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This is the 2025 Nissan Patrol Warrior,
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Australia's favorite V8 Bruiser, given a
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proper local makeover before the new
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Turbo V6 Patrol finally arrives in
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right-hand drive. In this, we take a
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closer look at the Warrior, covers the
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interior changes, explains how it
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behaves on and off the road, and
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finishes with whether it is worth buying
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now or better to wait for the next
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generation. So under the skin, this is
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the familiar Y62 Patrol with a 5.6 L
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naturally aspirated petrol V8. Nissan
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has handed it to Prem Car, who developed
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the Warrior package here in Australia.
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That means the suspension, tires,
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exhaust, lift, and GVM upgrade are all
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engineered properly, not slapped on in a
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driveway. You get just under 300 kW, a
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bit over 550 Newton meters, a
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seven-speed auto, and a proper
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four-wheel drive system with low range
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and a locking rear diff. The range now
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starts just under the six figure mark in
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Australia, and the Warrior sits at the
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top just under about 120,000 depending
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on your state. It is not cheap, but when
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you stack it against what you get in a
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Land Cruiser 300 for similar money, the
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value equation starts to tilt. The
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exterior looks tough. The front gets a
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blacked out grill, LED headlights and
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fog lights, and a heavyduty bash plate
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with Warrior stamped into it. Down the
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side, you see the lift straight away.
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The Warrior sits about 50 mm higher with
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a mix of suspension changes and taller
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off-road tires. Ground clearance is now
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just over 320 mm, which is huge for
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something still built to carry kids and
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tow a boat. The allterrains sit on 18in
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wheels and fill the arches properly.
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Nissan has worked on braking performance
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after earlier tests in the wet showed
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long stopping distances. And in the dry,
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it now behaves like a normal big
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fourwheel drive. You also get warrior
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badging, patrol script, functional side
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pipes, and a GVM bumped to around 3,620
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kilos, so you keep your payload and tow
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rating even with the changes. Inside,
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the Patrol finally feels closer to this
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decade. You get the newer US- style
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dashboard with a 12.3 in infotainment
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screen, a new driver display, and darker
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trim instead of the old fake wood. The
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infotainment supports wireless Apple
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CarPlay and Android Auto in full screen,
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plus a six speakeraker sound system, USB
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ports, and a wireless phone charger. The
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360 camera works, but the image quality
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still looks pretty dated. The seats get
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diamond stitched leather. They are cushy
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for long highway runs, though not the
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most supportive if you start throwing
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the warrior into corners. Because this
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is based on the T-grade, not the TL, you
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miss out on heated and cooled seats,
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which feels like a compromise at this
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price. Second row space is excellent.
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There is loads of room, separate climate
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controls, plenty of connectivity, and a
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clever center console that opens from
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both the front and the back. The third
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row is actually usable for adults for
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short trips. And because this is an
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8seater, you get two, three, and three
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across the cabin. Driving it on the road
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is more fun than it should be. The V8
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gives you a smooth surge of power and a
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low 7-second sprint to 100, which is
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hilarious for something this big. The
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noise from the side pipes is the best
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part. Drive it gently and it stays
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quiet. Lean on it and it wakes up with a
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proper V8 roar. Most owners will use
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that valve more than they probably
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Fuel use though is heavy. You are
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looking at mid- teen figures, often
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higher. If you are buying a V8 Patrol,
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you accept that early and enjoy the
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sound. Off-road, the Warrior earns its
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name. The lift, tires, bash plate, and
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angles make it ideal for rocky climbs,
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ruts, and washouts. You have over 320 mm
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of ground clearance, a 40° approach
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angle, and all the hardware you want.
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including low range, a locking rear
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diff, hill descent control, and multiple
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terrain modes. Traction control is
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smart. Throttle response in rock mode is
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nicely dulled, and the updated display
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shows your angles and wheels slip as you
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climb. Water weighting sits around 700
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mm even before you count the lift. The
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big advantage is that all of these
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upgrades are backed by Nissan's
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warranty. For people who would normally
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lift and modify a standard patrol, the
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Warrior gives you a factory engineered
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solution from day one. So, should you
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buy the 2025 Patrol Warrior now or wait
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for the new Turbo V6 Patrol? If you want
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the latest tech and the most modern
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drivetrain, waiting makes sense. But if
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you want a big, capable, comfortable 8-
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seat tourer with a proper V8 soundtrack,
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real off-road ability, and factorybacked
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mods, the Warrior is incredibly
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tempting. It is thirsty, and it is not
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cheap, but it feels special in a way
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most turbo diesels simply do not. Let me
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know in the comments. Would you take
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this over a Land Cruiser 300 or hold out
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for the next generation patrol? And if
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you already own a Warrior, tell us what
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it is like to live with.
