Nissan Patrol LWB test drive since 2004 SUV

Tsar Mountain

Do not scream the king died. Long live the king! Regarding the update of Nissan Patrol. The restyled version of the famous model received a modern appearance and a stylish interior, but at the same time we have the same legendary conqueror of off -road.

There are not so many cars in their class in their class virtually unshakable position. But Nissan Patrol was so from the very beginning of its appearance. And he appeared a long time ago, back in 1951, in the wake of American military orders. Needless to say, it served as Patrol developers to follow? Of course, Willys! But Nissan made his model, like Toyota, his Land Cruiser BJ, more powerful and larger than the legendary American jeep.

And so it happened: two constantly competing SUVs shoulder to shoulder have survived to the new millennium and are not going to give up positions. True, at the end of the last century, their paths parted somewhat. Conceptually Toyota Land Cruiser 100 moved closer to the asphalt - there is an independent front suspension on most modifications, and pathos salon - furniture, headlights - welding ... Nissan remains true for himself and produces an absolutely uncompromising SUV, by and largely in a compassionate What are the improvements. And yet, in order to combine the modern requirements of a capricious consumer with the eternal values \u200b\u200bof a charismatic model, it is occasionally to conduct its updating - restyling. That's just to such an event and Nissan invited us. I invited not somewhere, but to Sicily, right at the Etna volcano, which just at that time began to show signs of life. Probably, the pillars of smoke and pair in his understanding are a gesture of hospitality, which had climbed on his powerful back to journalists and the direct culprit of the celebration - updated Nissan Patrol.

Finish raid

You probably noticed that in the name of the car I did not use the GR index anywhere (reduction from Grand Raid). He was canceled. Now Patrol, as in a joke about moose, is just Patrol ... However, this does not spoil it and does not detract from the virtues of the breed. But what adorns it, we will consider in more detail now.

Only the blind can not notice changes in the appearance and design of the salon, but even it will feel the difference as the materials used to finish the interior. There is no modesty - everything is at a very high level. A completely new front panel and instrument shield, comfortable seats with a full set of adjustments and excellent lateral support. There are a lot of places for storing road little things, maps, water containers. The second row of seats in the five -seater version can be moved back and forth, depending on whether there is more space for baggage or for passengers. A bunk climate control and a branded BirdView navigation system with a map displayed in the future, as a terrain from a bird's eye view. Finally, the updated Patrol boasts a very decent audio system with a six discs built into the head device and the ability to connect the phone to the Hands-Free staffing device.

In general, it is difficult to name the Nissan Patrol update with fasleyphus or some other term taken from cosmetology. Very extensive and large -scale change. From the previous body, the car presented to us actually inherited only the roof. Everything else - the panels of the body, bumpers, the false radiator grille, not to mention lighting devices - is completely different. Now Patrol is organically pushing into the new Nissan Stream - the one that began Dunehauk, picked up Titan, Armada and recently dubbed a new European Pathfinder in Paris. As the chief designer Nissan Motor Co said said Siro Nakamura, the design of the design is designed to ... emphasize its belonging to the dynasty .... I will add on myself that Patrol began to look really more modern, without losing not only masculinity, but also not a single degree or millimeter in the parameters of geometric patency.

Of the less noticeable, but those having changes, perhaps, a few more should be mentioned. The front bumper is assembled from two parts - if it damaged the lower one, you can only replace it. Wheel wheels in the standard increased to 17 inches, although you can put 16 -inch - say, for highly profile mud rubber. Integrated side steps make life easier for passengers, protect the body, but at the same time do not protrude for the dimensions of the car. Some positions of the equipment that we saw on test machines belong to an option list. For example, a rigid lockable shear of sparelights, audio with a chainer and navigation system, leather upholstery of seats. Two versions of the updated Nissan Patrol - three- and five -door were prepared for production. The short option, it turns out, is a lot of fans around the world - almost 40 percent of the sold SUVs sold precisely.

Perhaps, from the point of view of marketing, the form is more important than the content, but this does not diminish the significance of the improved 3.0-liter Nissan Patrol diesel engine. In general, this is the same 4-cylinder engine with the ZD factory index, which began to be installed back in 2000. Here are just the modernization of the M-Fire injection system and the fuel pump, a decrease in friction of the motor parts and hinged devices, as well as the setting of the exhaust tract allowed to slightly increase the maximum power to entire ... two horsepower, bringing it from 158 to 160 liters. with., and noticeably raise the maximum indicator of torque - from 354 to 380 nm. The peak of the moment, as before, falls on 2000 rpm, but from one and a half thousand revolutions the diesel begins to decently pull. It is pleasant that the forcing did not worsen economic indicators. The average fuel consumption is 10.8 liters per hundred kilometers - in my opinion, for a three -ton SUV this is very good. It should be noted that in Russia, unlike the rest of Europe, not only diesel, but also gasoline versions of Nissan Patrol with a 4.8-liter in-line six with a capacity of 245 liters will go on sale. With. - It will be installed only on a five -door modification.

