luxurious version equipped with a six-cylinder petrol engine, but our test vehicle is the more basic 3,0-litre turbodiesel unit.

These images don’t quite convey just how big the Patrol really is and it offers an abundance of space for all occupants. Up-front, the passenger and driver are separated by a wide transmission tunnel and comfy armrest, and in the rear row, three adults can sit in comfort (the middle one