PATROL TAKES ON REINFORCEMENTS

It seems as though the Nissan Patrol has been ‘on the beat’ since the year dot – well, 70 years, anyway. And with the recent upgrade, the big sports utility vehicle is qualified more than most to wear the ‘icon’ tag. The Patrol comes in two well-specced grades Ti and Ti-L, while a flagship Warrior by Premcar model rounds out the range. Common to all is the carryover 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine and seven-speed automatic transmission with manual mode and Adaptive Shift Control. Leading the upgrades is an Aussie-developed infotainment… Read more

QASHQAI E-POWER TAKES THE HIGH ROAD

Back in the ‘noughties’ the Pulsar hatchback was not pulling its weight in Europe, so the maker Nissan decided to beef it up and give it a new name: in this case the Qashqai, and a new identity, the compact SUV. Down Under it became the Dualis, before following in Euro-fashion with the Qashqai moniker. Now it has gone hybrid … but, Jim, not as we know it. While the popular petrol/electric hybrid these days uses both power sources to drive the vehicle, Nissan’s e-Power system leaves the internal combustion… Read more

NISSAN NAVARA PRO-X DUAL CAB UTILITY

  Okay. Now I’m confused.   The Nissan Navara PRO-4X was replaced by the PRO-4X Warrior which in turn has recently been replaced by the much-hyped PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar.   Premcar had a hand in some or all of them, but here’s the thing . . . the Pro-4X is back.   Take your eye off the ball and look what happens. What’s more, there’s an SL Warrior by Premcar now too.    Who will be top dog?    STYLING To give Navara and the PRO-4X some context, there’s… Read more

BAD-ASS X-TRAIL ATTACKS SKI SLOPES

Check this out. Nissan has modified an X-Trail SUV to work in the snow with the creation of the X-Trail Mountain Rescue Concept. The modifications include the replacement of the wheels with snow tracks, to give the X-Trail the traction to tackle slippery slopes. GMC did a similar thing with Sierra 2500HD All Mountain concept in 2018. As well as adding the tracks, a bespoke roof rack has been added to the X-Trail to carry an evacuation stretcher and snow shovels. A siren, flashing light bar and powerful lights have… Read more

NISSAN QASHQAI ST-L

Once known as Dualis, Nissan’s small SUV the Qashqai has grown in size and stature over the years. Sitting between the Juke and X-Trail in terms of size, the current, third generation Qashqai was launched in 2021. It’s 60kg lighter than before, stands taller, longer and wider, and has a longer wheelbase — and of course costs more. That means more room for luggage, and more knee and leg room for rear seat passengers. What’s not to like? STYLING The latest, third generation Qashqai comes in four grades: ST, ST+,… Read more

TASKMASTER OF HUGE PROPORTIONS

Question: does the Navara PRO-4X Warrior, a latecomer to the ranks, have enough to take on the army of talent in one of the most closely fought contests in the Aussie automobile market? With fully armed dual cab pick-ups the likes of the Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota HiLux Rugged, Mazda BT50 Thunder, Isuzu’s D-Max and the US Ram holding the line, the Navara Warrior has its work cut out. Not that Nissan isn’t out to giving things a shake, calling on input from local specialist engineer Premcar, to light… Read more

X-TRAIL HAS ROOTS IN ‘ENEMY TERRITORY’

In one of the most competitive segments of the automobile industry one company has called on rivals for one of its most important products. Nissan has put together its fourth generation X-Trail with parts from the Mitsubishi Outlander on a Nissan-Renault Alliance CMC-F platform. Weighing in with six petrol-powered variants in front or all-wheel drive – there are two e- Power hybrid electric vehicles on the horizon – the bitser takes on the task of making up ground on well-established rivals such as Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, Hyundai… Read more

NISSAN ALTIMA 2013 – 2017

Nissan Altima has been on sale in Australia since November 2013 and competed in the midsize sedan field. Leading the sales race was the Toyota Camry, with Ford Mondeo, Mazda6, Subaru Liberty and VW Passat also in the mix. Styling is a strong point of the Altima and it takes its own route, with wide horizontal chrome dominating the grille and a large badge in the centre. Indeed, it was a leader in style department as just about everyone else has taken up the big-grille look in in the years… Read more

NISSAN MURANO 2005 – 2015

Nissan Murano SUV was ahead of its time in styling and didn’t sell as well as it deserved in this country. But time times have changed and these days many SUVs and crossovers have smoother lines that look quite swish. Murano has stretch-out room for four adults. Three grownups in the back works fine if they aren’t overly broad in the beam. Four have stretch out space. As a real bonus the flat floor at the rear seats makes life easy for the person seated in the centre. Too often… Read more

NISSAN Z NISMO COMING DOWN UNDER

Nissan has confirmed that the high-performance Nismo version of its Z sports coupe will be coming to Australia later this year. On sale here since mid-2022 the Nissan Z is the latest in a line of sports cars that go all the way back through the golden era of Nissan sports cars from the 1969 Datsun 240Z to the 370Z, the last one to have a three-digit prefix, signifying engine size. Due here in late 2023 the new Z Nismo will come in a single grade, priced at $94,000 plus… Read more