Nissan Patrol for overlanding?!
 

Hi,
anyone have experience with Nissan patrol for overlanding???

How is it compared to a Landcruiser 80? I saw quita a few Nissans in africa but still not sure..

all tips and hints are welcome!?

Knut


Safarica - Home

I had one of the really old ones in Aus. Travelled loads with it including a solid 4 month trip. Really solid. Would be fine for overlanding. Solid well built offroader. Personally not that keen on the current ones, fine the driving experience a bit odd. Prefer a LR or LC but you get a lot for your money with a Patrol.

Hi,
I saw a couple of them being driven by locals in Mali, they were in a right state! The guys didn't seem to be having much trouble keeping them going though. Generally solid and simple diesel seems like a good recipe to me.

Al the best
Sam

What about the newer ones, how are they compared to the Toyota 80 series?? I know they are a lot cheaper, but are the quality not so good as well?

knut

I've got no first hand experience with either 80 or Patrol, so others will be better placed to answer.
My belief (rightly or wrongly) is that they are closer in toughness/reliability than they are in cost
?c?

I was considering getting a Patrol for my overland trip. IMO, the more angular looks of the Patrol beat the bulbous styling of the LC 80 hands down! But you don't buy an overlanding vehicle for its looks, and I was advised to go for a Landcruiser over a Patrol for no other reason than spares availability.

About the only discussions I ever had about Patrols was when I was in the desert in Libya; the Libyans all drove LC 80s and said they didn't think the chassis of Patrols were up to the job.

Ironically, the one time on my trip where my LC broke down was when the fuel injection pump went in Turkey, which is one of the few places where you can't easily get LC 80 parts. But the garage people in Kayseri managed to rebuild the innards of the pump with.........Patrol bits!

overlandcruiser.net

nissan patrols
 

I have an old 1990 model with 3litre petrol engine I use hear in soft sand beach driving on fraser island and moreton islands near brisbane. They are unbreakable. 4x4 experts will tell you nissan diffs ( in particular) and gearboxs are far stronger that toyota. They are favorites here with lots seen around with four in lift kits and huge wheels for rock climbing and competition. the newer 4 cylinder 3 litre turbo diesels are great performers and very economical
Have fun always
Sinkers

A Malian friend of mine had a total of 3 of them (2 at any one time) which he rented out to the tourist trade. Can't remember the year of the Nissans now but they all had big (4 litre?) non-turbo engines. He really rated them and thought they were just as good as TLCs though rather cheaper to buy. Spares could be a problem in remoter areas but nothing ever stranded them.

The patrol is fantastic. The big old TD42 straight six 4.2 engine is brilliant (better arguably than the Toyota 1HZ). I have had one in the past and bought one recently for the company I used to work with. We used to run quite a few... engine and drivetrain brilliant and VERY tough. Body and chassis not quite as strong as a LC. In other words there is very little to choose between the Patrol and the Cruiser. Oh and the old (GR IIRC) has a lower CoG and is more stable than a LC80. Not a bad thing when overlanding with the inevitable rack/tent etc.
Gil