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'The V8 engine is surprisingly quiet at cruising speeds but put your foot down and it burbles to life with a thunderous roar. It's simply glorious,' writes Janine Van der Post as she drives Nissan's flagship Patrol.
Cape Town - The new Nissan Patrol reached local shores towards the end of 2017 and I was eager to drive the automaker's new flagship SUV.
There’s only one derivative available, powered by a 5.6-litre V8 engine but it’s a glorious vehicle, especially for families, even if it costs R1.3 million. It has a 140-litre fuel tank, so long journeys are its forte.
It’s extremely practical and spacious; It has side steps so hopping in and out is easy, and it's fitted with grab handles to help ease ingress/egress from its spacious confines.
'Mom, let's play house!'
I recently drove to Standford – about two hours outside Cape Town – to attend a rugby game and we were blessed with some heavy rain at the field. Our little family of three comfortably climbed into the boot with the third-row of seats folded flat and were able to watch the game in great comfort, much to our toddler’s delight. She thought it was a grand place to play house!
You'd think driving such a mammoth vehicle would be difficult and although it might look like the size of a bulldozer, it's extremely comfortable. And, it's even easier to park too courtesy of its power steering.
It's pricey yes, and some of its styling is very dated (Read: rear-light cluster) - it still has a commanding presence on our roads, and frankly I still enjoy the Patrol.
Its 5.6-litre engine is thirsty and my average fuel consumption was reading at 17.1-litres/100km. Ouch. However, since the vehicle has a 140-litre tank, it took some time before it needed to be topped up. The sad thing about that is that you need to top up with a substantial amount before the needle even begins to move...
There are loads of comfort creatures such as several USB ports for charging, satnav, huge storage compartments, a dvd player and mounted screens at the back - great for the little one on a long roadtrip - just to mention a few.
The V8 engine is surprisingly quiet when you're cruising but put your foot down and it burbles to life with a thunderous roar. It's simply glorious.
Watch our Nissan Patrol video below compiled by Niyaaz Isaacs:
