Nissan Patrol Y60 Buyer's guide review

If you're an off-roading lover, a person who goes off-roading all the time, this might be a vehicle that you're very familiar with. This is the vehicle that is known as the Picasso of the art of off-roading. It is none other than the Nissan Patrol Y60 SWB SUV. It is a strong and reliable SUV with a short wheelbase, initially manufactured by the Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. of Japan for the use of the Military units and the United Nations agencies. But later in history, this vehicle was able to gain a huge fanbase by stealing the minds of SUV enthusiasts all over the world (Mostly in Australia, the Middle East, and Asia), providing perfect competition to the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Starting from its first-generation Nissan 4W60 which was manufactured in 1951, there have been seven noticeable generations for this SUV until 2021, and this Nissan Patrol is considered as one of the longest-running SUVs in the world. It is classified as a mid-size off-road vehicle that has been a significant player in the 4x4 segment. Depending on the market demand, Nissan Patrol is available in various body styles, including a rare three-door version (Patrol Safari) and the famous five-door version.

From the initial model of this vehicle to bringing it to Sri Lanka, this vehicle will have the best origin story that you'll ever hear. So, let's dig into the history of this SUV and find out how it originated throughout almost six decades.

Due to the destruction caused by World War II (1940-1944), the whole road system of Japan became unusable. Therefore, in 1949, to continue the transportation processes of the country, Japan government needed vehicles capable of travelling off-road. So, they offered a contract to both leading vehicle manufacturers in Japan, Toyota, and Nissan corporations, to make an off-road vehicle based on the Willys Jeep of USA. Both companies worked hard to create a prototype model for this contract, and when they presented their vehicles, the government selected the vehicle designed by the Toyota Corporation, which was later developed to become the world-renowned Land Cruiser.

The model created by the Nissan Corporation was first known as the 4W, and it had a huge production cost. Since it was rejected by the government, Nissan Corporation decided to sell this vehicle in the local market to cover their expenses. But since it was not so different from a regular tractor back then and had no comfort for its passengers, it also did not become popular in the market either. Then, in 1951, they re-released this vehicle with a 3.7-litre 6-cylinder petrol engine under the name Nissan 4W60. Since this 75HP off-road vehicle created a demand in the market, Nissan Corporation released another model in 1955 named 4W61, with increased comfort measures and a 92HP 4-WD engine. This model became very popular among the local police, firefighters, and military patrol units. Since it was difficult to say 4W61 all the time, Nissan Corporation renamed it to Nissan Patrol in 1958. And by this time, they have also started exporting this vehicle to the military units of other countries.

They introduced the Patrol 60 series at the beginning of the 60s, with a 4-litre petrol engine and a short-wheelbase. It had many variations, such as the G60 with a long wheelbase and the K60 with a steel roof. All these models were exported to Australia, and they became a huge market hit there. After the family of Reginald Sprigg crossed the Simpson Desert of Australia (176,000 km²) in September 1962 on a Nissan Patrol G60, this vehicle became popular all over the world as the first motorized vehicle to cross the Simpson Desert. Many vehicles, including the Land Rover and the Land Cruiser, failed to achieve this due to the extreme heat and overuse.

After this success, Nissan Corporation started exporting this vehicle to the international market and manufacturing overseas. India gained the manufacturing rights of the licensed production of the 60-series and the 4W70 series, and it was later renamed “Jonga” by the Indian military. In 1987, this vehicle was imported to Sri Lanka for the first time by the Indian Peacekeeping Force.

The overall evolution of this vehicle according to its generations is as follows.

1. First Generation (4W60, 4W70; from 1951 to 1960)
2. Second Generation (60-series; from 1960 to 1980)
3. Third Generation (Patrol 160,161; from 1980-1987)4. Fourth Generation (Patrol 260; from 1986-1994)
5. Fifth Generation (Patrol Y60; from 1987 to 1998)
6. Sixth Generation (Patrol Y61; from 1997 to 2010)
7. Seventh Generation (Patrol Y62; from 2010 onwards)

Nissan Patrol Y60 has a TD42 4.2-litre 4169CC inline 4-cylinder engine. When the power generated by this engine is sent through an intercooler turbocharge and a five-speed gearbox, it creates a maximum power of 175 horsepower at 4000 rpm and a maximum torque of 330 Nm at 3200 rpm. A few models are also available with 4.2L non-turbo, 2.8L RD28 diesel, and 3.0L RD petrol engines. It is available with a 4-speed automatic transmission or a 5-speed manual transmission.

