Review: Nissan Y62.I Patrol (2013-15)

Overview

Released in February 2013, the Nissan Y62 Patrol was a large, four-wheel drive wagon. Manufactured at Nissan’s Shatai Kyushu plant in Japan, the Y62 Patrol was powered by a 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine which was mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. While the Y62 Patrol ST-L and Ti had eight seats, the range-topping Patrol Ti-L had seven seats.

VK56VD engine

The Y62 Patrol was powered Nissan’s 5.6-litre VK56VD V8 engine which had an aluminium block and cylinder head, direct petrol injection, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and Nissan’s ‘Variable Valve Event & Lift’ (or VVEL) which combined hydraulically-controlled variable valve timing and electronically controlled variable inlet valve lift. Furthermore, the engine had a compression ratio of 10.8:1 and produced more than 500 Nm from 2500 rpm.

Nissan Y62.I Patrol specifications
Variants	Engine	Trans.	Peak power	Peak torque
ST-L, Ti, Ti-L	5.6-litre petrol V8 (VK56DE)	7sp auto	298 kW at 5800 rpm	560 Nm at 4000 rpm

4WD system

The Y62 Patrol was fitted with Nissan’s All-Mode 4WD system which did not utilise a mechanical centre differential. Instead, the system had an electronically-controlled multi-plate clutch, while the Y62 Patrol was also fitted with a helical limited slip rear differential that had a differential lock. In the normal 4H drive mode, torque was directed to the rear axle to minimise fuel consumption. If traction was lost, however, up to 50 per cent of the engine’s torque could be directed to the front axle.

As part of the All-Mode system, a circular electronic switch cluster located behind the gear selector enabled the driver to:

Select from sand, rock, snow or on-road drive modes;
Activate the rear differential lock;
Turn the electronic stability control on or off; and,
Engage hill descent control.

Body and dimensions

Like the GU Patrol , the Y62 Patrol had a ladder frame chassis albeit with stiffer body-to-chassis mount points and larger chassis side rails for greater stiffness. Compared to its predecessor, the Y62 Patrol was 90 mm longer (at 5140 mm), 55 mm wider (1995 mm), 85 mm taller (1940 mm) and had a 105 mm longer wheelbase (3075 mm); ground clearance was 283 mm.

Suspension

The Y62 Patrol had independent front and rear suspension with double wishbones and twin-tube shock absorbers. The Ti and Ti-L variants were also fitted with Nissan’s Hydraulic Body Motion Control (HBMC) system which consisted of hydraulic chambers integrated into each shock absorber – these chambers automatically controlled suspension travel and were cross-linked to allow for the transfer of hydraulic fluid by nitrogen-charged accumulators from one side of the vehicle to the other. When cornering, roll stiffness was thereby increased to reduce the amount of body lean.

Steering

The Y62 Patrol ST-L had engine speed-sensitive rack and pinion steering, while the Ti and Ti-L variants had a vehicle speed-sensitive system.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Y62 Patrol included dual front airbags, front side airbags, full-length curtain airbags, ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, active front seat head restraints and front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters.

The Ti-L was further equipped with:

Intelligent cruise control: using a combination of laser sensors, throttle and brake actuators, Intelligent cruise control could measure the distance to the vehicle ahead and automatically adjust the vehicle’s speed to maintain a pre-set following distance;
Distance Control Assist: if the distance to the vehicle ahead was closing too rapidly, the driver would be prompted to release the throttle and the brakes applied automatically to slow the vehicle;
Blind Spot Warning: illuminated an indicator light if another vehicle was detected in the blind spot area. If the driver then activated the turn signal, the indicator light would flash and an audible warning would sound;
Blind Spot Intervention: provided selective braking of the wheels on one side of the vehicle to counteract the driver’s attempt to steer into an adjacent lane (if another vehicle had been detected in the blind spot area);
Forward Collision Warning: operating at speeds above 15 km/h, when a potential collision was anticipated, an alarm would sound to warn the driver. Unlike Distance Control Assist, however, Forward Collision Warning did not autonomously brake the vehicle; and,
Lane Departure Warning and Prevention: used a small camera behind the windscreen to detect lane markers and warn the driver of potential unintended lane departures with visual and audible warnings. If the driver did not return the vehicle toward the centre of the lane and the vehicle was travelling in excess of 70 km/h, the brakes on the opposing side of the drift were automatically applied to counteract the drift.

Brakes

The Y62 Patrol had 358 mm by 34 mm ventilated front brake discs with four-piston opposed callipers and 350 mm by 20 mm ventilated rear discs with single piston callipers.

Features: Patrol ST-L, Ti and Ti-L

Standard features for the Patrol ST-L included 18-inch alloy wheels with 265/70 R18 tyres, a six speaker sound system with MP3-compatibility, a 2GB hard drive for audio storage, iPod connectivity and a seven-inch LCD, DVD player, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, an eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera steering wheel audio controls, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob, remote central locking, power windows and heated mirrors (with folding function), tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, woodgrain interior trim, privacy glass, side steps, a trip computer and an immobiliser.

The Patrol Ti was further equipped with leather upholstery, a four-way power adjustable front passenger seat, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers and a powered glass sunroof.

Beyond this, the range-topping Patrol Ti-L added a thirteen speaker Bose sound system, hard-drive navigation with an eight-inch colour monitor, xenon headlights with washers, dual seven-inch DVD screens in the rear of the front seat headrests, driver memory settings (seat, steering wheel and door mirrors), a six-litre centre console coolbox, a power-operated tailgate, tyre pressure monitoring and an alarm. The Ti-L also had an ‘Around View’ monitor which displayed a combination of different views of the vehicle from above (bird’s-eye view), the front, rear and sides to assist with parking.

Paint colours

The Y62 Patrol was available in Brilliant Silver, Titanium, Alpine White, Black Obsidian, Deep Earth Brown, Precision Grey and Desert Dune paint finishes.

Brochure

Brochure: Nissan Y62 Patrol (February 2013)