The Redline

Tag: nissan

  • New Patrol Warrior previewed with Aussie-tricked Infiniti QX80

    New Patrol Warrior previewed with Aussie-tricked Infiniti QX80

    Nissan’s next-gen Y63 Patrol Warrior could look a little something like this, if Infiniti’s latest show car is any clue.

    Nissan has given us our clearest look yet at the next Patrol Warrior, and it comes from an unlikely source: Nissan’s luxury arm, Infiniti.

    At the prestigious Pebble Beach show in the US, Infiniti revealed a QX80 Terrain Spec concept, a preview of its Patrol-based luxury SUV.

    The crucial detail, though, is that it was developed right here in Melbourne by Premcar – the engineering firm behind Nissan’s successful Warrior program.

    The QX80 Terrain Spec concept features the expected off-road upgrades, providing a strong blueprint for the next Patrol Warrior: raised suspension, wider wheel arch flares and custom all-terrain tyres.

    So, of course, we couldn’t resist throwing all that gear onto the regular Y63 Patrol to get a sense of how it might all come together, and that’s what you’re looking at atop this article.

    While the Aussie-developed concept hints at the chassis,the road-focused Track Spec revealed the new powertrain’s potential.

    As previously revealed, the incoming Y63 Patrol will ditch the beloved V8 for a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 – derived, to some extent, from the heart of the now retired R35 GT-R.

    In standard form, this mill makes a healthy 336kW and 700Nm in the QX80, but the Track Spec shows it can be comfortably tuned to over 485kW and 1017Nm for hot luxobarge performance.

    If, you know, that’s your thing.

  • Weekend Watches September 13 2024

    This week it’s another Porsche but not really because it’s a Singer, some Soviet Ladas in Finland, two Germans in French cars in Scotland and a V10 Nissan 240Z.

    Chris Harris and Singer

    Chris Harris, likely fresh from Joe Rogan’s podcast studio (give me strength) visits the Singer factory in Los Angeles. I’m not a Porsche guy but companies like Singer and Tuthill have been making restomod Porsches that make me really want an old Porsche 911. For a gazillion dollars.

    And yes, that’s two videos about Porsches in two weeks. Sue me.

    Ladas in Finland

    There are two things I like in this following video. 1. Soviet-era machinery (although I’m more partial to the gorgeous aeroplanes of the 1960s) and 2. Finland. As you may (or may not) know, Finland and Russia share a long border and a fraught history.

    Obviously at some point you could easily buy a Lada which the Soviet government would have quite liked for the lovely, lovely foreign currency.

    Someone in the comments amusingly points out that in Finland you could have a Lada whenever you wanted but in Russia you had to wait years for one.

    Sadly YouTube’s subtitles feature doesn’t give us the English but the vision is great.

    205 GTIs in Scotland

    Only A Roadtrip Away is one of the most chilled automotive YouTube channels. A German guy has built himself a workshop where he fixes up old cars. Then takes them out on a what he calls impractical road trips.

    This video is the first in a series covering a road trip to Scotland in two Peugeot 205 GTIs. The real reason for including this video in the list is to introduce you to this wonderful channel because it is criminally underwatched. I don’t think he cares too much, but you’ll see what I mean.

    The 205 GTI is a car incredibly close to my heart and thank you to regular Redline co-pilot Mark Dewar for putting me on to this channel.

    BMW S85 + Nissan 240Z – B For Build

    This is another oldie but a goodie. I am mildly obsessed with people building silly cars and this one is marvellously silly.

    B is For Build is hardly a small channel at 1.6 million subscribers but the YouTube algorithm didn’t think to offer it to me until recently. This video starts an incredible series where a loud chap buys a Nissan 240Z in order to swap in the S85 V10 from the E60 BMW M5. Hold on tight, because this one is a proper rollercoaster.

    Enjoy your weekend and marvel at the idea I got this out before the weekend actually started.

  • 2020 Nissan Patrol: A Real Chonker

    Nissan’s Y62 Series Patrol has a new bum, new face and a whole lot more gear to go with it. And boy is it a big boi. A real chonker.

    You are going to have to forgive me if I tell you that I give no hoots, let alone multiple hoots, about the Nissan Patrol vs The World argument. Or the sub-arguments of Patrol vs Land Cruiser. That one in particular bores me to tears.

