Nissan Patrol LWB test drive since 2004 SUV
Professional
Once upon a time it all started with this car. It was he who was a large, hardy and all -profile about fifteen years ago that the world of the world -nore -rotes opened for the inhabitants of the collapsed Soviet Union. He opened and immediately ascended to the peak of steepness, causing fashion on the verge of hysteria. Pajero, Grand Cherokee, Tahoe and others like them poured into Russia. However, Nissan Patrol managed to hold the leadership: the recruits were larger, more pompous and, most importantly, more expensive than him. In our opinion, more prestigious. Completely different cars gained popularity, and the pioneer gradually went into the shadow. Official statistics say: in 2004, the dealers sold 581 Patrol against 1830 Pajero, 1908 Tuaregs, 3667 Prado and 4964 hundredths of cruisers.
Patrol simply did not have enough show -off skin, wood, chromium and V8 under the hood to be in good demand. It turned out to be too professional, more focused on Defender than at Expections. In truth, I like it in it. At the wheel of a cartridge, you rarely see a person with a starving ego, who will always be not enough. Such machines, as a rule, are purchased for real, male work, so there are quite a lot of them in the eastern regions of the country. Oil jackets with gas workers are especially loved.
In August last year, at an exhibition of SUVs in the French Val-de-Izer, Nissan presented the updated Patrol GR, which is now called simply Patrol. The changes were not large -scale: the nasal part and backbone were reversed, the sidewall plastic was adjusted, and the turbodiesel was modernized. In parallel, the interior has been improved and the list of standard equipment has been expanded. And shortly before this event, the gamut of the engines was replenished by a 245-horsepower in-line six with a volume of 4.8 liters, which put the car in a par with the initially more powerful competitors.
Patrol inspires respect, trust and a sense of security. Loneronal frame, bridges and dependent pendants, the steering mechanism of the screw-gayka this cargo arsenal is non-enabled, but the sensations of the car are appropriate. If worthy irregularities arise in the way, then the suspension reacts to them with undisguised rigidity. A large base determines the corresponding radius of the turn. Patrol is good in a straight line, but reluctantly, with delay in commands, the steering wheel changes its direction, and the feedback level is not always sufficient. At the same time, the rolls in corners are moderate, and diagonal buildup is not peculiar to the car at all. A three -liter turbodiesel paired with a machine gun provides an acceptable dynamics, nothing more. To confidently stay in the stream, the box is best left in the Power and O/D OFF modes. And get used to the brakes, the effectiveness of which increases sharply literally in the last millimeters of the pedal.
However, Patrol belongs to the breed of cars that wait and not wait for the asphalt to end. When, finally, you will need a handout lever, Diff Lock ON/OFF locks (rear interventor's rear interventor, Stabi on/OFF (disconnecting the rear stabilizer of the transverse stability) and blocking the machine at the lower steps. He waits for you to check for the spirit of the spirit on Truthfulness of the figure depth of the overcoming bride 700 mm, the angle of safe side inclination of 48 degrees and the height of the overcome obstacle of 215 mm. The characteristic of the engine torque is such that it is able to carry the machine through the layered primer at idle, and the accelerator drive is able to accurately change the number of engine speeds. It is limited by two factors: the type of tires because inappropriate rubber is able to nullify all the benefits of iron and geometry. It is obvious that a long -standing five -door machine will have to be tight when the steep fractures of the relief will pass. And the three -door does not come to us.
One of the key advantages of the cartridge is a huge interior. The places here are excess and over the heads. The second row of seats is comfortable for three adults, and a pair of additional rear seats is quite hospitable. Of course, you can’t put anything significant in the trunk, but if necessary, Patrol will be able to cope with the role of a representative minivan, which additionally expands the scope of its application. As for the aesthetic side of the matter, the interior of the modernized machine even performed by Elegance has not yet reached the luxury of the best representatives of this class, but got rid of the previous condo. Conservative Patrol, designed to work at remote lines and rare visits to the service, remains aloof from the off -road Maynstim. But from its design, it seems, they squeezed the maximum possible. The question is, in what way will the Nissanists go further: will Patrol transfer to an independent suspension or save in its original form? Perhaps the role of a more civilized SUV will be assigned to the Pathfinder model, which will go on sale in the near future. We will find out soon.
Autography
Nissan Patrol
Still known as
Nissan Safari/Tu LE
Predecessor
Patrol IV (1988)
Premiere
september 1997
Modernization
summer 2004
Body
universal (3 or 5 doors)
Engines
3.0-4.8 l (160-245 l.
Platform
Dodge Dakota
Production
Japan
Expected replacement
2007
Source: Wheel magazine [No. 90/2005]
