Test Drive Nissan Patrol LWB 1998 - 2004 SUV
Working Class Hero.
The Nissan Patrol SUV of the previous generation, which has been produced since 1987, has long established itself all over the world as a reliable, unpretentious and durable car. It is quite suitable for Russia, where the roads know ... By the way, it was one of the first cars that began to officially import into the former USSR during the years of restructuring. The official debut of the new generation of Nissan Patrol GR took place last fall. The leadership of the Nissan concern has not forgotten about the popularity of the model in Russia - the presentation of a new SUV, which preceded the beginning of European sales, invited journalists and experts from leading Russian automotive publications, including the Motor magazine. 
A place to start the presentation was the capital of the Spanish province Catalonia Barcelona, \u200b\u200bfelt by the unforgettable Freddie Mercury in a duet with the now Healthy Montserrat Caballe and the famous creations of the world famous architect Antonio Gaudi, who worked at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Why Spain? Here are the assembly plants of many automotive companies. Among them and the Nissan Concern, which produces several models here, including the Nissan Terrano II SUV. However, the hero of our story is a purebred Japanese ... We decided that the reason is as follows. Sales of the new Nissan Patrol GR in Europe begin in March, opening the Spring-Summer season, 98. Articles and materials about the novelty should be in the first spring rooms of automotive magazines and newspapers. And there must be these articles, by itself, Spring-Summer. And where in Europe in the middle of winter it costs summer weather? Of course, in Spain!
Here it was indeed summer with twenty-fendworm heat, young juicy green grass and tangerine trees, covered with fruits. Beautiful weather remained to our departure. Our route was lying toward the Pyreneev - a mountainous country, which gave the name of the peninsula, on which Spain is located and neighboring Portugal. 
Cars were in both versions - with a short and long wheelbase and, respectively, three and five-door bodies. In addition, the cars were distinguished by the interior decoration and a set of additional equipment. Rodnil their identical diesel engines with a working volume of 2826 cm cube. With turbocharged and intermediate heat exchanger for cooling upward air. This motor is a further development of a well-proven in line six, which was used (along with other power units) on the Nissan Patrol of the previous generation. 
Why only one engine? In a conversation with Nissan Europe managers, it turned out that, according to marketing research, 95% of Nissan Patrol buyers in Europe give preference to this particular motor. For other markets, among which the Russian includes a gasoline engine of 4.5 liters and a diesel engine of 4.2 liters. As a result of the modernization, the motor's capacity of the new Nissan Patrol rose at 17 hp and reached 130 hp The torque also has grown from 235 to 252 nm. The speed of maximum power and maximum torque dropped an average of 400 rpm. Transmission was also refined. The focus was paid to improving the convenience of control and reduction of noise and vibration during operation. The new Nissan Patrol applies a four-wheel drive with a disabled front axle and a two-step dispensing box. In the rear axle, a differential is blocked from the driver's seat, automatically unlocking rear wheels if the machine speed exceeds 20 km / h.
Both pendants are continuous beams connected to a spar-frame system of longitudinal and transverse loads, the vertical load on the frame is transmitted by cylindrical springs, and fluctuations are quenched by telescopic shock absorbers. Front and rear - transverse stability stabilizers, in general, everything is like people. But there are differences. 
Stabilizers of transverse stability improve the behavior of the car on the roads with a solid coating. But Nissan Patrol is a real SUV, which by definition has to be in such places where the maximum possible movements of the wheels are required. The stabilizer significantly reduces the freedom of the multidirectional movement of the wheels of one axis. How to be? The output was found in remotely disconnected when the rear stabilizer of transverse stability is remotely turned off. The effectiveness of this engineering solution was to be appreciated later, but as long as we decided to consider the new Patrol outside and from the inside.
More smooth and calm forms came to replace the habitual angularity, the car lost a rude view, which visually brought it into more elegant analogues of the Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Land Cruiser. At the same time, changes in the design did not affect the purpose of the machine. Nissan Patrol is still a SUV with a good work character. This indicates the wheels of large size (235 / 80R16), the corresponding wheel arches with powerful abnormal arcs, massive bumpers and rigid steps whose type does not cause doubts in their strength. The instruments of head lighting with an unusual geometric connector between the headlamp and a block of overall lights were characteristic of the characteristic external feature.
For the first acquaintance, we chose a short-passage version in the simplest configuration S. Open the door to the salon. Thanks to a wide door, easier to penetrate the driver's seat. The massive torpedo is solidity and comfort itself, the layout is successful, access to the controls of various car systems, located on the center console. 
The salon is quite spacious, it is not close to people of high growth, but to fully feel comfortably behind the wheel allow the mechanical adjustment of the seat along the length and angle of the back of the back, as well as the height-adjustable steering column. A steering wheel with a built-in airbag does not obscure the combination of instruments, the rim is comfortable in hand, and the form and arrangement of the spokes form a good support for the fingers and do not interfere with the intensive handle. The location of the gearbox lever and the dispensing box is well thought out, and the clarity of the transmission mechanisms of the immiscularity control mechanisms. 
