How is Nissan Patrol for desert drives?

[Adel Muradov]

Hello Everyone! Related to the topic question. I am driving Nissan patrol platinum Y62. I am still newbie/fewbie level, so far i am ok,but i can feel that car is heavy, hence kind of difficult to handle if i am tackling the dune. 

Yesterday i went as a passenger on the drive, which was an inter/advance level, i was with the marshal in his FJ. He did, as i though before impossible things,climbing high dunes, riding on the bale (ridge), reaching the pick of dune and overtaking it. Crazy stuff! The guy has long time experience though. So i was wondering, can patrol do the same, considering its weight? Or this kind of extreme drive is only for Jeeps and FJs, and patrol for more relaxing, safari type of driving? Thank you in advance! 

[desertdude]

That's because you just started doing this. Patrol is a very capable car and being a platinum I'm assuming it's a V8. In the right hands it can kick FJs ass all over the place. 

I've driven the bigger and heavier Armada in Liwa which makes the Dubai dunes look like children and it performed beautifully there

 

Edited August 4, 2019 by desertdude

[Gaurav]

Sorry dude, this was over 10+ year story now and you might be right at that time but not with Patrol weight.

@Adel Muradov there is no doubt you have very capable 4x4 but due to its pedigree now mixed with luxury+mall crawler audience and that makes it very heavy, more electronically controlled gizmos, computers, sensors. Patrol Y62 will always find it difficult to catch up on extreme drives like the one you just mentioned.

However that gap is very marginal - if you hone your offroad skills like if FJC can do 100, then your Patrol can match upto 80-90 in capable hands. So don't worry too much about that level and little gap IMHO, first focus on learning and "practicing" the basics without breaking your 4x4, rest all will follow.

On the contrary, for being a good offroader you need slightly underpower 4x4 than desert toy that can take you anywhere with a touch of throttle. You won't learn real offroading that way.

[desertdude]

4 hours ago, Gaurav said:

Sorry dude, this was over 10+ year story now and you might be right at that time but not with Patrol weight.

@Adel Muradov there is no doubt you have very capable 4x4 but due to its pedigree now mixed with luxury+mall crawler audience and that makes it very heavy, more electronically controlled gizmos, computers, sensors. Patrol Y62 will always find it difficult to catch up on extreme drives like the one you just mentioned.

However that gap is very marginal - if you hone your offroad skills like if FJC can do 100, then your Patrol can match upto 80-90 in capable hands. So don't worry too much about that level and little gap IMHO, first focus on learning and "practicing" the basics without breaking your 4x4, rest all will follow.

On the contrary, for being a good offroader you need slightly underpower 4x4 than desert toy that can take you anywhere with a touch of throttle. You won't learn real offroading that way.

I said Armada not Patrol. That Armada weighs almost the same as the Y62 and around the same power as the V6 patrol. And the Armada was never built to be a tough offroader. So the comparison is more than valid

[Gaurav]

5 minutes ago, desertdude said:

I said Armada not Patrol. That Armada weighs almost the same as the Y62 and around the same power as the V6 patrol. And the Armada was never built to be a tough offroader. So the comparison is more than valid

Theoretical yes, but when have you last seen or driven Y62 (STOCK) doing wonders....?

We have had 3 patrol in 2019 and 2 broke the bumper, 3rd was intelligent matured driver and went back home with same bumper.

Due to tons of electronic control, I have seen even V8 struggling and what Adel mentioned here I can totally relate to.

If it was doing wonder as Y61 VTEC then why would Nissan brought back Y61 VTEC VTEC for shababs.....?

[Adel Muradov]

Thank you Gents! Very useful and interesting information!

@desertdude I am eager to learn, in order to be strong enought to tackle higher dunes. I am also sure Patrol can show outstanding results, specially the V8 one. It is juts difficult to balance its weight and power, and I am in continuous trials to find that golden middle. Also have to fight my fear to be flipped at higher dunes. I know that I still do not fill my car 100%, but with each drive I "open" the car a. bit . 
 

@Gaurav Yes agree, the patrol specially platinum one become too fancy, and more a car fro the city and light (safari type) offroading, but not extreme level. I have 20 inch seems, that m are Offroaders more difficult. Probably the Y62 LE, with smaller seems, and less electronics is ore suitable for offroad. I am seriously thinking of buying FJ or Jeep specially for desert driver, and leave patrol for the city roads. 

By the way, the Marshal on FJ told me that Y61 VTEC, the new one, will not be able as well to manage the speed of FJ on dunes. And in the club I am now, I am the only one person on patrol, there is no one else on Y61 or 62, all are either jeepers or FJ, sometimes Nissan Xterra and Prado. 

For now, I will try to do my level best to learn more, I think if I manage to drive a heavy Patrol, the FJ or Jeep will be much easier to handle later on. 

[shadow79]

13 hours ago, Adel Muradov said:

For now, I will try to do my level best to learn more, I think if I manage to drive a heavy Patrol, the FJ or Jeep will be much easier to handle later on. 

What you are trained on is only what you can handle nicely in the desert the learning curve starts from zero when the car changes

 

[Gaurav]

32 minutes ago, shadow79 said:

What you are trained on is only what you can handle nicely in the desert the learning curve starts from zero when the car changes

Well not from Zero, but from 50% onward again. And you will take couple of drives to get used to that new 4x4 response unlike months and years to learn offorading.

I have driven 6 different 4x4 for offroading in last 12 years.