    Now, I know people have strong feelings about it. I do not. If you’re here for strong feelings about wheel articulation and live axles and whatever else, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a review of the 2020 Nissan Patrol for the vast majority of the people who will buy it and drive it on the road. Mostly.

    So anyway, the 2020 Nissan Patrol is a top and tail of the tried and true Y62. The Patrol name has been kicking around for the best seven decades. The Y62 has been with us for almost ten years, so it was about time it got a new look. And some safety gear. Lots of safety gear.

    How much is a 2020 Nissan Patrol and what do I get?

    Nissan Patrol Ti – $76,990 + ORC
    Nissan Patrol Ti-L – $92,790 + ORC

    Look, $92,790 is a lot of money for a Nissan, I’ll grant you that. And a nearly $16k belt over the standard Ti is a whole Kia Picanto. I was not sure what to expect when I clambered in but got a bit of a shock.

    Your money nets you 18-inch alloy wheels, a 13-speaker stereo, multi-zone climate control, cameras everywhere, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, rear entertainment screens (with headphones, dontcha know), DVD player, front and rear parking sensors, active cruise control, electric and heated/cooled front seats, power everything including tailgate, leather everywhere, sat nav, auto LED headlights, auto wipers, sunroof and a full-size alloy spare.

    The stereo is the mildly updated but still deeply sad Nissan head unit. It’s not as bad as Toyota’s, but it’s not great, either. It is better to use apart from the DAB interface which is infuriating, but plug in your phone via USB and you’ll be okay. There is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and, frankly, that ain’t right. Then again, arch-rivals don’t have it either, so maybe I’m the jerk here.

    Safety – no rating

    Apart from the car’s appearance, the focus of the MY20 update has been adding safety gear to the Ti and topping up the Ti-L.

    The Patrol arrives with six airbags (the curtains go all the way to the third row), ABS, stability and traction controls, blind spot monitoring with active assist, around-view cameras, forward AEB, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and reverse cross traffic alert.

    The Ti-L has a thing called Intelligent Rear View. No, it’s doesn’t look for smart people’s bottoms – seriously, that would be creepy – but like Range Rover’s rear camera, means you can see out the back without everyone’s heads in the way.

    You get top-tether points in the second and third rows for a total of four as well as two ISOFIX points in the middle row.

    Warranty and servicing

    5 years/unlimited km
    Capped-price servicing: 3 years/$3236
    5 years roadside assist

    The warranty is a good one and befits a car of this price – you’ll struggle for a premium brand to offer you a five year warranty, with Mercedes acting as the Lone Ranger on that front.

    The capped-price servicing seems inviting, but there are several catches.

    The first is that service intervals are an irritating six months/10,000km.

    The second is that the program doesn’t run as long as the warranty.

    Third is the cost – $376, $577, $392, $860, $407 and $624. So that’s $3236 for three year’s motoring.

    Just as annoying over at Toyota is the short service interval, but each service is no more than $300 for the first two years, so that’s $1200 for two years. And the Toyota is a diesel, which generally cost more to fettle.

    Basically, the Nissan costs as much as a BMW or Mercedes of similar size. At least it’s cheaper to buy and the capped servicing regime is longer than its main rival.

    Look and feel

    2020 Nissan Patrol
    A Nissan Patrol almost blocking out the sun

    Looks big, feels big, is big. That’s no surprise or genuinely newsworthy comment, but it’s difficult to understand the scale of the Patrol unless you’re standing next to it. It’s an absolute monster and looks everyone one of its – get this – 2754 kilograms.

    It does maintain a vestigial ruggedness in profile, but the wheels are hardly go-anywhere looking. It seems to me the the designers were absolutely going for the Range Rover vibe on the Ti-L. Which is fine, but it needs a set of 22-inch rims for that.

    I am a massive fan of the new front end. I love the new headlights – 52 separate LEDs – and the way the Ti-L’s bumper frames them. It’s almost aristocratic and I like it.

    The rear is fairly inoffensive apart from being as imposing as the north face of the Eiger. Squint a bit and it looks like a full-face hemet staring back at you. Or an Imperial Stormtrooper variant.

    2020 Nissan Patrol

    The interior is massive, as the 5175mm length suggests. You can see there’s plenty of room in the back – two six-foot-three teenagers lounged about and the third row os also genuinely useful, if a bit upright and tight for taller folks.