As for the transmission, neither a 5-speed mechanical nor 4-speed automatic transmission has changed, and I still like the machine gun more. In mechanics, the gear ratio is selected so that the gap between the first and second, as well as between the second and the third, is too large. This is when you go uphill and the first is already a lot - the engine roars, and turn on the second - and it sours. After the press conference, I approached the representative of the Nissan Europe, who told us about the changes in Patrol, and asked why, they say, the numbers were so selected. It turned out that this was done in accordance with the requirements of consumers. Many use Nissan Patrol to tow heavy trailers, yachts, large boats, campers, and even in such a situation not to lose dynamics, it was decided to leave the first three transmissions short. Well, on the off -road, the problems disappeared by themselves: it was worth switching to a low row - and you can do it on Patrol right on the go, at a speed of up to 40 km/h, - as the programs became all right.

Very simple! After all, these rules are well known: I saw a difficult section - connect the front, switch to a low row in a handout, and go. That's why he is an SUV! Talking about the Nissan Patrol, one cannot help but mention the branded highlight of the model - disconnected stabilizer. The Japanese first used it on a serial machine with previous restyling. In principle, the stabilizer is not particularly required on a crossed area, even in case of loss of contact with the soil of any of the wheels, a lock will help out - another family lotion. But where the crossed terrain comes across in combination with a slightly carrying coating and where it is desirable to maintain uniform distribution of masses, a large articulation will help great. And on the stones will save from unnecessary additional loads on the suspension and transmission. We opened another advantage of driving with a disabled stabilizer! After the mountains and completely, rightly, uneven roads, almost all journalists complained about shaking, shaking from side to side - in general, the low comfort of the movement. Still, on an unloaded car! Only my colleague and I smiled: they say, no, everything is within the norm. As you guessed, as soon as we turned off the stabilizer on the bugrist and stoned road, the shaking disappeared, annoying the buildup passed - and the world has come all over the world! At the same time, of course, you should more accurately choose the speed mode, after 24 km/h the stabilizer is blocked itself.

I must say that the places in which we happened to experience the new Nissan Patrol were surprisingly beautiful. Something like our north, only the opposite. Where we have frost and plains, there is the heat and mountains, where we have juniper - cacti in human height in Sicily, and beauty is equally harsh and slightly unfriendly. True, this is only until you reached the sea or you went to the mountains higher. Starting from 300 meters above sea level, the slopes are in some places a real forest from cedar -like trees, transparent and joyful. The volcano, its very peak and part -time the main thing, is located at an altitude of more than three kilometers. The very name of the mountain - Etna - translates from ancient Greek as a high place. But you can’t go further than 1,500 meters by car - the national park begins. But even while you get there, you will lay your ears a hundred times.

On the first day, we were not very lucky with the weather - it was worth turning from the asphalt, it began to rain. Yes, at times spilling! I paid attention to the rubber before the trip - the HP category, asphalt. And around clay mixed with volcanic dust and small gravel. Several times my colleague and I tried to take pictures, but in places everything swam so that it was difficult to walk - our legs went. Fortunately, Patrol kept perfectly and on all -wheel drive confidently crawled higher and higher. We climbed to where even the standard navigation system could not find the road we rode on. A triangle indicating our location crawled along a pure green screen. We rose higher and higher, the built-in GPS showed almost a kilometer above sea level, everything went smoothly, and around such places that the soul requested a real off-road. Our ardor was cooled by marshals, following the highway and closing some dangerous, in their opinion, areas. There was, for example, the descent-lift of the steepness just under the degrees declared by the manufacturer. However, vigilant guards from Nissan Adventure did not let anyone there - they say, too slippery. And here is the highest point of the route, now only down ...

There was a place and take away the soul, checking the effectiveness of the disconnected stabilizer of the offline stability of the rear axle and use the blocking of the inter -coil differential. Before the critical corners of the rolls, plenty and rolled. As a result, I had to hurry, making up for the lost time due to unplanned off-rock procedures. However, I did not want to rush - there was so much interesting around: here Fiat Campagnola was stuck in the zucchini, but a section of local carbinery - and in the yard there are two Alfa Romeo SUVs. Often the old, still first generation, MMC Pajero, 160s Patrol, V*-2121 and even native loafs ...

But all this is already on the descent, and there, at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level, there was no one - only Etna, who never showed us its fiery character, and we are on the updated Nissan Patrol. Well, this SUV once again demonstrated those qualities for which he was called the king of off -road. Well, after the Sicilian pokatushki, the one that is carried out in the heading can also be added to this title - the king of the mountain.

Text: Igor Gubar
 

Source: Magazine 4x4 [11/2004]