THe Nissan Patrol Cab Chassis ST Coil Turbo Diesel.

I had the chance to borrow my brothers 12 month old Ute whilst over in Perth and racked up a modest 1,000kms in just over a week. Whilst I didn’t actually engaged 4wd the whole time I drove it and the only offroading I did in the vehicle was the many U turns I embarked on after missing the large volumes of badly signposted Wineries, breweries and other touristy places in the Margaret River and Swan Valley regions (it had nothing to do with my poor eyesight and lack of actually watching for the places we were heading!)

Now before I continue, its important to see what type of driver I am so you can judge my comments below. I have been 4wding for about 9 years, firstly in an ’87 Toyota Hilux XtraCab (leaf sprung and SLOW!), A lemon of a Nissan Patrol 3.0 TDi ST Wagon (one of the ill fated Series 2 with the Dodgy Gearbox and Engine) as well as a 2003 Toyota Prado GX T/D which was a great car, but really needed the D4D Direct injection Diesel Engines as it was a tad slow for my liking. Now, the Big hunk of a Ute. My first impressions was wow, this is a noisy truck isn’t it. Pulling off for my first adventure I was surprised how slow and noisy it actually was. I had to remind myself why people opted for the ancient 4.2 Nissan Diesel, It has been around since the dawn of time and is a well tested and reliable motor, unlike those early ZD30′s. It wasn’t long before we were cruising down the highway and I couldn’t help noticing my foot was almost flat to the boards most of the time, this was going to hurt my wallet later I was sure. The ride was quite good, although the poor Nissan seats are as uncomfortable as the wagons.

After a day of so the slowness had grown on me and my ears had adjusted to the rattle and groan of the ancient power plant. It isn’t all that bad, ‘it is a Commercial Vehicle’ I was constantly reminded. This didn’t go down well with the passenger in the other seat who was looking for a mirror to check her hair was still ok – it doesnt have one!.

So how did I feel a week later and some 1,000km’s and $200 lighter in the wallet ($1.26 / Litre). This big thirsty brute drove like a truck, sounds like a truck and drinks diesel like one too. The seats are still a tad uncomfortable for my liking although from my past memories of my old Wagon you get used to them. The ‘finish’ of the car is a little lacking, there is a lot missing from the wagon, which I admit, yes this is a commercial vehicle, it would be nice to have a few normal things like a second power outlet, some mirrors on the sun visors, remote central locking, NATS(Nissan Anti Theft System) for security to name a few. This particular ute I had borrowed has a custom tray and canopy, with lockable cage which gave piece of mind our bags were safe whilst travelling. My only negativity on that system was the stupid design of opening the side or rear tail gate to open the cage which was often harder than the desire to get at the item I required from inside the tray.

Overall for a long distance tourer or a hard core play toy, you can’t go wrong with this big brute of a ute. If you looking to go shopping or cruising the city, it ain’t for you. Big, hard to park, thirty and noisy and a little uncomfortable for my liking. Personally, I’d spend the extra 10K on a Turbo Diesel 79 Series Landcruiser, you’ll get the $10k + more back on resale anyway!

Oh god its good to get back behind the wheel of something with horsepower and comfort.

Steve