Nissan Patrol ST 4.8 4WD Review

There are plenty of things that are included in the interior that make this car worth buying. Expect to find cruise control, power steering, electric remote locks, a great temperature system, a single disc CD player, and great safety features like dual airbags and child restraint anchorages.

When you sit down in the inside, one thing you might be disappointed about is the comfort factor with the seats. You might not notice them right off, but if you find yourself riding in the vehicle for an extended period of time, then you will start to notice your behind falling asleep. you will definitely not be blown away by the amount of space. By looking at the vehicle on the outside, you might think that it has a good deal of room on the inside for passengers. That is not the case. Fortunately, front seat passengers have it pretty good on space, except for elbow room, which is a necessity for me and would drive me crazy not to have! As for anyone who takes it on themselves to ride in the backseat, you might regret it. Not only is there not much space, but it can get stuffy due to the fact that there are no air vents in the back seat. There is also an option to use the third row of seats, which should only be used for children. If you don't have that many people to carry around, you will be pleased to know that you can store things in this load space, which can be accessed using the double doors that open at the back of the vehicle. There is not as much room here as there might be in other vehicles of its type, but the storage space is much more than it would be if the seats were in use. If you have something large that you are going to be transporting, you do have the ability to fold away the second row of seats to make more room for loading, but there is not much room even then. For instance, you could not use that as a sleeping space comfortably on a camping trip. On a plus note, there is plenty of room if you like to have compartments in your vehicle-you can store important paperwork, sunglasses, CDs, etc. in any of the abundantly sized storage compartments. Just don't plan on storing anything large in the glove compartment.

There is a 4WD option for this car, but it is best to not use it unless you are in a situation that needs it. I have a vehicle like this and have never had to use it. If you take a lot of road trips or drive long distances frequently, you are definitely better off driving in 2WD to save some money on gas! Getting into the vehicle and turning the key will give you a great first impression. For such a big engine, starting it up is a breeze! It is not a noisy start up, which is surprising! There is not much engine noise inside or outside the vehicle, which is a nice thing for your passengers. The car has a stable feel no matter what type of terrain you are driving on, which makes not only you, but your passengers, ride in ease. Of course, some of that depends on your driving!

Surprisingly, this is a vehicle that can hold its own both at idle and at a revved red line. It has plenty of power to back it up, too. With a 4.8 L engine, there is no messing around with the Patrol ST. Even though the previous Nissan Patrol had a 4.5 L, which would not seem that much of a difference, the 4.8 blows it out of the water. In the 0-100 acceleration test, the 4.8 was 17 percent faster than the 4.5 L. Not only is the engine fabulous for its power, but it can give you a sweet, smooth drive as well. And since you have greatly increased the amount of power in the engine, you have obviously got to increase the ability of the brakes as well. We would not want a more powerful car with less powerful brakes! The new brakes are resized, and though Anti Lock Brake System Brakes are not factory issued on each car (which I think they should be), you have that as an option if you pick from certain models of the Patrol.

Ok Ok, enough talk about the engine. Driving the car is quite pleasant for other reasons as well. There are some components of the car that have been reworked so that the car can drive adequately through rougher terrain. Though some might think this is a mistake, it makes sense to design it that way. It pretty much does not matter what kind of terrain you are taking it on, the Nissan Patrol can handle it. OK, so don't get overly enthused here;let's be reasonable. But seriously, for a vehicle of its type, it can show up any others like it when handling off-road situations.

While there are some vehicles that are 4WD but have the ability to be a good "around town" car, this is not so much that type of vehicle. If you are looking for a vehicle that would make a good car to transport you and your family around town in a suburban setting on a daily basis, with no off-road driving, this is probably not the car for you. It could perfectly handle the driving; it would just not be a cost effective and practical thing to have this vehicle and not actively use the 4WD. On the flip side, if you can afford a $52,740 price tag, if the driving you are going to be doing is not primarily in-city, and if you are looking for a car that can be rough and tough and has a great engine, then the Nissan Patrol ST 4.8 definitely deserves a test drive!