Nissan Patrol Y63 2024: what could replace its mighty V8 heart?

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The current Nissan Patrol has been on sale since 2010, and today, some would argue that this Toyota Land Cruiser rival is starting to feel its age. 

Despite its 14-year vintage, Nissan still has a new iteration of the Patrol on the way in the form of the Premcar-tuned Warrior edition which could mark the final chapter of the Y62 Patrol and its V8 engine before a new generation arrives in the near future. 

It’s one of the last V8 engined SUVs on sale in Australia, but it’s also thirsty with a claimed combined figure of 14.4L/100km – and that’s when using 98 octane petrol.

In current Y62 spec, the Patrol is fitted with a naturally-aspirated 5.6-litre V8 engine making 298kW/560Nm. It remains one of the only SUVs still sold in Australia with an engine of that type. 

It shares this engine layout with only a few other cars in Australia, such as the Ford Mustang and Lexus LC500 sports coupe. 

What will power a future Patrol then? 

Rumours have been circulating that the next-generation Patrol, likely to be called the Y63, could use a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine. 

We know already that diesel power is likely to be off the cards for Nissan company-wide, with the brand saying previously that “we will not go (towards diesels) and we don’t want to come back”. 

It’s unlikely, then, that the Patrol will use a diesel engine in the future, such as the Navara’s 2.3-litre twin-turbo-diesel inline-four.

The more obvious choice would be the 3.0-litre VR30 engine used in cars such as the Infiniti Q50 and the new Nissan Z sports coupe. 

However, leaked dealership information out of the USA stated last year that the 5.6-litre V8 engine used in the Nissan Armada (the US version of the Patrol) would be dropped in favour of a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 engine.

If true, this could mean the current VQ35 engine (currently naturally-aspirated) could gain a pair of turbochargers and be heavily revised for an SUV application, however nothing has been confirmed as of yet. 

Nissan could bring in its new nine-speed auto 

Nissan could also ditch the seven-speed automatic from the current Patrol and instead fit its new nine-speed automatic transmission. 

This nine-speed transmission is already used in the US market Titan full-size ute, a vehicle which is capable of towing 4.2-tonnes so its use would be suited to the needs of the Patrol.

Nissan Patrol 2023: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Ti: $82,160
• Ti-L: $95,115