    Each row gets a pair of cupholders for a total of six and there are air vents all the way to the back. Nice.

    The wood on the dash is pretty horrible (and also not wood), it would be much nicer if it wasn’t there. It also doesn’t fit the futuristic look of the new front end. You do get two USB ports and a 12V powerpoint up in front (and in the boot).

    Stuff worth knowing

    It’s 5175mm long, 1995mm wide and 1940mm high, so you’ll just get under those roof scrapers at shopping centres. It weighs almost three tonnes at 2812kg.

    You can tow 3500kg braked and 750kg unbraked, with a maximum towball load of 350kg.

    Gross vehicle mass (GVM) is rated at 3500kg and the gross combination mass (GCM) a staggering 7000kg. Maximum front axle load is listed at 1650kg and the rear at 2030kg.

    Ground clearance is a vertigo-inducing 272mm (which means a big climb up, thank goodness for the grab handles and steps). Wading depth is an impressive 700mm.

    For the off-road fans – and this is not an off-road review – the approach angle is 34 degrees, rampover 24.4 and departure 26.2.

    The huge wheelbase of 3075mm means a lazy 12.5 metre turning circle.

    Chassis

    Another of the key criticisms from the LandCruiser mob is the Patrol’s suspension setup. Apparently, off-road performance is dependent on horrific on-road ride and dynamics. The Patrol’s engineers didn’t think so (nor do Range Rover’s, just quietly) and have fitted double wishbones at every corner. While that does skew the Patrol to on-road performance, you have to remember that’s where all of them spend the vast majority of their working lives.

    This Patrol also has a clever hydraulic body motion control, both for ride and handling. Acting a bit like air suspension, on road it keeps the body from wallowing all over the place, which would be easy given all that height and weight. It’s uncanny.

    The balloony Bridgestone Dueler A/Ts are good for the ride, too, measuring 265/70. Not the greatest off-road tyres, no, but they don’t make a racket and mean that when you turn the wheel on tarmac, the car – by and large – follows where you want to go.

    Drivetrain

    2020 Nissan Patrol

    One of the big whinges from the Toyota side of the fence is that the Patrol doesn’t have a diesel option. I don’t care. Why don’t I care?

    Because it comes with a 5.6-litre, naturally-aspirated 90-degree V8 that loves to rev. The VK56VD (snigger) spins up 298kW at 5800rpm and 560Nm at 4000rpm.

    A seven-speed automatic shifts the gears for you and gets the power out to all four wheels. You get all the usual modes such as Sand, Snow, Rock and on-road.

    There is a selectable rear diff lock on the console and hill descent control is present and correct.

    Fuel economy – 14.4L/100km (claimed)

    I was properly confused after spending some time at the wheel of the Patrol. All this confident talk about its powerplant wasn’t as confident on my first day – the fuel economy display read “6.2”.

    It took me ages to work out the cheeky sods at Nissan display in km/L rather than L/100km. So 6.2 km/l is actually over 16.1L/100km. It fell to 19L/100km after not very long.

    Still, it does have a 140 litre fuel tank, so you’ll cover a reasonable amount of ground before having to stop for fuel. And you will claw back a lot in the cruise, the Patrol barely ticking over at highway speeds.

    Driving

    2020 Nissan Patrol
    These photos aren’t me, but they’re pretty.

    You really do know that this is a big fella at all times. It’s the first time in my life that I can remember double-checking the height measurements before heading into a shopping centre car park. And that long, flat bonnet stretches out before you, dominating your forward vision.

    What’s beside the front wheels? No idea, better stick my head out and have a look. Thank goodness for all the cameras.

    Once you have your bearings and the nosebleed from the altitude clears, it’s a damn comfy place from which to conquer worlds. The seats are definitely US-spec wide and flat but are comfortable despite that.

    The steering is super-light, more evidence of US influence, but I found that when I turned the wheel, things happened. Given that what I wanted to happen was the result, that was also pleasing.

    The hydraulic suspension is devilishly good at handling the bulk waving around more than a foot off the ground. While even a smaller LandCruiser Prado – or a Kluger for that matter – rolls around all over the place, the good ship Patrol stays quite composed. No, it’s not a McLaren 720S, but acquits itself well.