An overview of the driver's seat is great, you sit pretty high, and at first it seems that you are in the cabin of a small truck. However, this illusion is quickly dispelled after you begin to feel the dimensions of the machine. Upstairs of the middle part of the torpedo there is a box of a bentomer with a folding transparent lid, on which the values \u200b\u200bof longitudinal and transverse angles of the car are projected. We climb back. To do this, tilting the backrest, move forward the front seat. The places behind even in the short-pass version turned out to be in excess.
But cards and legends are already distributed, it's time to go. The engine is started with tapping characteristic of diesel engines, the clutch drive is perfect. Turn on the first, we touch. The brand column, with a needle, Nissan Patrol reached out to the exit from Barcelona. The dynamics of overclocking outstanding can not be called, the engine is quite sluggishly gaining momentum, forcing a long time to move on each transmission, but it is distinguished by excellent elasticity on top. True, the inertia of almost two-ton car helps him. It also affects when driving at high speed, and sometimes it was possible to accelerate to 170 km / h along the speedometer, the benefit of a significant part of the route was held in the speed highway.
The short-beed Patrol at speed is kept by a young man, without causing concerns about the choice of trajectories, the rear stabilizer with its tasks copes confidently. But in fact, for such modes, the car is not created - some valve felt in the turns.
The wheel liked with his informativeness. Successfully selected the characteristics of the amplifier - heavy car is easily controlled. Bridgestone Dueler H / T tires perfectly hold the road, and they are not at all angry. The same can be said about the transmission, which, when working in 4x2 mode, does not literally either sound. The cabin is pretty quiet, the sound of the motor goes out in good noise insulation, so it is quite possible to quickly talk to the abstract themes. Several irritated rattling of the cover of the Krenomer both in the open and in the closed state. 
The next day there was a change of compositions - we moved to the long-beam Patrol in a richer set of SE. From a short car, it features a body with an extra pair of doors and a third nearby seats. The difference in version is immediately striking thanks to the leather salon (in the stem version s fabric upholstery) and a torpedo with inserts from the material under the tree. The front seats have gained extra adjustment in height, and the adjustment process controls the electrician - using the buttons on the seat pillow side. Instead of the usual aero climatic installation of the S version of the machine in the SE version, climate control appeared.
Nissan made a big step towards an increase in the comfort of its most important SUV. An increase in the wheelbase gave itself to know - sit in the back or, more precisely, the middle seat has become even more convenient. And as it affected the behavior of the car on the road, we had to find out on the site of the mountaineer leading to the place of off-road tests. This is a real mountain road with a narrow, almost one-row carriage part, looping through the swords and shrub of the mountains of the mountains. Naturally, approximately half of the turns are closed, and catch yourself thinking: what if suddenly? .. But the car confidently presses the intricate the trajectory of the mountain serpentine. There is no superfluous here already mentioned engine elasticity, making unnecessary frequent gear shifting. 
We are on the spot. The place was the route, on which the most desperate lovers are trained by off-road ride. Here, among other things, it was necessary to test the operation of the ABS on the steep descents and the effectiveness of the disconnected rear stabilizer. Short brief inquist - and follower for Terrano II instructor Shut down to explore the route. It is possible that in real conditions it will simply do not find such a thing, but, as they say, it is hard in teaching .... steep rise, movement with side roll, when it seemed that the car would flip over, alternated with prey through such a thick forest thickening that the rear mirrors Looks sometimes folded, rigging trees. We moved on reduced transmission with the rear axle lock included. When they got to the site, on which the ABS is trying, they did not understand where the TERRANO instructor fails. He really fell into the ravine with almost vertical slopes, and after him dived there and our Patrol. We literally hung on seat belts. It seemed to be a little bit - and the car, according to the laws of physics, will collapse on the bottom of the ravine. In fact, he had a great anti-lock system, allowing to descend without changing the brake pedal, which is difficult to do by car with a conventional vacuum brake amplifier.
With the patch that followed, after the descent, Patrol coped easily, demonstrating sufficient power and the traction force of the engine. To demonstrate the advantages of the disconnected stabilizer, a special plot with alternating the pits in a chess order was built. I had to drive twice - with a stabilizer and without it. For greater clarity, it was possible to get out of the machine and the person to make sure how this device works, driven by the button located on the left of the steering column. The difference is visible to the naked eye - when moving through the irregularities, the hanging of the rear wheels has noticeably decreased. 
The return route to the capital of Catalonia also ran through the speed highway. We were no longer enough for jokes and not to the prideous landscapes - we must have time for the aircraft to Moscow. Time remained in the edge - we were too fascinated by off-road cruising. As it turned out, we did well, which was changed by cars. Long-base Patrol perfectly behaves at speeds, demonstrating good stability in direct areas and when driving in turns, and thanks to the more rigid suspension, it is still running better than a short-passable version. We were in a hurry that they came even with a small stock and managed to admire the view of the Winter Mediterranean. 
But Gaudi's creation had to be postponed until the next time. On this, our acquaintance with the new Nissan Patrol GR ended. The car demonstrated everything that the real SUV is capable of. On a good asphalt, he also feels quite confident. Despite the much-changed appearance, Nissan Patrol retained its reliable work. This is still a car for real men.
Text: Sergey Ivanov
A source: Magazine Motor [№4 / 1998]