Regarding the service and maintenance of this TD42 engine, it might require around 10 liters of engine oil if you want to change its engine oil. And you need to use dot three brake oil for this vehicle. As of 2021, it might cost you around 35,000-45,000 LKR for a full service of this vehicle. The fuel economy of this vehicle is around 9-11 km per liter in urban areas. The fuel tank has a capacity of 95 liters. It has a Coil spring, a Rigid axle suspension in the front, and a Rigid axle suspension with a Transverse stabilizer in the back. And it has disc brakes on all four wheels.

According to a few users, this vehicle is too tall; a person with a regular height cannot lift the hood and rack it on their own.

When it comes to the dimensions of this vehicle, it has a length of 4.92 meters and a width of 1.93 meters. It is 1.79 meters tall, has a ground clearance of 205 mm and a turning radius of 14.2 meters. All these figures could be customized after purchase.

As you can see in Figure 03, there is a stylish hood scoop and a grill in the front to cool the engine accordingly. This vehicle has two 7-inch halogen headlights, and they have either window washers or headlight wipers based on their trim. Adding custom bumpers, aftermarket tyres, and alloy wheels can make this vehicle more off-road spec. As seen in both figures above, this vehicle also has a very strong side step as well. This vehicle has a spare wheel and a jerry can in the back (Figure 05), and you can use this jerry can to carry either water or fuel for you. You can access the boot area by opening the split door, and it has approximately a space of 600-2000 liters, based on how you manage to use it. You can extend the boot area by bending and lifting the back seats.

Since there was a trend of adding luxury features to these off-road vehicles, SUVs, and Jeeps, they gave this Patrol Y60 a very luxurious interior. As you can see in Figure 06, it has leather seats, the original steering wheel and the centre console (all these items could be customized after the purchase). The dashboard is made of hard plastic.

The doors have power shutter switches, speakers, and a small door bin to keep your belongings. A full analogue gauge cluster could be seen in this vehicle, and it has a speedometer, rpm gauge, fuel gauge, engine temperature meter, and warning lights. The center console includes the AC controls, radio, gear levers and the handbrake lever. A few storage compartments could be seen all over the interior, and when it comes to safety measures, there are so many handles installed to protect the passengers.

If we consider the space of this vehicle, the driver and the front passenger have good headroom and legroom available in the front. As for the backseat passengers, three passengers can travel there without discomfort, and the backseats also have good headroom and legroom as well.

As we mentioned earlier, there are so many aftermarket offroad parts available for this vehicle, such as winches, bumpers, diff locks, lift kits, suspensions, tires etc. And with its 95-liter fuel tank, you can travel almost anywhere.

As for the cons of this vehicle, there's a shortage of spare parts for this vehicle in Sri Lanka, and the body parts don't sell individual parts due to the body permit regulations. And since this vehicle weighs approximately 2.5 tons, it is very slow until you gain some momentum. Sometimes, it is hard to park this vehicle in underground car parks due to its high roof, and you might have to get a bus license to legally drive most Y60 and Y61 models. This vehicle is very hard to sell, only a person who eagerly wants a Patrol would buy this vehicle.

As of July 2021, the 1992 Nissan Safari Patrol 5-speed model fetched the highest international price recorded at $31,027 (approximately 9.6 million LKR) among Y60 series SUVs. However, by February 2024, the prevailing average international market price for vehicles within the Y60 series ranges between $17,500 and $19,000 (approximately 5.4 million LKR to 5.9 million LKR).You can find the latest prices with more details and cars of this model for sale from Riyasewana website, the number 1 online vehicle marketplace in Sri Lanka. Nissan Patrol Y60 Latest Price