    Wanna know what’s fun, though? Flooring it. The 5.6-litre’s growl may be muted, but it gets the chonker underway like few other large SUVs. Again, it’s no RSQ8, but it gets going with a pleasing roar. The transmission shifts very smoothly and quickly, which is almost out of character for a big off-roader but fits the Patrol’s luxury brief nicely.

    Redline Recommendation

    2020 Nissan Patrol

    It’s hilarious, comfortable, quiet and a dead-set steamroller. I was very pleased I drove this thing because it was unexpectedly fun. I wouldn’t mind throwing it down a few muddy hills and across a river or two, because it feels like it could do anything.

    It may not be the ultimate off-roader, but on the road, it’s better than the tall ship that is the LandCruiser.

  • Nissan Leaf 2019 Review

    The 2019 Nissan Leaf is a late-starter here in Australia. So late, in fact, I drove it almost two years ago around the streets of Yokohama on a short preview drive that only gave me a bit of a taste.

    I knew then that it wasn’t a performance car. But it’s an important car, because it’s the second generation of Nissan’s trailblazer electric car, the one the industry laughed at, the one they said was a waste of time. That was almost ten years ago.

    Electric cars are where it’s all going. These pages have already hosted the fun-filled BMW i3. That wasn’t so much as a preview as a what-if. Sadly, there aren’t more electric cars like it. But what’s coming in the next year or so is super-important because it’s going to set the scene for the next half century (at least) of motoring.

    Thing is, they’re all expensive cars, out of reach for a good percentage of us, including me. So the Leaf is here to deliver what most other electric cars in Australia can’t – affordable(ish) electric motoring.

    History

    Nissan’s first Leaf started rolling down the first of what would eventually be three assembly plants – Oppama in Japan, Smyrna in Tennessee and Nissan’s Sunderland plant in the UK. The car that woudn’t did – 300,000 sales in nine years doesn’t sound like a lot, but nobody else was pulling those kinds of numbers until Tesla’s faltering Model 3 finally got going.

    ZE0, as it was codenamed, started its journey with an 80kW/280Nm electric motor driving the front wheels.

    Two years after launch the range increased to 121km and then to 135km another year or so later. A new 30kWh batteery arrived in 2016, boosting range to 172km.

    At its 2009 presentation, Nissan said the Leaf was meant to be more appealing to mainstream buyers with a more conventional look. In other words, it doesn’t look like a Prius.

    Yeah, nah. It was dumpy and odd-looking, wobbling around small skinny wheels. That didn’t really matter, I suppose, because it had inner beauty. Perhaps the Dalai Lama can weigh in here and say it needs to be better-looking in order to sell its good karma.

    The interior was weird, too. And people even ordered the beige cabin without their children first being threatened.

    The Leaf proved a few things over its decade on sale – a ten year battery life was kind of right, the lithium-ion batteries themselves were reliable (Nissan claimed a replacement rate of just 0.02%, or about five batteries per year) and, most importantly, buyers were into it despite all its compromises.

    Look and Feel

    The 2019 machine is much better-looking, but it’s still no #blessed Instagram post. Sadly for Nissan, the Honda EV and even the Hyundai Kona EV are better-looking. It’s kind of like a taller Pulsar, like the designers mixed in some Tiida along the way.

    It’s still too tall for its wheels and still looks like it was dropped onto a platform one size too small for the body. Again, its inner-beauty is what it’s all about but at least its aquatic mammal look is less pronounced. On porpoise, I imagine (I am not sorry).

    The interior is much more sensible, though, with just the oddball transmission selector from Year 3 pottery class surviving. The rest of it is pretty normal, but in classic critic style, it could maybe be a little more committed to the idea of being futuristic. To be fair, the dinky 5.0-inch screen from the Leaf I drove at launch has been replaced by a much nicer 80-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

    The back seat is predictably small and hatchback tight and everyone sits Popemobile-high because the batteries are slung underneath the floor. That does have an effect on headroom and the feeling that you’re sitting on a skateboard, but it does liberate some leg and kneeroom in the back.

    Drivetrain

    For the second-generation, the Leaf has more power and torque. Power is up to 110kW and torque a very pleasing 320Nm.

    Power goes to the front wheels via a single-speed automatic.

