Nissan Unleashes Aussie-enhanced Patrol Warrior

Nissan's upmarket and high-performance 4x4 wagon, the Patrol Warrior, hits showrooms next month after finalising development by Australian engineering specialists Premcar.

The Patrol Warrior, which is exclusive to the Australian market and is the second Warrior from Premcar after last year’s launch of the Navara Pro-4X Warrior, is being built at an all-new vehicle manufacturing facility in Epping, outside Melbourne.

The Patrol Warrior program started in September 2022 when Nissan Australia gave Premcar the green light to develop the vehicle.

The Warrior is based on the Patrol Ti but has been toughened up in appearance and mechanical capability.

Externally, the Patrol Warrior has black mirror housings, black grille, red bash plate and a Warrior-branded front bumper. At the back is a new rear bumper assembly with a redesigned tow bar (to compensate for the higher ride level and to fit a full-size spare wheel), Warrior badges and 3.5-tonne recovery points.

It has wheel, tyre and suspension enhancements that pair with the Patrol’s 298kW/560Nm 5.6-litre petrol V8.

The main mechanical changes include the deletion of anti-roll bars and replaced by Nissan’s HBMC (Hydraulic Body Motion Control) system that contains bespoke valves and is assembled by Premcar.

This system is based on the Western Australian-developed Kinetic suspension design which was acquired by Tenneco. It is used by Toyota in the upper-spec Land Cruiser and Prado (marketed as the e-KDSS) and by Jeep and Porsche (Cayenne) and in some Nissan models.

The Nissan interpretation is slightly different to Toyota’s e-KDSS because it replaces the anti-roll bars (with hydraulics) while Toyota (and Porsche) electrically disengage the bars when off the road.

Other suspension changes are longer and softer front springs and a set of progressive springs at the rear. The increase in lift is 50mm, taking it to 323mm, one of the best in the market.

It also gets a new exhaust system (from the catalytic converter back) that unleashes the V8 sound that has been muted in the standard Patrol.  It is a bi-modal system that switches between a standard outlet to a side-exit set of pipes.

The side pipes are activated when the car detects engine revs and vehicle speed reach a certain level. It can also be switched on manually when the vehicle’s transmission is switched to manual mode.

Premcar, which evolved from Tickford and FPV and responsible for a string of hi-perf Ford Falcon variants, built its newest vehicle production centre to accommodate the addition of the Patrol Warrior to its existing manufacturing programs.

Premcar engineering director Bernie Quinn said the all-new facility had involved significant investments in personnel, manufacturing tooling and production technologies.

“It was a proud moment watching the first Nissan Patrol Warrior by Premcar models progress along our new assembly line,” he said.

“To create this amazing off-road SUV the Premcar team has broadened the award-winning Nissan Patrol’s already impressive abilities across a range of road surfaces, from smooth tarmac to rough terrain and everything in between.

“From October, Australian customers will get to enjoy this eagerly awaited new Warrior model series and we can’t wait to see them in Nissan showrooms.”

No price has as yet been announced for the Patrol Warrior but expected to be around $95,000 plus on-road costs.

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