    Battery density is up a whopping 67 percent since 2010, with a claimed 270km range from the 40kWh unit. The car comes with a portable charger but you can also step up to CHAdeMO charger for a fast DC charge.

    Nissan claims a 0-100km/h time of 7.9 seconds and an understandably limited top speed of 144km/h.

    Charge times and cost

    From a standard 240-volt wall charge, you’ll go from zip to full in about 24 hours, or the rough standard of 10km per hour of charge. As you go over 80 percent, charging slows, so keep that in mind.

    Wallbox charging falls to about 7.5 hours for a full charge and Nissan reckons 70 percent of punters will go for that.

    A 50kW CHAdeMO DC charge will take 60 minutes for an 80 percent charge.

    “Only 270km?” I hear you cry. Well, yes. It’s not a lot, but here are some stats. In Australia (and I imagine this is similar the world over), the average daily commute is around 38km. That’s five easy days of commuting without plugging in at all. If you plug in every day, you’ll never drop below 200km, all things being equal.

    If you want more range, you’ll need to wait for the bigger battery car which will surely be along soon.

    If you need more range now, you need another $10,000-$15000 for a Hyundai Kona EV. Hardly anyone really needs a 400km range. Heck, I spent a week in a Range Rover PHEV with just a 30km real world range and used 14km of petrol because I kept plugging in when I got home.

    JetCharge’s CEO Time Washington says that if you’re tarriff is 30c kW/h, you’ll use around $2.10 per day or about $760 per year. If you can work out off-peak charging, that will likely halve. Petrol is way more and the price is variable. Some power companies are offering all-you-can eat charging for a $1 per day. The maths is easy on that score.

    The nifty thing about the Leaf is that it features Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology, meaning if you’ve got the right gear, you can charge for free at the shops (ha!) and then power your home when you get back. Useful in a blackout, though. In earthquake-prone Japan, a few EVs plugged into buildings can take over in a power failure and keep the lifts moving.

    Driving

    Ah, yes. You’re probably expecting some carefully-worded statements about what it’s like to steer because you’re expecting me to say it’s boring. Yeah, well, it’s actually pretty good, but not especially exciting.

    Having said that, because the weight is nice and low in the chassis, you can really keep the speed up through corners, which is unexpected only if you’ve never driven an electric car before.

    The steering is deader than Donald Trump’s irony gene but it’s important to remember who this car is for. This car is for normal people wanting to buy a low-fuss car and have a few bob extra to try and make a difference. The Leaf will grab EV people and likely grab previous Leaf owners.

    Anyway.

    Once you’re used to the light steering, you can think about the e-Pedal. Long-time Redliners will know I was very keen indeed on the i3’s single pedal operation and the Leaf’s is even a bit better. With the range displayed loud and clear on the dashboard, as well as a sensibly arranged graphics for which way the power is flowing, it becomes intuituve within a few miles.

    There are two main advantages to this – traffic is less irritating. You only need to use the brake if someone jumps in front of you or you’ve got a bit ambitious. Secondly, it’s entertaining as you play with the pedal to work out the smoothest and most efficient way to drive. Certainly keeps you occupied.

    The energy recovery in the Leaf is reasonably aggressive, which is what makes the e-Pedal most useful. If you want more aggression, select B mode on the pottery ashtray tranmission selector.

    Bombing around town is where the Leaf is most at home. The torque delivery is super-smooth, with none of the neck-snapping nonsense of some electric cars (I like it, but most people don’t)(the neck-snapping nonsense, I mean).

    Redline Recommendation

    Diehard Tesla fanboys/fangirls make going electric as unpalatable as the Prius’ do-gooder image did for hybrids. Making a car look obviously electric puts some people off. I think the Leaf treads a fairly fine line, but it will certainly get first-gen Leafers upgrading.

    Other people teetering on the edge will also be attracted to the Leaf. It will go on the list alongside a bunch of ICE cars. It will likely be a second car for a good number of buyers, one to sit next to the big SUV or – seriously – the sports car. People are like that.

    The Leaf may not be the car with the longest range or the most enticing package. It is, however, a proper full EV from the ground up. It’s all about the future with these cars and with a far more sensible range, a solid ownership proposition and a mildly entertaining chassis, the new Leaf is a pretty EV good option.

    And it claims the distinction of being the first second-generation EV.